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. This will be expressed as a ‘rank score’, which we calculate based on your Year 13 results. Some programmes may also require you to have taken specific subjects and gained minimum credits in those.
University Entrance Standard for admission in 2023
You will be qualified for entrance to New Zealand Universities in 2023 if you have obtained:
- 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
Important update: To recognise the disruption caused by COVID-19, NZQA has made some changes to NCEA and UE. For full details, please see Changes to NCEA and UE for 2022.
Programme entry requirements for 2023
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 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) or Achieved (2 points) — attained in each set of credits.
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 an estimated rank score online
To estimate your rank score, you can use our Rank Score Calculator. To access the Rank Score Calculator, please go to Calculating your estimated rank score.
For an example, visit Example on how your rank score is calculated.
If you need help with the Rank Score Calculator, visit AskAuckland.If you need help with the Rank Score Calculator, visit AskAuckland.
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 you are completing, or have completed catch-up credits to support your application, please contact us.
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 NCEA Catch up credits.
NCEA rank scores required for entry for 2023
These are the undergraduate programme admission requirements for school leavers who have achieved University Entrance. Additional requirements apply where noted against specific programmes. To know about any additional requirements, please visit Find a study option.
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.
Alternative options are available if you do not meet programme entry requirements. For further details, please visit Alternative options if you do not meet entry requirements.
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.
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
|
| Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) | Applicants must first completed one of the following:
|
| Bachelor of Optometry (BOptom) | Applicants must first complete the set courses from the common year of the Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Biomedical Science (or equivalent), or have completed 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 from the following groups who achieve University Entrance with a rank score ranging from 120-149 will be admitted to the BA Undergraduate Targeted Admission Scheme:
- Māori applicants
- Pacific applicants
- Applicants with a refugee background
- Applicants with a low socio-economic background
- Applicants with declared disabilities
Fore 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:
- Equity applicants 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 will 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. School-leaver applicants from the following groups who achieve University Entrance and meet other programme requirements will be admitted to the programmes in the Faculty of Education and Social Work through the Undergraduate Targeted Admission Scheme (UTAS).
- Māori applicants
- Pacific applicants
- Applicants with a refugee background
- Applicants with a low socio-economic background
- Applicants with declared disabilities
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. Māori and Pacific applicants and other equity target groups with a NCEA rank score greater than or equal to 140 will be admitted to the Bachelor of Science, with the exception of majors in Biomedical Science or Food Science and Nutrition.
Māori and Pacific applicants and other equity target groups with an NCEA rank score less than 140 and UE will be conditionally admitted to the Bachelor of Science, dependent on successful completion of all 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. Māori and Pacific applicants and other equity target groups with an NCEA rank score greater than or equal to 220 will be admitted to the Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours).
10. Applicants from the following groups who achieve University Entrance and have a rank score of 180 or higher will be admitted to the Bachelor of Global Studies Undergraduate Targeted Admission Scheme:
- Māori applicants
- Pacific applicants
- Applicants with a refugee background
- Applicants with a low socio-economic background
- Applicants with declared disabilities
For more information, please visit Undergraduate Targeted Admission Schemes.
Applicants with scores lower than 180 will be referred to other programmes, as appropriate.
11. Māori and Pacific applicants and other equity target groups with an NCEA rank score greater than or equal to 260 will be admitted to the Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) conjoint programmes.