- Home
- Studying in New Zealand
- Qualifications and standards
- Māori
-
Providers and partners
- About education organisations
- NZQA's quality assurance system for tertiary education organisations
- Quick links to NZQF documents
- Approval, accreditation and registration
- Consistency of graduate outcomes
- Self-assessment
- External evaluation and review
- Assessment and moderation
- Development of assessment standards
- Submitting results and awarding qualifications
- The Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice
- Offshore use of qualifications and programmes
- Guidelines and forms
- About us
- Search
Recognition of Overseas Qualifications
Do you hold an overseas qualification and plan to live, work, or study in New Zealand? You may be required to have your qualification assessed by Qualifications Recognition Services (QRS) at NZQA to see how it aligns with the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF).
Read more about our Principles and Policies (PDF, 349KB).
Qualifications We Can Assess
In New Zealand all qualifications need to meet the definition of a qualification on the NZQF. Your overseas qualification will need to meet this minimum standard to be assessed and recognised by NZQA.
For us to assess and attempt to recognise your qualification, it must:
- be a complete programme of study, and
- be awarded by a provider that is nationally recognised or accredited by the responsible government or government-mandated authority in the country of award, at the time of award, and
- have a minimum of 400 notional learning hours (approximately one full-time semester of study), and
- include achievement of a set of learning outcomes through a formal programme of instruction or learning.
Qualifications We Do Not Assess
We do not assess competency-based awards or work experience if they do not also include formal learning programmes. Awards that QRS does not assess include professional or specialist training certificates (such as CISCO or Microsoft expert awards, Graduate Teacher Programmes, academic high school qualifications).
Our Services
QRS offers three types of assessments. Read below about each assessment type to learn why and when you might need them, how you can use them, and how to apply.
International Qualifications Assessment (IQA)
The IQA is an in-depth assessment that provides a Recognition Statement explaining your overseas qualification in the New Zealand context. It can be used for immigration, employment, further study, or teacher registration and salary purposes.
Pre-Assessment Result (PAR)
The PAR is a preliminary assessment to help you understand the level your overseas qualification may be comparable to on the NZQF. It is used only for immigration purposes, specifically for the Expression of Interest.
Overseas Study Assessment (OSA)
The OSA is for people (New Zealand residents) who have completed or plan to complete study outside of New Zealand and want to apply to Inland Revenue NZ (IRD) to have the interest on their New Zealand student loan written off.
Learn more about our fees and additional services
Contact Us
Other questions? Contact QRS here or at QRS@nzqa.govt.nz or
+64 (4) 463 3000 (Freephone in NZ: 0800 697 296).