University Entrance (UE) for bachelor's degrees

NCEA

Overall

Require NCEA level 3 certificate which consists of 80 credits, including at least 60 credits at level 3 or higher. Can include up to 20 credits at level 2.

Subject credits

Total of 42 level 3 credits including:

• 14 credits from one approved subject
• 14 credits from a second approved subject
• 14 credits from a third approved subject

_{Credits to achieve NCEA level 3 may include unit standards from non-approved subjects.}

Numeracy

At least 10 level 1 (or higher) numeracy credits (can be achieved through a range of subjects).

Literacy

Total of 10 level 2 (or higher) literacy credits including:

• Five reading credits
• Five writing credits.

From specific standards in a range of NZQA English language-rich subjects.

CIE

Overall

A minimum of 120 points on the NZ CAIE Tariff¹ at A or AS level from any subjects which are broadly equivalent to the subjects in the NCEA approved subject list.

Must include at least three subjects (excluding Thinking Skills) with grades D or above.

Numeracy

A minimum grade of D in IGCSE² mathematics or any mathematics subject at AS or A level.

Literacy

A minimum grade of E in English Language and/or English Literature subject at AS or A level.

^{1 Based on old UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Services for the UK) Tariff = system which converts AS and A level grades into points
2 IGCSE = International General Certificate of Secondary Education}

IB³

Overall

IB Diploma with minimum 24 points

Numeracy

Any mathematics subject – IB Group 5

Literacy

Literature or language and literature (SL or HL) – IB Group 1, with English as the language.

^{3 New Zealand residents who have taken IB but have not been awarded the Diploma may apply for discretionary entrance}

Short of credits

If you’re a couple of credits short of University Entrance, contact your school immediately. They may let you to do assessments to gain the extra credits you need.

If your school can’t offer extra credits, contact Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu – The Correspondence School.

Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu website

You'll need to complete the work, and your school or Te Kura will then need to let NZQA know you now have these credits. Check with NZQA when you need to submit your extra credits.

NZQA website

Higher School Certificate

Apply if you have:

• A grade of C or higher in each of three subjects of the New Zealand University Entrance, Bursaries and Scholarships (NZUEBS) examinations; or
• A combination of NZUEBS A, B or C grades and have completed equivalent subjects registered on the National Qualifications Framework; or
• At least 13 credits at Level 3 from the National Qualifications Framework in each of 3 approved subjects from the approved list

New Zealand Bursaries

Apply if you have:

• A New Zealand Bursary at ‘A’ or ‘B’ level; or
• A grade of D or higher in each of 4 subjects of the New Zealand Universities Bursaries Examination prior to 1993

New Zealand University Entrance

Apply if you have:

• New Zealand Bursary Entrance prior to 1986

Apply if you:

• Are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident; and
• Don’t have a University Entrance qualification; and
• Are 20 years or over by the first day of semester in which the programme begins

Apply if you:

• Are under the age of 20 years; and
• Are a citizen or permanent resident of New Zealand or Australia; and
• Don’t meet the University Entrance standard; and
• Have received secondary schooling to at least New Zealand Year 12 level (or its equivalent overseas) and completed NCEA Level 2 endorsed with Merit or better. This should include at least 14 credits in each of 4 NCEA Level 2 subjects, at least 3 of which must be on the approved subject list; and
• Meet the UE literacy and numeracy standards, or their equivalents; and
• Have not completed Year 13 at a New Zealand secondary school; or
• Have undertaken study in Year 13 at a New Zealand secondary school, but not attempted to qualify for University Entrance

Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Applicants must also be selected into the programme for which they have applied.

Australian applicants’ most recent schooling must have been in New Zealand.

Applicants who have undertaken Year 13 beyond 1 June in any year may not normally be eligible to apply in the same year but may be considered for mid-year admission in the following year.*

^{*waived for Year 13 students at a New Zealand secondary school in 2021, due to the impact of COVID-19.}

Cost of applying for Discretionary Entrance

There is a non-refundable assessment fee of $50.00.

Apply if you have one of the following:

• CIE (University of Cambridge International Examination)
• IB (International Baccalaureate)
• New Zealand Steiner Education (Level 3): A completed Steiner School Certificate Level 3, including 9 points in each of 3 approved subject areas, 8 points in literacy (4 writing/4 reading), and 9 points in numeracy
• Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) Level 3 Certificate (Year 13): A completed ACE Year 13 Certificate which includes at least four subjects designated Level 3 and passes in Algebra 1 (1097-1108) and English 1 (1097-1108)
• Christian Education New Zealand (CENZ) Level 3 Certificate: A completed CENZ Level 3 Certificate which includes at least four subjects designated Level 3 and passes in Algebra 1 (1097-1108) and English 1 (1097-1108)
• An Australian high school ranking with an ATAR rank of 69.6 or above or an OP rank of 14 or below*
• An appropriate qualification from an overseas secondary school or tertiary institution, deemed by AUT to be sufficient for admission into a bachelor’s programme*
• An approved Foundation Studies qualification*
• An approved course of study at Level 3 or above from AUT*
• An appropriate course of study at Level 3 or above (or equivalent) from a recognised New Zealand tertiary provider, normally including either 120 points at Level 3 or 60 points at level 4 or above when the applicant has completed Year 13 at a NZ secondary school or equivalent)*

*You must also have met the literacy and numeracy standards required for UE or their equivalent

• Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)

The popular health science degrees give preference to the highest level of academic achievement (highest performing students). There is no set rank score that guarantees entry to these degrees.

Calculating your rank score:

• By taking the 80 best credits in University Entrance approved subjects at Level 3 or higher, and weighting them by the level of achievement
• No more than 24 credits per subject will be counted
• If a student achieves fewer than 80 credits at Level 3 or higher, the rank score will be calculated on the total number of credits they attain at this level in UE approved subjects

Calculate your score

Calculating your rank score:

• Based on your UCAS Tariff score
• No more than 6 subject units over the last 2 years of study will be counted in subjects at AS, A2 or A level from subjects that match the NCEA University Entrance approved subjects
• The rank score may differ from the UCAS Tariff used for University Entrance because only subjects equivalent to NCEA approved ones will be used for calculating
• An A level counts as 2 subject units and an AS level counts as 1 subject unit. Students who have studied more than 6 subject units can count only the 6 best scores

Calculate your score

How we evaluate you:

• You must have achieved the IB Diploma (24 points)
• We will evaluate you on the number of points achieved above 24

We look for evidence of:

• Work experience that has prepared you for university study by requiring you to use higher order thinking skills and high level written communication and numeracy skills
• Clear goals and objectives for degree level study
• Qualifications relevant to your proposed programme