Arrangements between NZ and Thailand
Thailand no longer recognises NCEA for M6 equivalency, however the Council of University Presidents Thailand has agreed to continue recognition for the time being.
This arrangement provides two options for students to meet requirements for NCEA Level 2 – Matthayom 6 equivalency. The Council has informed Thai universities that students who meet either one of these options are eligible to apply for study at a Thai university under the Thai University Central Admission System.
The criteria for both options are below.
Thai universities make their own admission decisions.
Planning and course selection to study at a Thai university
NCEA is a very flexible qualification with a large number of subject areas. Some of the subjects available in New Zealand may not be accepted to count towards entry into academic tertiary courses overseas.
Get advice about your course selections from your agent or preferred education provider. This will ensure the subjects you study can count towards entry requirements.
As well as checking that your NCEA subjects will meet the requirements of your preferred education provider, you should:
- study five distinct subjects (similar to a course of study a New Zealand student aiming for university would take at Level 2)
- achieve a minimum of 12 Level 2 credits per subject (preferably more, and as many Merits and Excellences as possible)
- achieve numeracy and literacy requirements detailed below.
Option 1 entry requirements
- NCEA Level 2 Certificate (at least 80 credits, of which 60 must be Level 2 or higher).
- Literacy and numeracy requirements are the same as those for NCEA Level 1. You will know you have met these requirements if you are awarded an NCEA Level 2 Certificate.
Literacy and Numeracy requirements (external link)
Note:
- English Language (EL) is not accepted for literacy, except English for Academic Purposes 22750 and 22751.
- English Language (EL) credits are accepted as part of the 80 credits required to gain NCEA Level 2. They can be from either NCEA Level 1 or 2 or a combination of both.
Option 2 entry requirements
- 60 credits at Level 2 or higher in a minimum of five subjects.
These credits are to include a minimum requirement of 4 credits in English (literacy) at Level 2 or higher and 4 credits in Mathematics (numeracy) at Level 2 or higher.
Note:
- This option does not require a student to achieve NCEA Level 2.
- To achieve this option, students must have studied at least 5 NCEA subjects.
- Students are advised to achieve a minimum of 12 Level 2 credits per subject across 5 subjects.
- If English and Mathematics are not two of the 12-credit subjects, the student may need to achieve 68 credits at Level 2 (including 4 credits each from English and Mathematics).
- English Language (EL), English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) are not accepted as subjects and do not count towards the English (literacy) credit requirement. The English (literacy) credits must be from English.
Documents you may need to provide Thai universities
Check the admission requirements and documentation for the universities you plan to enrol at. You will generally need:
New Zealand Record of Achievement (NZROA)
Your official results notice.
- The NZROA lists qualifications achieved, including NCEA Certificates.
- It can be downloaded from the Learner Portal (external link).
- Final results and qualifications for the school year are available on the NZROA in mid-January the following year.
New Zealand Record of Achievement (NZROA) (external link)
Verifying the NZROA
Universities can verify electronic copies of the NZROA.
NZROA document verification (external link)
Thai Overseas Results Notice (ORN)
The Thai ORN is a summary of qualifications, NCEA Levels, subjects, credits and grades from the previous years' study. It is available in mid-January each year.
International fee-paying students with Thai citizenship can download their Thai ORN PDF from the 'order documents' section of the Learner Portal. The cost is included in the fees their school pays to NZQA.
Other students, including Thai students who have New Zealand residency, should email DMLR@nzqa.govt.nz to request a Thai ORN.
If you completed NCEA Level 2 in 2017 or earlier
Since 2018, we have included a statement on whether results meet requirements for Matthayom 6.
If you completed NCEA before then, Thai universities will use the NZRoA and Thai ORN to check whether your results meet requirements.
If there are any difficulties, email internationalunit@nzqa.govt.nz.
How to apply to Thai universities
Students should apply to the universities directly for admission.
This is a change from previous practice when students sent their NCEA results to the Bureau of Educational Testing to apply for Matthayom 6 equivalency.