Fees Free at the University
Fees Free 2025
The Government has announced that Fees Free for the first year of study and training will finish at the end of 2024 and be replaced with a final-year Fees Free scheme starting from January 2025.
The following details have been released:
- Leaners entering their final year of study or training from 1 January 2025 and who have not received first-year Fees Free may be eligible for the new final-year Fees Free scheme.
- Eligibility will include provider- and work-based study or training at Levels 3 and above on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework.
- Repayment will be made after the learner completes their qualification, with refunds starting from 2026.
TEC are working out the finer details for the new final-year Fees Free scheme and how it will affect students. We'll update this webpage as soon as we know more.
For the most up-to-date information, visit the TEC website and the Fees Free website.
Fees Free for 2024 starters
The Government provides one year of Fees Free study for students new to tertiary education. For more information and checking your eligibility, please visit Fees Free's Are you thinking about starting tertiary education? page.
Make sure you have your National Student Number (NSN) handy because that will make it quicker and easier. If you don’t have your NSN the website will tell you what you need to do to get one.
On the Fees Free website, there are also answers on their FAQs (frequently asked questions) page.
If you are a New Zealand citizen or resident who has lived in New Zealand for three years and will be coming to the University of Auckland direct from school, it is very likely that you will be eligible for Fees Free.
Other categories of resident, including refugees, may also be eligible.
Transition rules for 2024 starters
If you still have remaining Fees Free entitlement after claiming in 2024, you can use the remaining Fees Free in 2025 if you:
- Are continuing in the same programme of study in 2025, and
- Have Fees Free entitlement remaining.
Students with remaining entitlement will not be able to access first-year Fees Free in the future if they:
- Did not use Fees Free in 2024, or
- Use Fees Free in 2024 but are not continuing in the same programme of study in 2025.
If 2024 marks your first year of tertiary study and you meet the eligibility criteria for the first-year Fees Free scheme but have not yet submitted the statutory declaration to the TEC, we strongly encourage you to declare your eligibility as soon as possible.
If you want to find out how much of your Fees Fee entitlement you've used to date, you will need to contact TEC. They will confirm how much entitlement you have left. To do so, visit TEC's Contact us page.
Once you have found out if you have remaining Fees Free entitlements in 2025 TEC will contact the University on your behalf to confirm payment via Fees Free.
For more information, visit TEC's End of first-year Fees Free policy page.
What do the free fees cover?
The government will pay up to $12,000 in fees to cover tuition, associated mandatory fees and compulsory student-service fees, for the equivalent of one year of full-time study (typically 120 credits). If you are studying part-time, you can spread this out over a longer period.
If your fees are more than $12,000, you will need to pay the difference.
I am eligible for Fees Free, what do I need to do?
If you are advised by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) that you are eligible for Fees Free support for the upcoming (even if you were not previously eligible or studying in the previous year), you do not need to contact the University to inform us.
The TEC will contact us directly, and we will apply the funds to your fees account for your study.
For more information on the Commission, please visit the Teritary Education Commission website.
Please note, the Government will pay up to $12,000 in fees.
Fees Free says I may be eligible for Fees Free, what do I need to do?
If your eligibility status is showing as ‘Maybe”, and you know you meet the eligibility criteria for Fees Free, you need to complete and submit a statutory declaration in order to be recognised as eligible for Fees Free.
This must be submitted within 12 months of the start date of your chosen University of Auckland programme to automatically receive payment for this.
For more information, please see Where should I email my signed and witnessed statutory declaration?
I am ineligible for Fees Free, what do I need to do?
If you are advised by the TEC that you are not eligible for Fees Free study and will need part or all of your fees paid by StudyLink for the current year, we strongly recommend that you apply well in advance of your enrolment because student loan applications generally take up to a month to be approved.
What happens if I see outstanding fees after changing my enrolments?
If you make any changes to your enrolment after the Fees Free study payment has been applied, you do not need to do anything.
If you see that your fees account shows a balance outstanding after you have made changes to your enrolment, the next payment batch will adjust the balance if your remaining entitlement covers the outstanding balance.
This will be applied on the Friday following the change.
How does this affect my student loan?
If you are eligible for Fees Free study, and have already applied for a student loan, then you can cancel or reduce the amount of your loan.
- To cancel your loan, phone StudyLink on 0800 88 99 00
- To change the value of your loan, you can do that by logging onto My StudyLink
If you haven’t applied for a student loan, you will only need to apply for the living-costs portion. You can apply on the StudyLink website.
What you decide to do about your loan will depend on your individual circumstances, such as what other costs you need to cover and the fees that would normally apply for your programme.
Please note:
- If you used part of or all of your Fees Free entitlement in a previous year and will need part or all of your fees paid by StudyLink in the current year, we strongly advise that you apply well in advance of your enrolment because student loan applications generally take up to a month to be approved.
- What you decide to do will depend on your individual circumstances. This may include any other costs you need to cover and the fees that would typically apply for your programme.
Check the StudyLink website to make sure you understand what these changes mean for you.
For more detail about these changes, please visit StudyLink's Student support changes 2018 page.
What happens if you don’t complete your study?
If you enrol in courses and then withdraw, you may lose your entitlement to Fees Free in subsequent years.
Checking your Fees Free entitlement
If you want to find out how much of your Fees Free entitlement you’ve used to date please contact the TEC by email to feesfree@tec.govt.nz. They will confirm how much entitlement you have left.
If you did less than 120 points/1 EFTS (Equivalent Full Time Student) worth of study in your previous year and your fees in your previous year(s) didn't exceed $12,000, you may have leftover entitlement that you can carry over to another year.
Your Fees Free entitlement funding will stop when you use up your remaining EFTS or remaining dollars, whichever you use up first.
If you have used your Fees Free entitlement
If the TEC advises you that you have now used up all of your Fees Free allocation and you still have a balance outstanding, to discuss how you will pay the remaining outstanding balance, please contact us by email to collections@auckland.ac.nz.
We recommend you apply for StudyLink if you have used up your Fees Free allocation. For more information, please visit How to apply for a student loan or allowance.
Need help?
For more information on remaining Fees Free entitlement, please visit the Fees Free FAQs.
If you need assistance, please visit Fees Free's Contact us page.