University Courses
New Zealand attracts international students from around the world and enrolled at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in all fields such as Arts, Agriculture, Business courses, Education, Engineering, Information Technology, Medicine, Sciences and more.
There are also a range of courses available at polytechnics including trades such as automotive mechanics, building, electronics, furniture making, marine technology / boat building, plumbing, welding. Performing arts and design are also popular courses at NZ polytechnics.
Bachelor Degrees
Most Bachelors Degrees (including arts and business) are completed in three years although some take four years (Engineering) and others take five (medicine).
Master Degrees
Traditionally master degrees took 2 years to complete. Now universities have separated the 2 year masters degree into one year Postgraduate Diploma and one year Master. The postgraduate diploma is usually the course section of the course while the Master allows the student to develop a thesis in their area of specialisation.
To be eligible for a Postgraduate Diploma / Masters degree, the student must usually have studied the same subject in their Bachelor degree, since the focus of the Master degree is further specialisation in this area. Depending on the subject, it may be possible to study one additional year, a “Graduate Diploma” in order to gain knowledge of a new area if the student is wanting to change their specialisation in the Master.
PhD
In order to enrol in the Phd you must first decide on the area you would like to research, and spend some time preparing a short proposal. You will next need to approach a potential supervisor (university professor) in order to gain their support for your project. Finally you can make a formal application to the university.
Currently, international students study PhD at local prices!!
Academic Year
The academic year has two semesters
- Semester one: March – June
- Semester two: July – November
Summer holiday is late November to late February. Most courses have two intakes although in some courses students may only begin in the first semester.
Entry requirements
To enter a NZ university at undergraduate level you need to provide evidence you have studied 13 years of school previously and/or have completed your first year of university in your home country.
If you come from a country where you only study 12 years of high school and you haven’t yet studied one year at a university, you will need to complete a one year Foundation Studies course in New Zealand. Students planning to study business can take a one year Business diploma as an alternative entry pathway to university.
Students must provide evidence of English proficiency in the form of an Academic
- IELTS English exam score.
- IELTS score for Bachelor: 6.0
- IELTS score for Postgraduate / Master: 6.5 or 7.0 depending on the course
We can help you to enrol in an English school and many institutes specialise in preparing students to take the IELTS exam. We are happy to make an application for you for a degree course without your IELTS score first, and usually is's possible to get a 'conditional offer' from the university which says you are accepted into the course and must meet English entry requirements to get an 'unconditional offer'.
Application Documents Required
Bachelor
Students must include the following documents:
- Signed application form
- copy of transcripts from previous studies
- copy of any certificates / diplomas already gained
- copy of passport
- If you have already taken IELTS exam, include result, if not you will be given an offer which is conditional on IELTS
- Passport size photo
Postgraduate / Master
Students must include the following documents:
- signed application form
- bachelor degree certificate
- copy of transcripts
- copy of passport
- CV if you have work experience
- Some courses require 2 reference letters
Research masters may require a research proposal (check with us first if this is necessary for your program)
Note: All documents except passport must be translated into English by an official translator, then certified as being true copies of the originals. If you email us photocopies of your documents, in most cases we can get you a conditional offer and once you provide all required certified documents to the university, the university can then make you an unconditional offer of place.
Let us help you!
Please contact us so that we can advise you on the best university or institute for the area you are interested in studying.