Support for students in China who intend to study online in 2023

On 28 January 2023, China’s Ministry of Education announced that they will no longer recognise foreign qualifications obtained via distance (online) learning. This takes effect from the 2023 Autumn semester for the Southern Hemisphere (Semester One) but also noted that special reasons would be considered if students couldn’t meet the requirements.

This policy change affects University of Auckland Chinese students who intend to study online in 2023.

We understand that this sudden policy change may cause some concern and the University is doing all that it can to support all students who are impacted by this.

Since New Zealand’s borders re-opened in August 2022, our policy has been to encourage and actively assist offshore students to come and continue their studies on campus. There are many benefits to coming to New Zealand to continue your studies and learn in-person, which are not available when studying online and offshore.

Special considerations for studying online

There are special considerations for students not able to return to in-person study, as further clarified through a follow-up announcement on 29 January. The applications relying on special circumstances will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

While we are closely monitoring the announcements from the Chinese government, we urge students to keep themselves informed about how the policy affects their circumstances and any further updates from the China Ministry of Education via the following links:

• Announcement
• Frequently asked questions

Further updates and support

The University of Auckland has endeavoured to contact all impacted students since the China’s Ministry of Education announcement was made.

The University will be providing a supporting letter for those impacted students already enrolled for online study in Semester One 2023, who still cannot return to studying in-person on our Auckland campus following the announcement. 

You may be eligible for an exception to the China’s Ministry of Education policy, however it is important to note that the University of Auckland has no input into this process and cannot guarantee a successful outcome for you.

If you have any questions or need support, please email our International Student Support Advisers at: int-questions@auckland.ac.nz. Put "China Online" in the subject line to ensure your query gets prioritised.

To request your support letter

If you are a currently enrolled online student in China and you are not able to study on-campus in Auckland for Semester One 2023, you can request a supporting letter to continue to study online here.