We are still developing this policy and will update this page as details are confirmed.
You do not need to do anything to confirm your eligibility for Fees Free at this stage. When you enrol you will need to organise payment of your fees with your tertiary education organisation. Then, when you complete your qualification, you will be able to make a claim through the myIR portal on the IRD website. This portal will be available from 2026 onwards.
Started tertiary study or training before 2025? Find out about getting Fees Free for your first year of study or training.
To get Fees Free for your final-year of study or training in 2025 you must:
- complete a qualification in a programme that’s eligible for Fees Free, and
- meet the residency criteria, and
- meet the prior study and training criteria, and
- not have already used Fees Free.
What do you need to do?
- When you enrol in tertiary study or training, you’ll need to organise payment of your fees to your tertiary education organisation. You may wish to apply for a student loan to help you cover the fees.
- You don’t need to do anything else until you complete your first qualification. The myIR portal will be available in early 2026 for you to confirm your Fees Free eligibility and claim your entitlement.
- The latest eligibility criteria and entitlement settings are covered below for your information. The policy is still in development, and this page will be updated as more details are confirmed.
Eligibility criteria
There are two types of tertiary learning, and they have different eligibility criteria:
- Provider-based study is where all your learning is on campus and/or online.
- Work-based learning is where you train in a workplace, or learn on the job.
To be eligible for Fees Free provider-based study, you and your programme 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.
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 qualification 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. Programme criteria
To be eligible for Fees Free, 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 provider-based study, you need to be enrolled in a programme that is:
- at Level 3 or above that leads to a qualification on the NZQCF, and
- approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) or Universities New Zealand, and
- at least 0.5 EFTS
This programme 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 the following programmes:
- School learning programmes and secondary tertiary programmes
- Certificates of proficiency
- 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
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 qualification, you will be able to make a claim through the myIR portal on the IRD website. This portal 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 study, you need to meet residency requirements.
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.
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 qualification 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 qualification 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 qualification, you will be able to make a claim through the myIR portal on the IRD website. The claim form will be available from 2026 onwards.
If you do not meet the eligibility criteria, you are not eligible for Fees Free in 2025.
What does Fees Free cover?
If you’re eligible, Fees Free covers the fees for the final year of tertiary study or training in the first qualification you complete after 1 January 2025, up to $12,000 including GST.
Fees Free will only cover the final year of one qualification. If you didn’t use $12,000 entitlement for the final year of your first qualification, you won’t be able to access Fees Free again for a second qualification.
What is considered the final year?
For provider-based study, the final year is the final 1 EFTS of study (usually equivalent to the final 120 credits/points). The final year may be undertaken over multiple calendar years, so learners studying part time may still receive entitlement for a full year’s worth of study. However, Fees Free entitlement will only be covered for up to a maximum of 5 calendar years before the completion of the qualification. This means that if your final 1 EFTS of study towards your qualification is done over more than 5 years, you may not receive the full entitlement.
For work-based learning, the final year is the final 24 calendar months of training. We only count months that you are actively training, so if you put your training on hold for any reason, those months will not be counted. However, Fees Free entitlement will only be covered for up to a maximum of 5 calendar years before the completion of the qualification. This means that if your final 24 months of training towards your qualification is done over more than 5 years, you may not receive the full entitlement.
How do I get my Fees Free entitlement?
You will be able to confirm your eligibility and claim your Fees Free entitlement after you complete your qualification using the myIR portal which will be available to use from early 2026. Until then, you don’t need to do anything.
Make sure you organise payment of your fees when you enrol. You may wish to apply to StudyLink for a student loan to help cover your fees.