Source: Tertiary Education Commission
Last updated 21 May 2025
Last updated 21 May 2025
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This page sets out the prior study and training criteria for final-year Fees Free learner eligibility.
This page sets out the prior study and training criteria for final-year Fees Free learner eligibility.
On this page:
Prior study and training eligibility will depend on:
if the learner has completed any other qualifications or programmes on or after 1 January 2025, and
if the learner has undertaken any study or training before 2025.
Fees Free is for the first qualification or programme a learner completes
Fees Free is to be used for the first qualification or programme a learner completes on or after 1 January 2025.
In most circumstances, learners will not be able to claim Fees Free for a qualification or programme that is not the first qualification or programme they have completed on or after 1 January 2025.
If a learner has completed any overseas tertiary qualification or programme at any level or any duration, on or after 1 January 2025, they are not eligible for Fees Free.
Learners will not be able to claim Fees Free if they have completed one or more qualifications or programmes that were:
completed on or after 1 January 2025, and
completed before they completed the qualification or programme they are seeking Fees Free for, and
at Level 3 or above on the NZQCF, and were
provider-based study equal to or greater than 0.5 equivalent full-time student (EFTS) units, or
work-based learning made up of at least 120 credits.
Exceptions
The following New Zealand qualifications will not affect a learner’s eligibility even if it was completed first:
school learning programmes and secondary tertiary programmes
certificates of proficiency
pathway qualifications
zero fee qualifications
qualifications funded through the Youth Guarantee (YG) Fund, Māori and Pasifika Trades Training (MPTT), or the Refugee English Funds.
Any study or training undertaken on or after 1 January 2025 that a learner does not complete will not impact their eligibility for Fees Free.
Learners starting study or training for the first time on or after 1 January 2025
Learners can get Fees Free if they are starting study for the first time on or after 1 January 2025 and they meet the other residency and prior study criteria.
Learners are not considered to be starting study for the first time if they have undertaken any study or training before 1 January 2025. This includes study or training that:
was undertaken overseas
wasn’t funded by the Tertiary Education Commission
not completed, or was withdrawn from, outside the refund period
received a fail grade for
had no fees
was paid for by the learner or by a student loan (whether the loan is now repaid or not)
was part of workplace training or an apprenticeship
you undertaken while enrolled in secondary education as an adult learner.
Learners who have undertaken study or training before 1 January 2025
Learners will not be eligible for Fees Free if they have undertaken study or training before 1 January 2025 that is:
more than half a year of equivalent full-time tertiary education (0.5 EFTS or 60 credits), and
at Level 3 or above on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF), and
any tertiary education at an equivalent level and duration undertaken in any country prior to 1 January 2025.
The following do not count as prior study or training undertaken before 1 January 2025:
any tertiary education undertaken while enrolled in secondary school
any credits achieved as part of an industry training programme of fewer than 120 credits that were reported on after 1 January 2018
any zero fee courses undertaken from 1 January 2023
any tertiary study or training that was funded through the Youth Guarantee, Māori and Pasifika Trades Training or Refugee English Funds
any study or training undertaken from 1 January 2025.
Targeted Training Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF)-funded programmes are included when assessing a learner’s prior study.
Definition of “undertaken”
If a learner has “undertaken” study or training, it means they have previously enrolled in tertiary education. For the purposes of Fees Free eligibility, this includes any tertiary education before 2025 that:
was undertaken in New Zealand and/or overseas
was not funded by the TEC
was part-time or full-time study or training
was workplace training or an apprenticeship
was New Zealand study or training that pre-dated the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) or New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF)
was not completed, including where a learner withdrew after the refund period
received a fail grade
was undertaken as a domestic or international student
before 2023 had no fees associated with it
was paid for by the learner accessing a student loan, using a scholarship, or paying for it themself.
