International students who come to study in New Zealand can move into secondary or tertiary education across the country.
Our education is quality assured
New Zealand regularly checks schools and some tertiary education providers (except universities), and the qualifications they deliver, for quality and performance:
Quality assurance of education in New Zealand
Schools and providers need to ensure the well being of international students
New Zealand has the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 (the Code).
This means schools and tertiary education providers with international students need to make sure those students are well informed, safe and properly cared for.
On this page
Entering a secondary school in New Zealand
In New Zealand, secondary schools decide which year level to place a student in.
Schools will consider different factors including:
- the student’s age
- how many years of schooling they have completed
- any national school qualifications they’ve gained overseas.
Entering tertiary education in New Zealand
There are different types of tertiary education providers in New Zealand.
Find out more at:
How the New Zealand education system works
Tertiary education in New Zealand
Find education organisations (external link)
Find a qualification
Most education providers list details about the qualifications they deliver on their website.
You can also check details of qualifications on our qualification finder.
Qualification search (external link)
Check the entry requirements for the programme you want to enrol in
Education providers set their own requirements for the programmes they offer.
Check their entry requirements for the programme before you apply.
Your past study and current experience might be recognised
In New Zealand we recognise that you may already have skills and knowledge from previous study or through your workplace, self-study or through life experience.
For some qualifications, the education provider may recognise this and count it as already learned.
Studying with a New Zealand provider overseas
New Zealand tertiary providers offering New Zealand qualifications overseas must also comply with the Offshore Programme Delivery rules.
Rules for offshore delivery of programmes
If you want to check if a programme is approved for delivery offshore or online, you can email us at internationalunit@nzqa.govt.nz.