The New Zealand government provides one year of fees-free study for students starting university for the first time. To get fees-free support, you need to meet eligibility criteria.
If you are a domestic student and you haven’t undertaken tertiary study of more than 60 credits, you may be eligible for fees-free study.
To check if you’re eligible, visit the Tertiary Education Commission’s Fees Free website and enter your National Student Number (NSN), or read the full eligibility criteria. The site describes what to do if you don’t have an NSN.
If you’re planning to study next year for the first time, keep checking the Fees Free website – eligibility checks for next year may not be available until later in the year.
If you'd like to check how much fees free entitlement you've used to date, please enter your National Student Number (NSN) on the Fees Free homepage and follow the instructions to request a Fees Free Entitlement-Use Review.
Fees-free study covers:
It does not include other costs like text books and course materials.
Check the Fees Free FAQs for full details on how you can use Fees Free and what it covers.
If your eligibility check says ‘yes’, you don’t need to do anything. The TEC will contact AUT directly and we will adjust your invoice automatically.
If your eligibility check returns a 'maybe' status, follow the instructions given in the NSN checker on how to complete and return a statutory declaration. If you have already applied to AUT, we’ll continue to recheck your status daily until we receive confirmation of your eligibility (or ineligibility) from the TEC.
Your eligibility check will return a 'no' if you fail to meet the criteria . Your enrolment will progress as normal, and AUT will tell you how to complete your enrolment and you’ll be sent your invoice.
Check out the official Fees Free website for: