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Education in New Zealand

Qualifications and Exams

Secondary School

Most secondary schools in New Zealand are government schools. But there are a few of them are private or church-funded. Starting from Year 11, students have to do the curriculum of National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA). And after finish Year 13, they have to sit for the public exam of NCEA. There are 4 terms for secondary school in New Zealand, from February to mid December. Term breaks are in April, July and September.

University Foundation Programme

Some universities or private colleges offer such programmes for international students. Foundation programme is a year-long programme especially for overseas students who want to enter university but do not meet the English or entry requirements. Upon completion of foundation programme, students can enter the applied affiliated university if they have attained a certain result. Students doing foundation programme need not to sit for the public exam. The programme is mainly designed to enhance students’ English proficiency and learning ability to accommodate the mode of study in university.

Certificate and Diploma

Both government and private colleges offer programmes from certificate, diploma, to higher diploma. A wide range of subjects are offered. Most courses are like training courses emphasizing on the practicality of a specific discipline. Some popular subjects include Accounting, Design and Drafting, Hotel Management, Business, Management, Marketing, Engineering, Computing and IT, Tourism, Journalist etc. Students can further their study by entering Year 1 of a bachelor programme; some programmes have a pathway to Year 2 of degree programmes.

University

There are a total of 8 universities in New Zealand and they are government-funded. The teaching mode, system, and traditions are similar to the UK universities. The duration of most bachelor degree programmes is 3 years. School year is between March and November every year. Some courses starts in July and there are also summer programmes in January to March.