NCHENZ
National Council of Home Educators New Zealand
Pathways to tertiary education
2008 update:
Auckland University has announced it will probably cease
open entry from 2010, due to changes in
government funding. Victoria has flagged it may follow.
Homeschooled students will still be able to gain
entry via foundation courses, and we are hoping a
discretionary entry pathway may become available.
All 8 NZ Universities have an open entry policy for
adults (20 yrs+) at present. This is referred to as
“adult admission” or “special admission”. Students under
20 yrs old are required to achieve fixed entrance
standards to gain entrance into University. The purpose
is to ensure those studying for a degree have “a fair
and reasonable chance of success” (i.e. not just
starting a degree but successfully completing it).
To enter at under 20 years of age students must have an
entrance qualification, such as one of the following:
1. University Entrance via NCEA (National Certificate of
Educational Achievement)
- a minimum of 42 credits at level 3 or higher. These
comprise 14 credits in each of 2 subjects, selected from
a list of 40 approved subjects, and a further 14 from no
more than 2 additional subjects, selected from the
approved list or from the National Qualifications
Framework. Also included must be 8 credits in literacy
at level 2 or higher, 4 in reading and 4 in writing, and
14 credits in maths at level 1 or higher.
The University Entrance standard is set out on the NZQA
website
www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/for-students/ue/index.html.
On this page are links to the “Standards fulfilling the
literacy requirement” and the “University Entrance
approved subjects list.” Two of the subjects selected
must be typical academic ones, but the remaining two may
be of the student’s choice and the selection is wide.
2. Equivalent qualifications (Ad Eundem Statum) which
comprise:
ACE (Accelerated Christian Education)
CIE (University of Cambridge International Examinations)
IB (International Baccalaureate) diploma
Equivalent qualification from overseas country
Foundation studies at a recognised tertiary education
provider.
SAT tests only if they are accompanied by a high school
diploma.
3. Discretionary entrance. This applies only to students
who have excellent NCEA level 2 marks (i.e. 80 credits in
yr 12, have not completed yr 13) and must also have a
recommendation from the school. Provisional entrance
applied to the old 6th form certificate and has been
phased out.
There is a widespread belief
amongst home educators that our students are eligible
for the discretionary entry pathway, possibly by
submitting a portfolio of work. This is incorrect.
Currently there is no provision for alternative
qualifications than the ones listed. Individual
assessments can be done, but cost the university time
and money.
It’s worth asking the enrolment officer for an
interview, but the usual outcome is that the student
will be directed to a foundation or other ground level
course, prior to enrolling in the one they are aiming
for.
Our recommendation:
Either wait till age 20 to attend university. Use the
intervening 2 years to build up an employment record
(very important to NZ employers) and to gain maturity
and clarify goals. Be aware that certain courses have
restricted entry (medicine, law and others) and that
popular courses may have added entry requirements. Check
the website of the university you want to attend, for
the requirements for each course. Requirements can vary
between institutions. Enquire as far in advance as
possible (yr 10 onwards) so you can plan what you need
to do.
Or achieve the required standards in NCEA. Tertiary
providers prefer this and it is transferable to any
course.
Or enrol in a bridging course at the institution you
want to study at.
NCEA at levels 1, 2 and 3 can be obtained by enrolling
in:
1. A registered school for yrs 11, 12 and/or 13 any time
before the age of 19 yrs. You can enrol to do NCEA level
2 or 3 without having completed the one before it
(subject to acceptance by the school). The downside to
public school is the long hours involved as much of the
work is done as homework on top of the school day. The
advantage is that school is cheaper than most bridging
courses (even taking uniforms and school fees into
account).
Theoretically a home-ed student can link with a school
for NCEA and there is a form on the NZQA website for
this www.nzqa.govt.nz but in practice this probably
means the student actually attending school due to the
internal assessment component, and the only
circumstances in which students are likely to be
accepted to attend part-time is if they pay a full fee
for the course.
2. The Correspondence school
www.correspondence.school.nz
The Correspondence school costs a full fee of about
$700-$1000 per subject. The adult rate is about $80 per
subject. In 2008 a new young adult category was
introduced, free to full time students age 16 -18 yrs
(plus a school donation)
3. An arrangement with a NZQA qualified tutor for
subjects like music.
Other options - Equivalent entry qualifications
1. ACE programme, cost $US 200-$300 per year approx for
whole course
www.schooloftomorrow.com USA high school
diplomas typically have 4 years of English & 4 years of
History/Geography so there is a lot of work involved,
and they are weighted towards English rather than
science subjects.
2. Cambridge exam - sit this following your own course
of study. These exams are tough, and weighted towards
English language. Contact your local home ed regional
networking group (eg Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington or
Christchurch Home Educators) to find out where to sit,
or if your local high school has students sitting
Cambridge exams they may let your student sit with them
(although they are often not willing to do this as there
is extra organizing and costs involved for them). Exam
fee is $55 per subject.
www.acsnz.org.nz (FAQ) for
details. It may be difficult to do the practical exam
component of science subjects at home. Course textbooks
are available from educational book suppliers.
3. SAT I and II exams – could possibly be accepted if very
good marks in SAT II subject exams not just the SAT I
aptitude exam, and accompanied by references.
4. Foundation and Bridging courses, or other entry level
course. All tertiary providers will have some sort of
entry course from which you can staircase up to what you
really want to do. Besides providing access to degree
courses they are useful to build confidence and ensure
your students have done the appropriate prerequisite
work and practise good study habits. They are not always
transferable between institutions, and for an
accomplished student can be a discouraging waste of a
year, as well as added expense. Bridging courses vary
widely in cost, and can be from as little as $450 per
year but more likely up to $3,500 per semester.
Additional information
Universities
The 8 NZ universities are
Auckland
www.auckland.ac.nz
Auckland University of Technology
www.aut.ac.nz
Massey (Palmerston North, Albany, Wellington)
www.massey.ac.nz
Waikato – (Hamilton, Tauranga)
www.waikato.ac.nz
Victoria (Wellington),
www.victoria.ac.nz
Lincoln University (Christchurch)
www.lincoln.ac.nz
Canterbury (Christchurch)
www.canterbury.ac.nz
Otago (Dunedin)
www.otago.ac.nz
In our experience Otago and Victoria universities have
the most flexible entry requirements and welcome
enquiries from home-ed students. Both also provide
limited distance learning courses. Otago has courses
that others don’t, e.g. dentistry, surveying, medical
radiation therapy.. Any student with an entrance
qualification may enrol in First-Year Health Sciences.
At the end of the first year selection into health
sciences programmes such as medicine is made. It has
offices in Auckland and Wellington for queries and
enrolments.
Auckland has the most stringent requirements. Many
courses have extra entrance requirements on top of the
University Entrance standard. Their website is extremely
thorough and provides the necessary information. Some
diploma courses from other tertiary ed providers may be
credited towards Auckland university courses, but
certificate courses are not usually considered, and they
don’t accept SATs. They do have excellent foundation
courses at a cheap rate.
Polytechnics and Institutes of Technology
www.itpnz.ac.nz
The 19 ITPs that are members of ITPNZ require NCEA for
most (not all) sub-degree courses, and University
Entrance for degree programmes. Students without NCEA
will usually be directed to a certificate course from
which they can staircase to other courses, although 20+
years may get in with other qualifications. Most ITP
courses are around $2,000-$3,000 per semester ($4,000+
per yr), but the costs vary and so do the course
requirements. Home-educated students are not eligible
for the STAR scheme which allows students to attend a
course for a couple of days to see if they like it (as
these days are purchased by schools for their students)
but some ITPs will allow home-educated students to join
STAR for a small fee, or have other provision for trial
days.
Unitec www.unitec.ac.nz is an institute of technology
that does not belong to ITPNZ.
Open Polytechnic
www.openpolytechnic.ac.nz
has open entry to many courses, the work is done online
and fees are reasonable. Their
bridging course is called OP4240 Certificate in Tertiary
Study Skills. It consists of 2 courses and it costs $534
(2008).
The Southern Institute of Technology has a Zero fees
scheme, and campuses in Invercargill, Gore and
Christchurch
www.sit.ac.nz
My comment:
Care must be taken when choosing a course because the
“knowledge economy” has meant a number of providers have
made available a multitude of courses which are strictly
money-making ventures and have little practical use for
the student. Your students could easily find themselves,
as too many others have, with a massive debt, wasted
years, and no useful qualification. Examples often
include sports and outdoor pursuits courses, some IT
courses and performing arts and media courses.
Unfortunately such courses are often legitimized by
careers guidance counsellors from school and Work and
Income who have these courses listed on their books and
freely recommend them to students on the basis that any
course is preferable to being unemployed, and that their
responsibility ends when the student leaves their
office.
Youth Training
Free courses for unemployed 15–17 year old with few or
no qualifications, funded by the Tertiary Education
Commission. A number of providers are funded for these
courses, which are aimed at less academic and sometimes
alienated students, who have left school early and
without qualifications. Some of these may be suitable
for some homeschooled students to get a starting
qualification or gain confidence. YMCAs are youth
training providers.
Look on the website below to find what is available in your
area. Taught are basic work skills, CV, interpersonal
and self-esteem exercises, often a stage of the driver’s
licence along with subjects as diverse as business
skills, IT, hospitality industry, and various trades.
(Each provider specializes in one or two subjects).
Students are assisted to find work or further training
after the course. See
www.tec.govt.nz/templates/standard.aspx?id=481
(search
“Participating providers”)
Unemployed 18-24 year old students without
qualifications are eligible for the same free work
skills training through Work and Income’s TOPS scheme,
which is available to the long-term unemployed (over 6
months registered with Work and Income). See
www.tec.govt.nz/templates/standard.aspx?id=476
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are available to 16-21 year old
students, and require the student to get the job first,
then have an interview with the apprenticeship board.
Usually NCEA 1 is required, and you will probably be
required to do a pre-apprenticeship training course
before starting your job (cost $2,500 for a very basic 8
week course – something of a catch 22, especially if you
end up not getting the apprenticeship).
After that training costs are subsidized by the
government, plus the trainee is paid a wage. You may be
able to get a scholarship from
www.competenz.org.nz
You will also need a provisional driver’s licence, a
vehicle, and you will have to buy your own tools (often
the employer will lend you the cost of these). A youth
training or TOPS course can help you obtain an
apprenticeship.
www.tools4work.co.nz/smart-steps-for-the-future/smart_steps.aspx
Contains a wealth of information plus links to
youth support services. Also see
www.modern-apprenticeships.govt.nz/en/
and www.skillnz.org.nz/modern-apprenticeships which
helps match up trainees to employers. As well,
Skills4Work helps apprentices into jobs
www.skills4work.org.nz/apprentice/home/home.aspx Home–ed
students are not eligible for Gateway programmes as
these are purchased for their students by the
participating schools.
Additional Information:
Kiwi Careers is a government website that is very
thorough and worth reading although it may take several
days to get through (see pathfinder section). They also
produce a booklet which lists about 700 jobs.
www.kiwicareers.govt.nz
My advice to students is, if you want to go into a
profession such as medicine, nursing, teaching,
engineering or law, get NCEA or equivalent like CIE as
soon as possible. Otherwise, don't rush into an
expensive course until you are sure it is what you
really want to do, and have ascertained where it will
get you. While tertiary qualifications are an essential
prerequisite to a job in other countries, NZ employers
look for the right attitude, abilities and prior
experience, and in many fields will consider a CV
containing a good work record with evidence of ability,
as readily as a qualification. It is still possible in
NZ to start at the bottom and work your way up,
especially if you start in the workforce at a young age.
Once you decide that you need certain qualifications to
get where you want to go, your options may include
in-house, part-time or online study.
Marianne Wilson updated June 2008