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National School Qualifications Candidate Information
Information for 2009 students and their parents or caregivers
How do I become a candidate?
You automatically become a candidate for NCEA when your school first sends your results for internally assessed standards to NZQA or an entry is made for New Zealand Scholarship. If you are studying any courses with The Correspondence School or another provider, such as a polytechnic, you must tell your school.
You must obey all the rules and procedures for these qualifications.
How much are the fees?
Fees for Domestic Candidates
| Any NQF standards and up to 3 Scholarship subjects | $75 per candidate |
| Each Scholarship subject after the first 3 subjects | $75 per subject |
Fees for International Fee Paying Students
| Any NQF standards | $375 per candidate |
| Each Scholarship subject | $100 per subject |
How do I pay the fees?
- You pay your entry fees to your school. The school will tell you when to pay and how much to pay.
- You must pay your fees to have your results recorded on your Record of Achievement and to receive any certificates.
- Your school pays all the fees they have collected to NZQA by 18 September.
- If you have not paid the school then you will have to pay NZQA directly plus a $50.00 late fee.
Can I get help to pay?
If your family can not afford to pay you might get help. This is called Financial Assistance. To get this help (your parents or caregivers) must meet one of these conditions:
- be getting a Work and Income or Study Link benefit
- have a Community Services Card
- have joint family income that qualifies for a Community Services Card
- have two or more children entered as candidates this year with fees more than $200.
You have to fill in a form to get financial assistance and give it to your school. Get this form from your school or NZQA.
International fee-paying students can not apply for financial assistance.
What if I need help to sit assessments?
- You might get this help if you have significant learning or physical difficulties.
- Your school should have already talked to you about this and made sure that you have a report that says what help you need.
- You will get help during the year for assessments.
- Your school will apply to NZQA by 10 August if you need this help in external exams.
Can I change where I'll sit my exams?
If there is a good reason why you cannot sit all your exams at your school you must talk to your school. They will contact NZQA before 31 July to talk about any change. There has to be a very good reason after 31 July for any change to where you sit your exams.
Gaining NCEA Level 1, 2 or 3
| NCEA Level 1 | You need 80 credits at level 1 or above. This includes at least 8 credits in literacy and 8 credits in numeracy from selected standards. |
| NCEA Level 2 | You need 80 credits of which 60 need to be at level 2 or above. |
| NCEA Level 3 | You need 80 credits of which 60 need to be at level 3 or above. The other 20 credits need to be at level 2 or above. |
How do I gain University Entrance to a New Zealand University?
University Entrance is the minimum requirement for getting into a New Zealand University . Many Universities and other tertiary providers have further course entry requirements. You will be qualified for entrance to a university in New Zealand if you have achieved all of the following:
- At least 42 credits at level 3 or higher on the National Qualifications Framework. At least 14 credits must come from level 3 or higher in each of two subjects from the 'approved subject list'. The other 14 credits from level 3 or higher can come from no more than two additional domains on the NQF or 'approved' subjects. See the UE requirements and approved subject list or ask your teachers.
- At least 14 credits at level 1 or higher in Mathematics or Pangarau
- At least 8 credits at level 2 or higher in either English or Te Reo Māori; 4 credits must be in Reading and 4 credits must be in Writing.
How are my results recorded?
Any credits you achieve will be recorded against your name and National Student Number (NSN).
You can login to see your records. Information on how to do this will be sent to your school in June.
Results released to universities and polytechnics
In January 2010, NZQA will send all level 2, level 3 and university entrance results (authorised for release) to all New Zealand universities and some polytechnics. If you do not want this to happen you must tell your school. This helps these institutions to process pre-enrolments. You need to check with institutions for limited entry course requirements.
If you intend to study overseas contact the institution as early as possible to get information about their enrolment procedures and deadlines. Australian institutions will contact NZQA directly to confirm your results.
Last updated: 05 May 2009