New Zealand

• The entry rule is national, published and simple: full IB Diploma, 24 points minimum, English as Language A at SL or HL (or English B at HL grade 5), plus any mathematics.
• Universities publish guaranteed-entry scores per programme, so you can check your predicted score against a number rather than guess. Auckland, for example, guarantees entry to Arts and most Science programmes at 26 points and to Engineering (Honours) at 32.
• Tuition sits below Australia and far below the United States for most subjects.
• The Post Study Work Visa allows a bachelor's graduate to stay and work for up to three years, with no employer sponsorship needed.
• Small country, small classes, and strong earth science, marine biology, ecology and agricultural science.

• Hemisphere timing. Finishing the IB in May 2027 means either squeezing into a July 2027 intake - not offered for every degree - or waiting until late February 2028.
• International closing dates can be earlier than domestic ones and nothing says so on the programme page. At Auckland, international applications for a July 2027 start close on 8 June 2027 and domestic ones on 4 July.
• The competitive health programmes close before your results exist. Auckland's Medicine, Optometry, Pharmacy and Medical Imaging close on 1 July 2027 for a February 2028 start - five days before IB results are released.
• There is no central application system, so there is also no single deadline, no ranking of choices and nothing to check your applications against each other. Every university is a separate piece of work.
• Immigration New Zealand requires NZD 20,000 per year of living costs on top of full tuition, and tuition rises each year of the degree - Auckland's indicative 2027 Bachelor of Arts fee is about five per cent above its 2026 one.
• The vocational half of the system was restructured on 1 January 2026, when ten regional polytechnics became independent again and Te Pukenga, renamed NZIST, became a transitional body due to close by 31 March 2027. Anything written about New Zealand polytechnics before 2026 describes a structure that no longer exists.
• Only eight universities, so if your subject is niche your choice may come down to one or two places, and the graduate job market is small.

Accepted

Yes

Minimum

24 points with the full IB Diploma awarded. This is the University Entrance standard for the IB, stated for 2027 entry on the University of Auckland's own IB page ("you must achieve a minimum of 24 points") and by Victoria Wellington and AUT; Universities New Zealand's national list gives the same rule ("A complete diploma of 24 points is required for admission"), in a document dated 2010. It is not an entry guarantee: individual programmes require more.

Subjects and levels

The University Entrance literacy requirement is met by English as Language A - literature or Language A - language and literature at Standard or Higher Level, or by English Language B at Higher Level with a minimum grade of 5. The numeracy requirement is met by any mathematics subject. Individual degrees add their own subject prerequisites and grade requirements on top.

Score conversion

There is no conversion, and that is the point. The universities that publish a rank score set it equal to your IB total: the University of Auckland states that a 27 gives a rank score of 27, out of a maximum of 45, and Massey states the same one-to-one rule. Nobody publishes this nationally - each university states it about itself - and not every university uses a rank score at all. There is no New Zealand equivalent of the Australian Combined Rank table, because none is needed.

• Guaranteed-entry rank scores at the University of Auckland for 2027 entry: 26 for Arts, Dance Studies, Early Childhood Studies, Education (Teaching), Fine Arts, Music, Psychology, most Science and Sport/Health/Physical Education; 27 for Commerce, Communication, Design, Urban Planning, Global Studies and Property; 28 for Biomedical Science, Health Sciences and various conjoints; 31 for Nursing and Architectural Studies; 32 for Engineering (Honours); 34 for Engineering conjoints. These are Auckland's numbers and the table is republished each entry year.
• Massey sets a Preferential Entry Score of 26 for most undergraduate qualifications, on the same one-to-one rank score.
• Victoria Wellington and Canterbury state the entrance rule without a rank score at all. Canterbury does not quote 24 points, only that the Diploma has been awarded - which is the same threshold said differently, because the Diploma is not awarded below 24.
• The universities differ on English Language B. Auckland accepts it at Higher Level with a minimum grade of 5; Wellington and Canterbury state Language B at Higher Level without naming a grade. If you are relying on English B, assume the stricter reading and confirm with the university.
• Medicine, pharmacy, optometry and dentistry are not entered directly from school at Auckland or Otago. You complete a prescribed first year and then compete for entry - but the application for that first year still closes on 1 July at Auckland.
• Some programmes also require a portfolio, audition or interview.

1. Decide between a July 2027 mid-year start and a February 2028 start, and check whether your chosen degree has a mid-year intake at all.

2. Check that you will meet University Entrance while your IB subjects can still change: full Diploma, 24 points, English as Language A at SL or HL (or Language B at HL, at grade 5 for Auckland), plus any mathematics.

3. Compare your predicted IB total against each programme's published guaranteed-entry or preferential-entry score. At the universities that use one, your rank score is simply your IB total.

4. Apply directly on each university's own international application site. There is no central portal, no ranking of choices and no limit on how many you may hold, so apply to more than one.

5. Read the closing date on the programme page rather than the general how-to-apply page, and check whether the international date is earlier than the domestic one. At Auckland, for a July 2027 start, it is: 8 June against 4 July.

6. Accept the offer, pay or arrange tuition and take out insurance the university accepts, then apply for the Fee Paying Student Visa with proof of NZD 20,000 per year in living costs. Immigration New Zealand advises applying at least three months before you travel.

7. Apply for a hall of residence at the same time - first-year halls are the easiest way in and they fill up.

Entry is score-based against published thresholds for most degrees, with a small number of limited-entry programmes using portfolios, auditions, interviews or a competitive first-year selection. There is no personal statement culture and no national ranking system. Meeting University Entrance gets you into the university; meeting the programme score is what admits you to the degree.

• 1 November 2026

  Decide between a July 2027 and a February 2028 start

  Your own plan Via New Zealand university

  Details

  Not published by anyone — a date worth setting yourself.

  Not published by anyone, and the decision the rest of this page depends on. A mid-year start means applying before you have any results at all; February 2028 means eight months between your last exam and your first lecture. Not every degree admits mid-year, and the professional ones generally do not.

• 1 December 2026

  Check you will meet University Entrance

  Your own plan Via New Zealand university

  Details

  Not published by anyone — a date worth setting yourself.

  The full IB Diploma, English as Language A at Standard or Higher Level (or Language B at Higher Level, which Auckland accepts only at grade 5 or above), and any mathematics subject. This is a check on your subject choices, so it has to happen while they can still change - which is why it is dated here and not when you apply.

• 30 April 2027
  July 2027 intake

  University of Otago — international applications close for semester 2, 2027

  Applies to: international applicants

  Hard deadline

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Published with its year attached as the "Deadline for international applications commencing in semester 2, 2027", and it is the earliest of the three published mid-year dates — five and a half weeks before Auckland's and more than two months before IB results exist. Otago's international application round for 2027 opened on 1 May 2026, so this is the closing day of a twelve-month window rather than a sudden date. Formal classes begin 12 July 2027 and compulsory international orientation runs 5 to 9 July 2027, which is the same week IB results are released. Otago's page gives "5 July 2026" as the recommended last day to arrive for students starting in semester 2, 2027, directly above "5-9 July 2027" for that semester's compulsory orientation, so the arrival year is probably a misprint. Plan to be on campus before 5 July 2027 so that you make the orientation week Otago does date unambiguously, and confirm the day with Otago's international office before booking flights.

  Source

• 1 May 2027
  July 2027 intake

  Victoria University of Wellington — Trimester 2 (July) applications close

  Equal consideration

  Details

  Applications in by this date are guaranteed to be considered. Later ones may still be read, at the institution’s discretion, against whatever places remain.

  Published as "Trimester 2 (July)—application deadline 1 May", a bare day with no calendar year, as all three of Victoria's trimester deadlines are, so 2027 is expected rather than confirmed. Victoria softens it in a way the others do not: "You can apply to study at Victoria University of Wellington at any time" and "Applications received after these dates will be assessed on a case-by-case basis" — so this is a date you should not miss rather than a door that locks, and the university's own reason for it is that it gives you time to arrange a student visa and accommodation.

  Source

• 15 May 2027
  July 2027 intake

  University of Otago — accommodation for semester 2, 2027

  Applies to: applicants starting at Otago in July 2027

  Priority

  Details

  Later applications are considered after these.

  "Deadline to apply for accommodation for semester 2 (in residential colleges or Uni Flats)", two weeks after the application itself. Dunedin is a small city built around its university and its residential colleges fill; missing this does not cost you the place, it costs you where you live, which in Otago's case is most of the first year. Applications for semester 2 accommodation open on 1 April 2027.

  Source

• 8 June 2027

  University of Auckland: international applications close for a July 2027 start

  Hard deadline Via New Zealand university

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  One university's date, and the clearest illustration of the problem. It is a month before the May-session IB results are published, so a mid-year start is applied for on predicted grades or not at all. Domestic applicants for the same intake have until 4 July - the international date is nearly a month earlier, and nothing on a programme page says so. Every other university sets its own; this is not a national deadline.

• 1 July 2027

  University of Auckland: Medicine, Optometry, Pharmacy and Medical Imaging close for February 2028

  Hard deadline Via New Zealand university

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Five days before IB results are released, for an intake starting eight months later. If you are aiming at a competitive health programme in New Zealand, the application is written and submitted during your exam season. Otago runs its own Health Sciences First Year selection on a different basis again.

• 6 July 2027

  IB results for the May 2027 session

  Via New Zealand university

  Details

  The date the whole page bends around. Two of the milestones above fall before it. The IB has not yet confirmed the May 2027 release date; early July is the long-standing pattern.

• 1 August 2027
  February 2028 intake

  Accommodation applications open for a February 2028 start

  Applies to: anyone planning to live in a hall or residential college

  Priority

  Details

  Later applications are considered after these.

  Otago and Victoria open hall applications on the same day, 1 August of the year before you start, and both say the same thing about it: apply as early as possible. Otago opens residential college and Uni Flats applications on 1 August, Victoria opens its Trimester 1 halls on "1 August (the year before you begin your studies)". Neither publishes the year, so 2027 is expected rather than confirmed. This falls three and a half months before the application deadlines below, which is the opposite of the order a student expects — in New Zealand you apply for the room before you apply for the place.

  Source 1 · Source 2

• 15 November 2027
  February 2028 intake

  University of Otago — offshore international applications close for semester 1, 2028

  Applies to: offshore international applicants — anyone applying from outside New Zealand

  Hard deadline

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Otago splits its international applicants in two and gives them different days, and the split is the trap for a student applying from Denmark. An offshore applicant — one applying from Denmark — closes on 15 November; an onshore one, already in New Zealand, has until 10 December. Take the later date and you have missed by twenty-five days. Otago published these as 15 November 2026 and 10 December 2026 for semester 1, 2027; the 2028 equivalents are not published, but Otago states that "The main international student application period is 1 May–15 November, for most studies commencing in semester 1 (February)", so 15 November 2027 is expected. Some programmes run different periods — teaching, oral health and dental technology are named — so check yours rather than assuming this date.

  Source

• 8 December 2027
  February 2028 intake

  Victoria University of Wellington — Trimester 1 (February) applications close

  Equal consideration

  Details

  Applications in by this date are guaranteed to be considered. Later ones may still be read, at the institution’s discretion, against whatever places remain.

  Published as "Trimester 1 (February)—application deadline 8 December" with no calendar year, so for a February 2028 start 2027 is expected rather than confirmed. Applications after it "will be assessed on a case-by-case basis", which is Victoria's phrasing for every intake. Note that this is three weeks after Otago's offshore date and that the University of Auckland's Semester One 2027 equivalent is the same day, 8 December 2026 — the three universities cluster in this window without agreeing on it, and there is no body that would make them agree.

  Source

• Set by each institution

  Closing dates for the main February 2028 intake

  Via New Zealand university

  Details

  None of the eight universities had published a dated Semester One 2028 closing date as of September 2026; Otago's recurring offshore date is 15 November and Victoria's is 8 December. For shape: Auckland's equivalent date for February 2027 is 8 December 2026, and it warns that applications arriving after 1 December are considered only if places remain. Expect mid-November to early December 2027 and check the programme page from mid-2027.

• Date not published

  Accept the offer of place and pay or arrange tuition

  Your own plan Via New Zealand university

  Details

  Not published by anyone — a date worth setting yourself.

  The visa cannot start until there is an offer of place from an approved education provider and evidence that tuition is paid or payable, alongside insurance the provider accepts. There is no date on this; the sequence is the constraint.

• Date not published

  Immigration New Zealand advises applying three months before you travel

  Your own plan Via New Zealand university

  Details

  Not published by anyone — a date worth setting yourself.

  Advice rather than a rule, and worth reading next to the published service standard: eighty per cent of these visas are decided within eight weeks, which means one in five is not. October to March is the busy period, which is exactly when a February starter applies.

• Set by each institution
  July 2027 intake

  Semester 2 2027, the mid-year intake — the fastest route from a May 2027 IB session, and every university closes it on a different day

  Details

  Teaching starts in July 2027. There is no national closing date and there is no central system to hold one: Universities New Zealand's own instruction is that "Applications should be made direct to the universities", so three New Zealand universities is three applications and three calendars. The three with published dates close five and a half weeks apart — Otago 30 April 2027, Victoria University of Wellington 1 May, the University of Auckland 8 June 2027 — and each has its own date in this calendar. Every one of those dates falls before IB results are released on about 6 July 2027, so a mid-year start is applied for on predicted grades or not at all. Not all degrees admit mid-year: engineering, health and most professional programmes are Semester 1 only, so verify per degree before planning around July. Canterbury, Massey, Waikato, AUT and Lincoln set their own mid-year dates; check them on each university's page.

  Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3 · Source 4

• Set by each institution
  February 2028 intake

  Semester 1 2028, the main intake — applications open in the middle of 2027 and close in the last weeks of it

  Details

  Teaching starts in late February 2028, which for a May 2027 IB candidate means eight months between the last exam and the first lecture. This is the main New Zealand intake and the one most students applying from Denmark will take. The universities publish recurring annual closing dates rather than a national one, and Otago gives 15 November for an offshore international applicant and Victoria University of Wellington 8 December — both are their own entries below. The University of Auckland's general Semester One 2028 date is not published: its 2028 table currently lists only the four clinical health programmes, and its Semester One 2027 equivalent is 8 December 2026, given here as precedent, not as a prediction. None of the eight universities had published exact 2028 teaching dates on 23 September 2026.

  Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3 · Source 4

• Set by each institution
  2027/2028 intake

  Programmes with early closing dates — the ones that close before everything else

  Details

  Limited-entry programmes — the medicine-track health sciences, architecture, fine arts, nursing — close months before the general deadline and may require a portfolio or an interview. The worked example is the University of Auckland, whose four clinical health programmes (Medicine and Surgery, Optometry, Pharmacy, Medical Imaging) close for a February 2028 start on 1 July 2027, five days before IB results are released. Auckland also runs a separate and much earlier date for its Bachelor of Nursing (International): 1 November 2026 for a February 2027 start, five weeks before the general 8 December date, with no 2028 equivalent published. Otago names teaching, oral health and dental technology as running their own periods, and runs its Health Sciences First Year selection on a different basis again. None of these is findable by looking for a national deadline, because there is not one. Read the closing date off the page of the programme you are actually applying to, and read it twice if it is an international version of that programme.

  Source 1 · Source 2

• No central deadline
  2027/2028 intake

  Fee Paying Student Visa application

  Your own plan

  Details

  Not published by anyone — a date worth setting yourself.

  After you accept an offer and pay or arrange fees — there is no date, because the sequence is the constraint: the visa cannot start until there is an offer of place from an approved education provider, evidence that tuition is paid or payable, and insurance the provider accepts. Immigration New Zealand advises applying three months before you travel, which is advice rather than a rule, and it is worth reading next to the published service standard: eighty per cent of these visas are decided within eight weeks, which means one in five is not. October to March is the busy period, which is exactly when somebody starting in February applies. The visa can be granted for up to four years.

  Source

English-taught bachelors

All of it. Every New Zealand university degree is taught in English.

Proving your English

For IB students the University Entrance literacy requirement itself does the work: English as Language A - literature or language and literature at SL or HL, or English Language B at HL with a minimum grade of 5, satisfies it at the University of Auckland. Universities may still ask for IELTS or TOEFL in some cases; typical minimums are IELTS 6.0-6.5. Check each university.

Local language needed?

Not for English-taught programmes

• Te reo Maori is an official language and appears in university life and ceremony, but no degree requires it unless you choose it.
• Immigration New Zealand may have its own English evidence requirements separate from the university's - check the visa page.

Tuition, EU/EEA

Not applicable - New Zealand has no EU/EEA fee category. Every European applicant, EU/EEA or not, pays international fees. (2026)

Tuition, non-EU

Example, University of Auckland: international undergraduate fees for 2026 range from NZD 40,225 for a Bachelor of Arts (excluding performance and science-based courses) up to NZD 86,561 for later years of Medicine and Surgery, for a full-time year of 120 points. Indicative 2027 figures published by Auckland run from about NZD 42,236 upwards, roughly 5% higher than 2026. All students also pay a Student Services Fee of about NZD 1,132.80 a year. Other universities are broadly similar or somewhat cheaper; check each university's own fees. (2026 (published) and 2027 (indicative))

Living costs

Immigration New Zealand requires NZD 20,000 for each year of tertiary study, or NZD 1,667 a month for courses shorter than a year - about NZD 1,667 a month. That is the visa minimum, not a realistic Auckland or Wellington budget. (2026)

• The NZD 20,000 is living costs only and sits on top of full tuition, which you must also pay or show as payable.
• The Fee Paying Student Visa costs from NZD 850 and can be granted for up to four years. Immigration New Zealand publishes a service standard of 80% decided within eight weeks, and advises applying at least three months before travel.
• Tuition rises between years of the same degree. Budgeting three years at the first-year price will leave you short.
• The Post Study Work Visa costs from NZD 1,670 and requires you to hold at least NZD 5,000 for living expenses.
• Auckland and Wellington are the expensive cities; Dunedin, Palmerston North, Hamilton and Christchurch are considerably cheaper.

Funding you could actually get

• University international excellence scholarships. Every New Zealand university offers entrance scholarships to strong international undergraduates, usually a partial fee reduction awarded on your admission score. Amounts vary - check each university's scholarship page, because several have deadlines earlier than the admission deadline.
• The New Zealand Excellence Awards and similar government-backed schemes target specific countries and regions; eligibility depends on your nationality, so check whether your country is on the list.
• Faculty awards and first-year prizes, awarded on results after you arrive.
• Part-time work. Fee Paying Student Visa holders can usually work up to 25 hours a week during study and full-time in holidays, which goes further in Dunedin than in Auckland.
• Danish SU can follow you here if you can claim it (Danish citizens, or EU/EEA citizens with equal status under EU rules) and meet the ties-to-Denmark requirement. A full degree outside the EU/EEA follows separate rules, with its own ties-to-Denmark form: check su.dk before budgeting. If you cannot claim SU, look first at your own country's student finance: several EU/EEA systems fund a full degree in another country.
• There is no New Zealand government loan or grant for international undergraduates.

Residency

You need a Fee Paying Student Visa. You apply after you have an offer of place and have paid or arranged tuition, and you must show NZD 20,000 per year of living costs, good health and good character. The visa costs from NZD 850 and can be granted for up to 4 years, normally matching the period of study you have paid for, or until your passport expires if that is sooner. Source: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/visas/fee-paying-student-visa/

Working

Fee Paying Student Visa holders may work part-time up to 25 hours a week while studying and full-time during scheduled holidays, depending on the conditions written on the visa; students aged 16-17 need extra permission. After graduating, the Post Study Work Visa lets a bachelor's-degree graduate (level 7 or higher) stay and work for up to 3 years, with no employer sponsorship required. You must apply no later than 3 months after your student visa expires, and hold at least NZD 5,000 for living expenses. Sources: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/visas/fee-paying-student-visa/ and https://www.immigration.govt.nz/visas/post-study-work-visa/

Housing

First-year students are strongly encouraged into university halls of residence, and most universities guarantee a place if you apply by their deadline - take it, because private renting from Denmark is difficult and the halls are where you meet people. Otago runs an all-in residential first year in Dunedin. Auckland and Wellington private rents are high; Dunedin, Hamilton, Palmerston North and Christchurch are much more affordable.

Healthcare

International students on a student visa are generally not entitled to publicly funded healthcare in New Zealand, so Immigration New Zealand requires acceptable medical and travel insurance for the whole period of study, and universities normally arrange or sell a compliant policy. The EHIC and the Danish yellow card are not valid. Budget for insurance as a separate annual cost.