On this page: 

• Enrolment process
• Verification of learner identity
• Privacy statement
• Variations to standard enrolments
• Enrolment changes
• Withdrawals  

Enrolment process

We recommend that your tertiary education organisation's (TEO’s) admission and enrolment process for DQ1-2 includes the steps below:

We expect you to inform each learner during the enrolment process about all planned learning activities leading to the award of the qualification they have enrolled in. “Planned learning activities” includes self-directed learning activities you expect the learner to engage with/participate in. It does not include self-directed activities the learner initiates. 

For the full requirements when enrolling learners in DQ1-2 provision, see the funding conditions for the relevant year.

Admission

We expect you to publish admission information before the start of each programme. This information should include:

• admission requirements
• criteria and processes for assessing and recognising a learner’s prior learning
• criteria and process for cross-crediting courses across multiple programmes
• documents that a learner must submit; for example, an academic transcript or record from another TEO
• the enrolment process
• minimum attendance and code of conduct requirements
• withdrawal requirements and process, including refunds
• student support services available, and
• student services fees information.

Inducement to enrol

An enrolment is not a valid domestic enrolment if the learner has been induced to enrol.

We recommend that you contact our Customer Contact Group, phone 0800 601 301 or email customerservice@tec.govt.nz, before offering any incentive to learners to enrol with you.

Enrolment application

To enrol in a programme leading to the award of a qualification, a learner needs to apply to your TEO by completing and submitting an enrolment form, and providing evidence to enable you to:

• verify their identity, and
• determine their eligibility.

To ensure an enrolment form collects all of the necessary information, you need to be familiar with the SDR Manual.

Your enrolment form should collect all of the information you are required to report in the Single Data Return (SDR) to determine whether the learner is eligible for DQ1-2.

Single Data Return (SDR)

If you wish, you can use the generic enrolment form at SDR resources.

We recommend that you publish your enrolment form.

Verification of learner identity

For the full requirements for verification of learner identity, see the Funding Conditions Catalogue for the relevant year.

Note the base funding conditions and specific DQ1-2 funding conditions.

A TEO must verify the learner’s identity when the learner enrols for the first time, to comply with reporting requirements under clause 13 of Schedule 18 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

You must sight either an original or a certified copy of the original identification document. A certified copy can be a photocopy, photograph or scanned copy that has been endorsed as a true copy of the original by an authorised person. For more information see the relevant year’s Funding Conditions Catalogue.

Once you have verified the learner’s identity, you can then check if they are eligible to be a valid domestic enrolment.

Privacy statement

Once you have assessed a learner as eligible, you must provide them with a privacy statement explaining that you are holding their personal information for specified purposes and that you have disclosure obligations.

For guidance about the information you must provide in your privacy statement, see the base funding conditions in the Funding Conditions Catalogue for the relevant year.

You may wish to use the TEC template privacy statement.

Variations to standard enrolments

Recognition of learning/prior achievement

For the full requirements when enrolling learners into DQ1-2 provision, see the DQ1-2 funding conditions for the relevant year.

Recognition of learning/prior achievement refers to previous study or experience relevant to the programme that the learner is about to enrol in or is currently studying. It enables a learner to proceed with their study without repeating aspects of their previous qualification, or re-learning skills they have already achieved through past work or other experience.

Recognition of prior learning (RPL), and credit recognition and transfer (CRT), are forms of recognising learning/prior achievement. For information and guidelines for TEOs, see Guidelines for the recognition and award of learning for credit – NZQA.

It is your responsibility to recognise each learner’s prior learning and adjust the courses in your programme. You cannot claim DQ1-2 funding for RPL or CRT, or for delivering tuition where the learner already has prior learning (ie, skills and/or knowledge). This means you are responsible for:

• undertaking a preliminary evaluation and identifying whether a learner is likely to have the knowledge, skills and attributes that can contribute to the graduate outcomes of the qualification
• seeking evidence of prior academic achievement using the NZQA Record of Achievement (ROA) when the learner enrols, and

For questions about recognition of prior learning, please contact NZQA.

Learners wanting to defer their start date

You may agree to defer a learner’s enrolment start date, but you should have a policy for the circumstances under which a learner may defer their start date.

Note: No DQ1-2 funding can be claimed unless the learner has started their study and the 10% or one month date for accessing funding has passed. This is calculated from the date the learner starts their deferred enrolment.

Learners wanting to accelerate their study (undertake additional learning)

You should not enrol a learner in an additional course or qualification unless they elect to exceed the equivalent full-time student (EFTS) value of the qualification (eg, if they need to re-do a course that they previously did not pass). In this case, the total EFTS value of the learner’s enrolments for the qualification will be greater than the EFTS value of the qualification they achieve.

In that instance the additional learning hours should be matched by an appropriate number of additional teaching hours.

Learners enrolling concurrently with another tertiary education organisation (TEO)

Concurrent enrolments at another TEO are not prohibited. However, it is unlikely a learner enrolled in foundation level education would successfully manage concurrent enrolments at separate TEOs, and complete their courses and qualifications.

If your TEO has a foundation level learner in this situation, you should work with the other TEO to ensure their study workload is manageable.

Enrolment changes

If a learner's enrolment changes for any reason, you must update your records to reflect the changes. We recommend you send updated enrolment information to the learner. 

We suggest you specify the period in which a learner can change their enrolment or withdraw from a course (so it is clear on their academic record and they do not incur unnecessary costs). 

Student services fees refund when the enrolment changes

You must inform the learner at the time of enrolment what the period is given for them to change their enrolment or withdraw from a course or programme with a refund of student services fees, if applicable (excluding any administration charge). You must process student services fees refunds in a timely manner for the learner. 

If you refund all or some of a learner’s student services fees, you must refund them in the manner in which the original fee was paid. 

If the learner is entitled to a refund, you cannot hold the refund as a credit (for enrolling or re-enrolling at your TEO in the future) unless you can demonstrate that the learner has understood their refund entitlement and agreed to waive their entitlement.

The above also applies when you pay the learner's student services fees through a scholarship.

Withdrawals

For full withdrawal requirements, see the Funding Conditions Catalogue for the relevant year.

Note the base funding conditions and DQ1-2 specific conditions.

A withdrawal is when a learner ceases to participate in a course, programme or micro-credential (regardless of whether they have been refunded any student services fees), either:

• by providing notice to the TEO that they wish to withdraw participation, or
• as a result of non-attendance or non-participation for any reason.

Disengaged learners who have not formally withdrawn

A learner may have disengaged from their programme or micro-credential but not have formally withdrawn. For example, they may fail to attend a face-to-face course or not log in for online learning.

You should determine at the earliest opportunity if a disengaged learner is withdrawing from a course. If their enrolment continues to be reported and is unsuccessful, it will be counted as a course non-completion for the calculation of Educational Performance Indicators (EPIs).

Setting the withdrawal date for a withdrawn learner

You need to apply a deemed withdrawal date to any enrolment that meets the criteria above, and report it in in the Single Data Return (SDR).

Note: A TEO is not eligible to receive funding for an enrolment with a withdrawal date that occurs before 10% or one month of the course has passed (rounded up to the nearest whole day), whichever is earlier.

Advising StudyLink and other parties of learner withdrawal

When a learner in receipt of a loan and/or allowance withdraws from a programme, you must notify to StudyLink of the withdrawal date (or the date you deem that the learner withdrew, e.g., by non-attendance or non-participation).

Withdrawal date and student services fees refund period

All TEOs need to apply a student services fees refund period. If a learner withdraws from a course or programme within this period, you must provide the learner with a refund of the student services fees (or waiver of fee payment).

Note: The refund period requirements are different for private training establishments (PTEs) and tertiary education institutions (TEIs).

Requesting fees payment from StudyLink

Student services fees cannot be paid for through the Student Loan Scheme.

Learners with unpaid student services fees

A learner becomes a valid domestic enrolment when they have paid or committed to pay student services fees, and the student services fees refund period has passed.

If the learner does not pay the student services fees they committed to, then they cease to be a valid domestic enrolment. You cannot claim DQ1-2 funding for them.