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Map your path. Prove your future.

Career guidance for every country, aligned to ILO ISCO-08

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Map your path. Prove your future.

Official classifications and statistics are cited where they appear. Career routes and typical durations are CareerProof Global guidance. Admission figures come only from official published lists. Official decisions are made by the relevant institutions and licensing bodies.

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Admission standards

University admission in New Zealand

Official minimum entry requirements and the school system, from the country's UNESCO classification and national sources.

Official entry requirements

As classified by the country with UNESCO (ISCED 2011), reference year 2022. Universities may set higher requirements.

School-leaving qualification (upper secondary)

Upper secondary education (Year 12)2 years, from age 15
Minimum entry: 244 (see notes)
Awards: See (24)
Upper secondary education (Year 13)3 years, from age 15
Minimum entry: 344 (see notes)
Awards: See (24)

Bachelor's or equivalent (first degree)

See (5)3 years
Minimum entry: 344 (see notes)
Awards: See (24)
See (5)5 years
Minimum entry: Completed upper secondary (ISCED 344)
Awards: See (24)

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), ISCED 2011 mappings (country file). CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UIS terms).

School system (official durations)

Primary: 6 years from age 5
Lower secondary: 4 years from age 11
Upper secondary: 3 years from age 15
Compulsory education: 10 years
Tertiary enrolment (gross): 77.2% (2024)

Data year 2025. Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), https://api.uis.unesco.org/api/public, extracted 2026-11-10. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Licence.

Regulators and quality agencies

Academic Quality Agency for New Zealand Universities (AQA)Listed by INQAAHE
Universities New Zealand-Te Pokai TaraListed by INQAAHE
New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA)Listed by INQAAHE

From INQAAHE. Network membership is not government recognition: confirm a body's role with the education ministry.

Universities and colleges

42 institutions in New Zealand

All countries