Providers can apply online in the MyNZQA providers portal.
NZQA will accept applications from:
- Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (until 31 December 2025) or institutes of technology and polytechnics thereafter
- wānanga
- NZQA-registered private training establishments
- government training establishments
NZQA will also accept applications for micro-credential listing and approval (but not accreditation) from Workforce Development Councils (until 31 December 2025) and Industry Skills Boards thereafter.
Read the micro-credential guidelines before applying
Make sure you read the guidelines carefully before applying:
Guidelines for micro-credential listing, approval, and accreditation
On this page
How tertiary education organisations apply online
1. Select TEO Applications
Log into your tertiary organisation's profile:
Log in as a TEO (external link)
2. Create an application
Select either:
- Micro-credential listing and approval, or
- Micro-credential accreditation, or
- Micro-credential listing, approval, and accreditation
- Changes to a micro-credential, as needed.
3. Check the contact details for the application
The contact details are pre-populated with your organisation’s details.
Make any changes to ensure the details are appropriate for the micro-credential.
4. Upload any relevant materials
On the Supporting Documents page, attach and upload all relevant materials including the completed application form:
Form 1 - Micro-credential listing and approval [DOCX, 98 KB]
Form 2 - Micro-credential listing, approval, and accreditation [DOCX, 104 KB]
Form 3 - Micro-credential accreditation-only [DOCX, 94 KB]
The specific documents you need to provide will depend on your application type.
The micro-credential guidelines has full details, but material you often need includes:
- evidence of industry or stakeholder support
- micro-credential content details
- information on assessment and delivery methods.
Include any additional documents or evidence that strengthen your application.
You may need to include written support from the relevant Workforce Development Council (WDC)
You must include written support from the relevant WDC if:
- your organisation is not a WDC, and
- you are applying to list a micro-credential or for consent to assess in an area where a WDC is the standard-setting body (SSB).
5. Submit the application
Click Submit to pass the application to NZQA for evaluation.
After you submit your application
You'll receive an email with an NZQA reference number. Remember to include this NZQA reference number on all correspondence with us.
When your application is assigned to an evaluator, we'll let you know. You can expect this to happen within ten working days.
We will charge you for the application
We will invoice your organisation for work on your application.
Find our current hourly rate:
Schools and kura applying for accreditation only, will be invoiced $200 including GST.
How we evaluate the application
What we use to evaluate your application
NZQA’s decision to list, approve, and/or accredit an education organisation to deliver a micro-credential is based on the quality and sufficiency of evidence you provide.
The Evaluator will assess the application against the criteria in the NZQA Rules. We will be clear about the information and evidence we have based any decisions on.
Micro-credential Approval and Accreditation Rules
Qualification and Micro-credential Listing and Operational Rules
The initial outcomes of an evaluation
The outcomes of an evaluation are:
- approved
- not approved
- request for information (RFI).
What we mean by request for information (RFI)
If the Evaluator asks for more information, it will be to:
- address minor gaps in the evidence provided, or
- clarify design and/or delivery.
The evaluator then uses that additional information to give an approved or not approved outcome.
Where we can, we will make suggestions to help the applicant.
You will get a final outcome letter for your application
Applications will be approved or not approved.
An outcome of approved
If your application is approved, we will send your education organisation an approval letter.
An outcome of non-approved
If the application is not approved, the report will tell you why, linking your application to the criteria in the NZQA Rules.
You can contact the Evaluator to explain and discuss the outcome letter and report.
This contact can be:
- by phone call, or
- at a requested meeting, or
- through a clarification email.
