You may be able to get a student loan if you are studying:
- full-time
- limited full-time
- part-time, for 32 weeks or longer
- part-time, for less than 32 weeks, a course with an EFTS value of 0.25 or more.
Full-time and limited full-time
If you are studying full-time or limited full-time, you could get all three parts of Student Loan. Go to Full-time and limited full-time study to find out how we define Student Loan.
Part-time
If you are studying part-time, you can borrow for course fees only.
If your course does not have the EFTS value of a full-time course of that length, we will check if any part of your course is full-time.
Full-time – Student Loan Definition
The Tertiary Education Commission assigns an EFTS (equivalent full-time student) value to each course to determine if it meets the full-time status criteria for Student Loans. See the chart below.
| Number of weeks (gross weeks) | Number of EFTS assigned to be classed as full-time |
|---|---|
| Under 12 weeks | 0.025 EFTS a week |
| 12–15 | 0.3 |
| 16–19 | 0.4 |
| 20 | 0.5 |
| 25 | 0.625 |
| 30 | 0.75 |
| 32–52 | 0.8 |
| 53 or more | 1 |
The study status of your course determines what components of the Student Loan you can access.
For example:
| Study status | Fees | Course-related costs | Living costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time, Full year (i.e. studying both 1st and 2nd semester) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Full-time, part year (i.e. studying either 1st or 2nd semester) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Part-time, full year | Yes | No | No |
| Part-time, part year Note: a minimum value of 0.25 EFTS is required. | Yes | No | No |
Note: if the length of your course does not meet the required EFTS value to be full-time, StudyLink will check to see if there is any part or segment of your course which may still qualify as full-time.
For example: Your course is 32 weeks long, so you would need to have 0.8 EFTS to be full-time. Your first semester EFTS value is 0.4, but your second semester is only 0.3. StudyLink will determine that you are full-time for the first semester but not for the second semester.
Full-time – Student Allowance definition
Each tertiary level course has an EFTS (equivalent full-time student) value assigned to it. For an individual course to be approved as full-time, the length of that course must meet a certain EFTS value. See the chart below.
| Number of weeks (gross weeks) | Number of EFTS assigned to be classed as full-time |
|---|---|
| Under 12 weeks | 0.025 EFTS a week |
| 12–15 | 0.3 |
| 16–19 | 0.4 |
| 20 | 0.5 |
| 25 | 0.625 |
| 30 | 0.75 |
| 32–52 | 0.8 |
| 53 or more | 1 |
StudyLink will request a Verification of Study (VoS) from your education provider to verify if you meet the full-time criteria.
There are courses that are shorter than 12 weeks (e.g. trimester three). For these courses to be considered as full-time, the EFTS value must be at least 0.025 for each week of that course, and the course must be approved by the Tertiary Education Commission for Student Allowance purposes.
In most cases a student will need to be studying towards one full-time course at one education provider to receive a Student Allowance. However there are particular situations where courses can be joined together and assessed as full-time. These are known as concurrent or conjoint programmes.
If you’re unsure if your course meets the full-time criteria, check with your education provider.
Postgraduate study – Student Loan definition
Postgraduate study for Student Loan purposes includes any degree, diploma, certificate, Bachelor degrees with Honours or other qualifications that are listed at level 8 or above in the New Zealand Qualifications Framework.
Postgraduate study – Student Allowance definition
Postgraduate study for Student Allowances means any degree, diploma, certificate, or other qualifications that are listed at level 8 or above in the New Zealand Qualifications Framework.
Note: Bachelor degrees with Honours are not considered postgraduate for Student Allowance purposes.
