NZD 20,000
Living costs to evidence for a year
Or NZD 1,667 a month for study shorter than a year.
Immigration New Zealand · student fund requirementsSTUDY ABROAD / NZ
Give it a go.Your next chapter.In New Zealand.
Give it a go / New Zealand English for taking something on without over-thinking it first.
Research-led degrees. Applied learning in the workshop, studio or field. New Zealand offers different ways to build on what you know—compare the qualification, the campus and the life you could make around it.
Guide checked · Official sources
DUNEDIN / IN FOCUSNEW ZEALAND
Bernard Spragg. NZ · CC0 · Display cropped
25 hours a week
Term-time work for eligible students
For eligible students; the conditions on your own visa control your hours.
Immigration New Zealand · Fee Paying Student VisaCheck the exact award
Qualification and study length matter
Degree and non-degree routes have different graduate-visa conditions.
Immigration New Zealand · Post Study Work Visa01 / YOUR STARTING POINT
Where are you starting from?
Choose the closest match. Use it to plan your next checks, not as an admission decision.
One country, two very different learning cultures.
A university bachelor's is discipline-led and research-informed. An applied programme at an institute of technology is built around practice. Both are real degrees; they ask different things of you.
NZQA · Tertiary and International Learners Code of Practice- 01Check subject prerequisites and accepted English evidence for the exact programme, not the institution.
- 02Confirm the provider is a signatory to the Tertiary and International Learners Code of Practice.
- 03Compare the qualification's level on the New Zealand framework, since that is what the graduate route reads.
Keep in mind
A level 7 diploma and a level 7 bachelor's degree are not the same for post-study purposes. Ask for the exact qualification title and level in writing.
02 / THE REAL COST
Check three things before the offer feels real.
The programme fee, the money you must evidence, and where you would actually sleep.
Get the international fee for your programme
New Zealand universities publish international fees by programme and faculty, and a compulsory student services fee sits on top. Ask for the figure for your intake year, not last year's table, and check whether it can rise between years of the same course.
University of Auckland · international student feesNZD 20,000 is the visa floor
For tertiary study of a year or more you must show NZD 20,000 of living costs for each year, or NZD 1,667 a month for shorter study. Prepaid accommodation can be deducted from the total. It is a threshold, not a realistic Auckland budget.
Immigration New Zealand · student fund requirementsPrice the housing before the city
Published guidance puts weekly accommodation between about NZD 140 for a room in a shared house and NZD 484 for a catered hall, with food around NZD 80 to 120 a week. A hall place and a flat produce very different first-year numbers.
Study with New Zealand · tuition fees and cost of living03 / MAKE THE NUMBERS YOURS
What would your first year look like?
Change the example figures to match your shortlist. See the expenses and the cash you may need to set aside.
UNIVERSITY STUDY / 12 MONTHS / NZD
An illustrative first year for a taught postgraduate programme at a New Zealand university, in New Zealand dollars. Tuition, the student services fee, living costs and arrival costs are editable planning assumptions rather than a quote — replace them with the figures on your own offer letter and the city you would live in. The deposit assumes a rental bond of roughly four weeks' rent, which is lodged and refundable.
YOUR FIRST-YEAR PICTURE
Total cash to plan forNZ$72,050.00
- Estimated expenses
- NZ$70,650.00
- Refundable deposit
- NZ$1,400.00
Living costs × 12 + tuition + other fees + arrival costs. The deposit is added separately as money to set aside.
Build from funds you can rely on.
No sign-up. Your figures stay in this page.This example deducts no unawarded scholarship or income from a job you have not secured.
04 / FUNDING THE MOVE
Find the right kind of support.
Start with an affordable study plan. Then explore funding that matches your background.
Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships: check the country list first
Manaaki awards are open only to citizens of listed Pacific, Asian and other partner countries. India is not on the eligible-countries list. If you hold another eligible nationality, read the current call and its conditions before planning around it.
Check eligible countriesInstitution awards do most of the work
For most international applicants the realistic money is a university or institute scholarship. Record whether it is automatic on entry or competitive, how it is paid, whether it renews each year and what grade you must hold to keep it.
Search New Zealand scholarshipsFund the year, then treat work as a buffer
Fund tuition and living costs from confirmed resources. Any permitted part-time work can supplement the plan, but hours, hiring and earnings are uncertain.
Read the visa conditionsSTUDY. WORK. UPSKILL.
Work during and after your studies.
Understand the study-related options, then prepare for the next stage.
During your course
Eligible students may work up to 25 hours a week during study. Scheduled-holiday rights and research-degree exceptions depend on your visa conditions. An existing 20-hour condition does not automatically become 25 hours: check whether a variation or new visa is needed.
Immigration New Zealand · Fee Paying Student VisaAfter you graduate
The Post Study Work Visa can run up to three years depending on the level of the qualification and how long you studied for it. Degree-level 7 and above holders may work for any employer; holders of eligible non-degree qualifications must work in a job related to their study.
Immigration New Zealand · Post Study Work VisaUse the size of the place
New Zealand's professional networks are small and reachable. Industry projects, placements and departmental contacts do more here than a large application campaign. Employment beyond your student visa still needs the right visa in its own right.
Immigration New Zealand · Post Study Work Visa05 / FROM INTEREST TO ACTION
A route you can work through.
Start at the step that matches where you are. Course dates and your circumstances set the pace.
- 01
Fix the qualification and its level
Record the exact title, the framework level, the credits and the duration.
NZQA · Tertiary and International Learners Code of Practice - 02
Check the provider against the Code
Confirm your provider is a signatory to the learner Code of Practice before you pay.
NZQA · Tertiary and International Learners Code of Practice - 03
Get the programme fee and services levy
Ask for your intake year's international fee and whether it changes between years.
- 04
Assemble the funds evidence
Plan NZD 20,000 a year of living costs plus tuition, and check the India rules if they apply.
Immigration New Zealand · student fund requirements - 05
Decide hall or flat before you fly
Compare a catered hall against a shared house, and budget the bond and first weeks separately.
Study with New Zealand · tuition fees and cost of living
06 / KEEP YOUR PLAN CURRENT
Worth knowing before you apply.
Reviewed guidance and official publishers to follow as your plan develops.
ANNOUNCED · 16 NOVEMBER 2026
A graduate diploma plus an existing degree.
From 16 November 2026, the announced extension covers an eligible New Zealand Level 7 graduate diploma where the holder also has a bachelor’s degree from New Zealand or overseas. An overseas bachelor’s alone does not qualify. This change is not yet in force on this guide’s review date.
Immigration New Zealand · announced graduate changesReviewed 10 September 2026PROVIDER CHECK
The learner Code of Practice is not optional.
Education providers enrolling international students must be signatories to the Tertiary and International Learners Code of Practice, which covers pastoral care, accommodation standards and complaints. Confirm your provider's status before you accept an offer.
NZQA · Tertiary and International Learners Code of PracticeReviewed 10 September 2026Keep an eye on what’s new
For the latest published notices, visit Immigration New Zealand. Read the date, eligibility and deadline on each announcement.
The reviewed guidance above is a dated reference. New announcements do not automatically change the page’s advice.
THE QUESTIONS THAT MATTER
A little more clarity.
Useful answers to bring into your next conversation.
No. New Zealand allows eligible students up to 25 hours a week in term; Australia caps work at 48 hours a fortnight while a course is in session. They are separate immigration systems, and a plan built for one does not transfer.
Immigration New Zealand · Fee Paying Student VisaYOUR NEXT MOVE, WITH STAAR
Turn “what if” into a first step.
Tell us where you are today. We’ll help you explore what comes next.
SOURCE NOTES
Check the detail at its source.
Reviewed 10 September 2026. Course, funding and immigration rules can change. Use the current rules for your nationality, residence and intake.
Immigration New Zealand · student fund requirements
The NZD 20,000 annual and NZD 1,667 monthly living-cost figures.
Immigration New Zealand · Fee Paying Student VisaWork hours, holiday work, insurance and application fee.
Immigration New Zealand · Post Study Work VisaQualification levels, duration, related-work condition and announced changes.
NZQA · Tertiary and International Learners Code of PracticeProvider obligations and how to check signatory status.
Study with New Zealand · tuition fees and cost of livingPublished weekly accommodation, food and transport ranges.
University of Auckland · international student feesAn example of reading programme-level international fees and the services fee.
Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships · eligible countriesThe list of eligible nationalities, which does not include India.
Study with New Zealand · scholarshipsSearching institution and government awards by profile.
Immigration New Zealand · evidence of funds for applicants in IndiaIndia-specific evidence rules and the Funds Transfer Scheme.
Immigration New Zealand · announced graduate changesChanges announced for 16 November 2026; Level 7 graduate diploma plus an existing bachelor’s degree.