We set English language entry requirements for international students through the Programme Approval, Recognition and Accreditation Rules.
Providers are responsible for making sure that the international students they enrol have the required level of English proficiency for the level they want to study at.
Providers must keep evidence of this proficiency in their enrolment records for at least 2 years from the date of enrolment.
Programme Approval, Recognition and Accreditation Rules 2022
On this page
When the English language entry requirements apply
The English language requirements apply when you enrol international students in programmes leading to qualifications at levels 3 to 10 on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF).
Rule 22 of the Programme Approval, Recognition and Accreditation Rules sets the English language proficiency requirements for international students.
If the approved enrolment requirements for a specific programme exceed the requirements in Rule 22, the student must meet the higher level required for the programme.
These requirements don't apply to English language programmes or programmes taught in languages other than English.
English language programmes
English language programmes are programmes that deliver English language skills to people learning English as an additional language. They focus on the delivery and assessment of English reading, writing, listening and speaking.
Students don't need to meet the English language requirements in Rule 22 to enrol in English language programmes.
Programmes with some English language components, as well as other academic study, are not English language programmes. Students enrolling in these programme need to provide evidence of English language proficiency.
Acceptable evidence of English language proficiency
There is a range of evidence providers can use to verify English language proficiency:
- NCEA Level 3 with New Zealand University Entrance
- a Cambridge A-level qualification or International Baccalaureate Diploma taught and assessed in English
- the Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA) or the Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL)
- a Bachelor’s degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours Degree, Post-graduate Certificate, Post-graduate Diploma, Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree with English as the language of instruction from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States
- prior schooling in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States. The student must have completed either 5 years of secondary education or all primary education and at least 3 years of secondary education in one of those countries, with English as the language of instruction.
- evidence the student has achieved, in the 2 years before the programme's start date, the required outcome for one of the internationally recognised proficiency tests. These tests are listed in the table in the Appendix of the Programme Approval, Recognition and Accreditation Rules.
If the student has been granted a Manaaki Short Term Training Scholarship, prior schooling (completion of 5 years of secondary education or of all primary education and at least 3 years of secondary education) from any country, with English as the language of instruction, is acceptable.
More information
Programme Approval, Recognition and Accreditation Rules 2022 (external link)
English language proficiency outcomes for international students
The Appendix of the Programme Approval, Recognition and Accreditation Rules sets out the approved tests and required outcomes that may be used as evidence of English language proficiency for international students.
The outcomes listed are the minimum scores or grades for each test or qualification that qualify a student for enrolment at each programme level.
Note that NZQA accepts the IELTS One Skill Retake.
Online tests
COVID-19 meant that many English language proficiency test centres stopped offering in-person tests.
In response, we temporarily accepted online versions of the English language proficiency tests traditionally carried out in test centres.
This temporary allowance expired on 31 December 2022 and was not continued.