Starting study in 2025?

To be eligible for Fees Free provider-based study, you and your qualification need to meet the following eligibility criteria.

1. Residency criteria

To be eligible for Fees Free provider-based study, you need to meet residency requirements on the day you complete your qualification.

New Zealand citizen or ordinarily resident

You need to be:

• a New Zealand citizen, or
• ordinarily resident in New Zealand and have:
  • lived in New Zealand for at least 3 years, and
  • held a residence class visa for at least 3 years.

If you are not a New Zealand citizen or you are not ordinarily resident in New Zealand, you can also meet Fees Free residency requirements if you’re in one of the categories below.

Not a New Zealand Citizen or ordinarily resident

Refugee or protected person, or their immediate family

If you're a refugee or protected person, you meet the residency requirements if:

• you hold a residence class visa, or
• you hold a valid temporary entry visa.

If your immediate family member is a refugee or protected person, you meet the residency requirements if:

• you live in New Zealand on a valid temporary entry visa, and you can transition to a residence class visa with the refugee or protected person, or
• you hold a residence class visa that you transitioned to with the refugee or protected person, or
• you were sponsored into New Zealand by someone in your family who, at the time you were sponsored:
  • was a refugee or protected person, and
  • held a residence class visa.

Afghan evacuee

You meet the residency requirements if:

• you have an Afghan Emergency Resettlement Residency Visa.

Christchurch Response Visa, or their immediate family

Christchurch Response Visa – individual

You meet the residency requirements if:

• you have a Christchurch Response Visa, or
• you would have been able to get a Christchurch Response Visa but you had another residence class visa.

Christchurch Response Visa – family member

You may meet the residency requirements if your family member has, or would have been eligible for, a Christchurch Response Visa.

You meet the residency requirements if:

• you have a residence class visa, and
• you have a living family member who:
  • has a Christchurch Response Visa, or
  • has New Zealand Citizenship and one of these also applies:
    • your family member held a resident visa on 15 March 2019 and was eligible for a Christchurch Response Visa, or
    • your family member would have been eligible for a Christchurch Response Visa, but they already had a Permanent Resident Visa or NZ citizenship on 15 March 2019, or
    • your family member was granted NZ citizenship after holding a Christchurch Response Visa, or
  • has a residence class visa (and had a residence class visa on 15 March 2019) and was or would have been eligible for a Christchurch Response Visa.

If you meet one of the residency criteria, check the prior study and training criteria below.

If you do not meet the residency criteria, you are not eligible for Fees Free in 2025.

If you’re unsure of your residency or visa status, please contact Immigration New Zealand (INZ).

2. Prior study and training

Fees Free for the final year is for learners who complete a qualification for the first time in or after 2025. Your eligibility will depend on whether you have undertaken any study or training before 2025.

Your entitlement is for the first eligible programme you complete. Any study or training undertaken in or after 2025 will not impact your eligibility for Fees Free for your final-year of study.

Are you starting study or training for the first time in or after 1 January 2025?

If you are starting study or training for the first time in 2025 you meet the prior study criteria.

You are not starting study for the first time in 2025 if you have undertaken any study or training before 1 January 2025. This includes study or training that:

• you undertook overseas
• wasn’t funded by the Tertiary Education Commission
• you didn’t complete, or withdrew from outside the refund period
• you received a fail grade for
• had no fees
• you paid for yourself or used a student loan for (whether the loan is now repaid or not)
• was part of workplace training or an apprenticeship
• you undertook while enrolled in secondary education as an adult learner.

If you have undertaken study or training before 2025, you may still be eligible for Fees Free if you meet the prior study criteria below.

Did you start study or training before 1 January 2025?

If you started study or training before 1 January 2025, you meet the prior study or training criteria if you have not already undertaken any of these:

• more than half a year of full-time tertiary study or training at Level 3 or above on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF)
• part-time study or training at Level 3 or above that would add up to more than half a full-time year
• equivalent tertiary education in any other country.

Note: Half a full-time year of study is usually 60 credits in New Zealand.

These types of prior study and training won’t affect your eligibility:

• tertiary education you undertook when you were also enrolled in secondary education
• credits you achieved after 1 January 2018 as part of a work-based programme, if that programme was less than 120 credits total
• provider-based zero fee courses or credentials funded by the TEC, undertaken after 1 January 2023, that had zero tuition fees and zero compulsory course costs
• tertiary education undertaken through the Youth Guarantee programme
• tertiary education undertaken through the Māori and Pasifika Trades Training initiative
• tertiary education undertaken through the Refugee English Fund.

3. Qualification criteria

To be eligible for Fees Free, the qualification you complete also needs to meet certain criteria. The easiest way to find out if it does is to ask the organisation that runs the programme.

To get Fees Free for provider-based study, you need to complete a qualification that is:

• at Level 3 or above on the NZQCF, and
• approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) or Universities New Zealand, and
• at least 0.5 EFTS

This programme leading to the award of the completed qualification must also be funded from:

• the DQ3-7 Fund (excluding provision that would previously have been funded through the Industry Training Fund), or
• the DQ7+ Fund, or
• grants under section 556 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

Note: You cannot get Fees Free for qualifications achieved through the following:

• School learning programmes and secondary tertiary programmes
• Certificates of proficiency
• Pathway qualifications
• Micro-credentials
• Zero fee programmes
• Programmes where the fees are paid by another funding arrangement, such as Youth Guarantee Funding, Māori and Pasifika Trades Training, or the Refugee English Fund
• Qualifications and programmes at Levels 1 or 2 on the NZQCF
• Provider-based qualifications less than 0.5 EFTS, or work-based programmes less than 120 credits

If your qualification meets the eligibility criteria, see the next steps below.

If your qualification does not meet the criteria, you won’t be able to access Fees Free for it.

4. Next Steps

If you meet the eligibility criteria you don’t need to do anything at this stage. When you complete your first eligible qualification, you will be able to make a claim through myIR on Inland Revenue's website. This will be available from 2026 onwards.

If you do not meet the eligibility criteria, you are not eligible for Fees Free in 2025.

To be eligible for Fees Free for your final year of work-based learning, you and your programme need to meet the following eligibility criteria.

1. Residency criteria

To be eligible for Fees Free for your final year of work-based learning, you need to meet residency requirements on the day you complete your programme.

New Zealand citizen or ordinarily resident

You need to be:

• a New Zealand citizen, or
• ordinarily resident in New Zealand and have a residence class visa.

If you are not a New Zealand citizen or you are not ordinarily resident in New Zealand, you can also meet Fees Free residency requirements if you’re in one of the categories below.

Not a New Zealand Citizen or ordinarily resident

Refugee or protected person, or their immediate family

If you're a refugee or protected person, you meet the residency requirements if:

• you hold a residence class visa, or
• you hold a valid temporary entry visa.

If your immediate family member is a refugee or protected person, you meet the residency requirements if:

• you live in New Zealand on a valid temporary entry visa, and you can transition to a residence class visa with the refugee or protected person, or
• you hold a residence class visa that you transitioned to with the refugee or protected person, or
• you were sponsored into New Zealand by someone in your family who, at the time you were sponsored:
  • was a refugee or protected person, and
  • held a residence class visa.

Afghan evacuee

You meet the residency requirements if:

• you have an Afghan Emergency Resettlement Residency Visa.

Christchurch Response Visa, or their immediate family

Christchurch Response Visa – individual

You meet the residency requirements if:

• you have a Christchurch Response Visa, or
• you would have been able to get a Christchurch Response Visa but you had another residence class visa.

Christchurch Response Visa – family member

You may meet the residency requirements if your family member has, or would have been eligible for, a Christchurch Response Visa.

You meet the residency requirements if:

• you have a residence class visa, and
• you have a living family member who:
  • has a Christchurch Response Visa, or
  • has New Zealand Citizenship and one of these also applies:
    • your family member held a resident visa on 15 March 2019 and was eligible for a Christchurch Response Visa, or
    • your family member would have been eligible for a Christchurch Response Visa, but they already had a Permanent Resident Visa or NZ citizenship on 15 March 2019, or
    • your family member was granted NZ citizenship after holding a Christchurch Response Visa, or
  • has a residence class visa (and had a residence class visa on 15 March 2019) and was or would have been eligible for a Christchurch Response Visa.

Employed in a role in the Green List

You meet the residency requirements if you are working in New Zealand on an Accredited Employer Work Visa and have a job that’s on the Green List or in a Sector agreement, and:

• you are enrolled in a programme that TEC has approved for a tuition subsidy, and
• the organisation that runs the programme is eligible to get these subsidies for your study, and
• you have signed a training agreement and you started training on or after 1 January 2023.

If you meet one of the residency criteria, check the prior study and training criteria below.

If you do not meet the residency criteria, you are not eligible for Fees Free in 2025.

If you’re unsure of your residency or visa status, please contact Immigration New Zealand (INZ).

If you have any questions about your eligibility or the Fees Free residency criteria, you can also contact us at 0800 601 301 or [email protected].

2. Prior study and training

Fees Free for the final year is for learners who complete a programme for the first time. Your eligibility will depend on whether you have undertaken any study or training before 2025.

Your entitlement is for the first eligible programme you complete. Any study or training undertaken in or after 2025 will not impact your eligibility for Fees Free for your final year.

Are you starting study or training for the first time in or after 1 January 2025?

If you are starting study or training for the first time in 2025 you meet the prior study criteria.

You are not starting study for the first time in 2025 if you have undertaken any study or training before 1 January 2025. This includes study or training that:

• you undertook overseas
• wasn’t funded by the Tertiary Education Commission
• you didn’t complete, or withdrew from outside the refund period
• you received a fail grade for
• had no fees
• you paid for yourself or used a student loan for (whether the loan is now repaid or not)
• was part of workplace training or an apprenticeship
• you undertook while enrolled in secondary education as an adult learner.

If you have undertaken study or training before 2025, you may still be eligible for Fees Free if you meet the prior study criteria below.

Did you start study or training before 1 January 2025?

If you started study or training before 1 January 2025, you meet the prior study or training criteria if you have not already undertaken any of these:

• more than half a year of full-time tertiary study or training at Level 3 or above on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF)
• part-time study or training at Level 3 or above that would add up to more than half a full-time year
• equivalent tertiary education in any other country.

Note: Half a full-time year of study is usually 60 credits in New Zealand.

These types of prior study and training won’t affect your eligibility:

• tertiary education you undertook when you were also enrolled in secondary education
• credits you achieved after 1 January 2018 as part of a work-based programme, if that programme was less than 120 credits total
• provider-based zero fee courses or credentials funded by the TEC, undertaken after 1 January 2023, that had zero tuition fees and zero compulsory course costs
• tertiary education undertaken through the Youth Guarantee programme
• tertiary education undertaken through the Māori and Pasifika Trades Training initiative
• tertiary education undertaken through the Refugee English Fund.

3. Programme criteria

To be eligible for Fees Free for your final year, the programme you complete also needs to meet certain criteria. The easiest way to find out if it does is to ask the organisation that runs the programme.

To get Fees Free for work-based learning, you need to be enrolled in a programme that is:

• at least 120 credits, and funded through the DQ3-7 fund (and previously have been funded through the Industry Training Fund), and
• not a school learning programme or secondary tertiary programme

If your programme meets the eligibility criteria, see the next steps below.

If your programme does not meet the criteria, you won’t be able to access Fees Free for it.

4. Next steps

If you meet the eligibility criteria you don’t need to do anything at this stage. When you complete your first eligible programme, you will be able to make a claim through myIR on Inland Revenue's website. This will be available from 2026 onwards.

If you do not meet the eligibility criteria, you are not eligible for Fees Free in 2025.