National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA)

For entry based on National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) you must first meet the University Entrance (UE) standard. UE is the minimum standard needed to enrol at a New Zealand university.

To learn more about NCEA UE requirements, visit NZQA's University Entrance page.

You must also meet the entry requirements for the programme you wish to study. You can meet entry requirements by

  • Meeting the required rank score for entry into the programme.
  • Taking specific subjects as is stated in the entry requirements of the programme you want to study.

To find out more about the entry requirements for your intended programme(s), you can visit the named programme page. For a list of all programme pages, please visit Find a study option.

University Entrance Standard for admission in 2024

You will be qualified for entrance to New Zealand Universities in 2024 if you have obtained the following

  • NCEA Level 3
  • Three approved subjects
    • 14 credits per approved subject at Level 3
  • Literacy requirement
    • 10 credits at Level 2 or above, made up of 5 credits in reading and 5 credits in writing
  • Numeracy requirement
    • 10 credits at Level 1 or above, made up of achievement standards in a range of subjects; or all three numeracy unit standards 26623, 26626 and 26627

Programme entry requirements for 2024

You must meet the admission requirements for your programme(s) of study.

In addition to achieving university entrance, some of our undergraduate programmes require you to have taken specific subjects and gained minimum credits in certain subjects. Some programmes have other requirements such as a portfolio, audition and/or interview. 

To find out more about the guaranteed entry requirements for your intended programme(s), please visit Find a study option.

How your NCEA rank score is calculated

Your rank score is based on your best 80 credits at Level 3 or higher over a maximum of five approved subjects.

These credits are then weighted by awarding points based on the level of achievement

  • Excellence (4 points)
  • Merit (3 points)
  • Achieved (2 points)

A maximum of 24 credits are counted for each approved subject. The maximum rank score is 320. Approved subjects are determined by NZQA. For detailed information, please see Approved subjects for University Entrance.

If you achieve less than 80 credits, the rank score will be based on your total Level 3 credits gained over a maximum of five approved subjects and weighted by the level of achievement.

Credits obtained in required subjects do not have to be among the best 80 credits used to calculate the rank score.

NCEA Level 3 credits achieved before Year 13 can be counted towards the 80 best credits used for ranking.

Calculate your estimated Rank Score

To get an estimate your rank score, you can use our Rank Score Calculator.

For more information on calculating your rank score, please visit the Additional rank score information for school-leaver applicants in New Zealand page.

Additional rank score information

NCEA catch-up credits

If you are completing catch-up credits, your application will be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account academic merit and availability of places on your chosen programme. Selection into a programme will not be guaranteed.

If your application is unsuccessful for the upcoming semester, we encourage you to make a new application for a future semester, and to consider doing catch up credits to meet University Entrance and improve your rank score to support your further applications. 

Rank scores and other programme-specific requirements can change, so please continue to check our website for up to date information. 

For more information about catch up credits, please visit the NCEA Catch up credits page.

NCEA Catch-up credits

NCEA rank scores required for entry for 2024

These are the undergraduate programme admission requirements for school leavers who have achieved University Entrance. Additional requirements may apply and alternative pathways may be available where noted against specific programmes.

If you achieve the University Entrance standard, but your rank score is not high enough to guarantee selection, your application will be considered, provided places remain available.

You may want to apply for another programme or consider a foundation programme. For more information, please visit

For conjoint programmes, applicants must achieve the greater of the two rank scores for their selected programmes and must meet the entry requirements for both programmes.

It's advisable that you also apply for both programmes separately. Not all degree programmes have conjoint options.

Rank score required Programmes available
150
165
180
200
210
230
250
260
275
280

Other programmes

Programme Requirement
Bachelor of Laws
(LLB) Part I

Applicants must be offered a place in another bachelors degree.

Students who gain entry to Law Part II can be admitted to the conjoint degree at that stage even if they were not in a conjoint previously. (See note 7)
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) Applicants must first complete either
  • Year 1 of the Bachelor of Health Science (BHSc) 
  • Year 1 of theBachelor of Science (BSc) in Biomedical Science
  • Another degree approved by the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm)

Applicants must first completed one of the following:

  • Year 1 of the Bachelor of Health Science (BHSc) 
  • Year 1 of the Bachelor of Science (BSc) in various majors (including Biomedical Science, Exercise Science, Food Science and Nutrition, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology or Physiology)
  • Another degree approved by the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences.
Bachelor of Optometry (BOptom)

Applicants must first complete one of the following

  • The set courses from the common year of the Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Biomedical Science (or equivalent).
  • Another degree approved by the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences.
Bachelor of Medical Imaging (Honours) (BMedImag(Hons)) Applicants must first complete the required Year 1 courses of the Bachelor of Science (BSc). 

Notes

1. Applicants will be admitted to the Bachelor of Arts programme if they

  • Are eligible for the Undergraduate Targeted Admission Schemes (UTAS)
  • Achieve a rank score ranging from 120 - 149

For more information, please visit Undergraduate Targeted Admission Schemes.

Applicants from the following groups may be assessed on a case-by-case basis and may be referred to an appropriate foundation programme

  • Applicants eligible for UTAS with rank scores of 119 or below 
  • All other applicants with rank scores of 129 or below

Other applicants who have gained UE and NCEA rank scores of 130–149 may be considered for conditional admission to the Bachelor of Arts.

2. For more information on the Targeted Admission Scheme for Business School programmes, please visit the Business School's Applications and entry requirements page.

3. Applicants will be admitted to applicable programmes from the Faculty of Education and Social Work if they

  • Are eligible for the Undergraduate Targeted Admissions Scheme (UTAS)
  • Achieve University Entrance and other programme requirements

For more information, please visit Undergraduate Targeted Admission Schemes.

4. Entry into this programme is subject to places being available in the programme. Applicants who studied NCEA with a lower rank score may be accepted. Students who have achieved most Year 13 external modules in both Calculus and Physics may also be considered.

5. Applicants eligible for UTAS with a NCEA rank score equal to or greater than 140 will be admitted to the Bachelor of Science, with the exception of majors in Biomedical Science or Food Science and Nutrition.

For more information, please visit Undergraduate Targeted Admission Schemes.

Māori and Pacific applicants eligible for UTAS with an NCEA rank score less than 140 and UE will be conditionally admitted to the Bachelor of Science if they successfully complete all of the courses in the UniBound Summer and Tōia ki Waipapa programmes.

For more information please see:

6. The Faculty of Engineering will consider admission for students who demonstrate sufficient ability in Engineering-related and approved study in the Bachelor of Science programme. For more information, please visit Pathways via the Faculty of Science.

7. Applicants for the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Part II must first complete the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Part I. Places in LLB Part II are limited and are allocated based on each applicant’s grades in LLB Part I and their non-Law course results. For more information, please visit Applying for LLB Part II. 

8. An audition can include evaluations of one or more recorded and/or live elements. For more information, please visit the Entry requirement tabs of the following pages: 

9. Applicants eligible for UTAS with an NCEA rank score equal to or greater than 220 will be admitted to the Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours).

For more information, please visit Undergraduate Targeted Admission Schemes.

10. Applicants eligible for UTASs who achieve University Entrance and have a rank score of 180 or higher will be admitted to the Bachelor of Global Studies.

For more information, please visit Undergraduate Targeted Admission Schemes.

Applicants with scores lower than 180 will be referred to other programmes, as appropriate. 

11. Applicants eligible for UTAS with an NCEA rank score equal to or greater than 260 will be admitted to the Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) conjoint programmes. 

Contact

Phone:

  • Within Auckland: 0800 61 62 63 
  • From overseas: +64 9 373 7513 

Email:

  • admission@auckland.ac.nz 

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