The Government wants to encourage more citizens and New Zealand permanent residents to study overseas and develop new international connections and capabilities through exposure to countries with which they are not familiar.    

For study starting on or after 1 January 2017, tuition subsidy funding and student support will be available to domestic students (as defined by section 10(1) of the Education and Training Act 2020) who study at an overseas campus or delivery site of a New Zealand TEO, and meet the funding conditions for the relevant year.

Funding conditions by year 

The following eligibility criteria apply:

1. The study must be at an approved country. These countries are located in Asia, Latin America, or the Middle East which are regions the New Zealand Government wishes New Zealand to expand its commercial and social linkages with.

Approved country list (PDF 239 KB)  

And

2. The study must be at level 7 or above on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF). This level of study is targeted to focus on establishing international research and business connections.

And

3. The study is undertaken full-time and face-to-face as part of a New Zealand qualification. Students still need to complete part of their qualification in New Zealand. 

Additional criteria for permanent residents

For New Zealand Permanent Residents (NZPRs) the following criteria apply in addition to the criteria outlined above:

4. The student must be studying in a country they are not familiar with. “Not familiar with” means the student has not previously been to that country or has been to that country but has spent less than six months in total in the five years before the date on which their overseas study begins.

And

5. The student is ordinarily resident in New Zealand and meets an ordinarily resident test for tuition subsidy funding (as they must for student support) to demonstrate their commitment to New Zealand. A person who is ordinarily resident is someone who is lawfully able to reside in New Zealand, normally resides here and intends to remain here (ie, they consider New Zealand to be their home).

Guidelines for deciding ordinarily resident – Work and Income

The responsibility for ensuring that a student is eligible to access tuition subsidy funding and study support rests with the TEO. The TEO may require NZPRs intending to study part of a New Zealand qualification overseas to complete a declaration to confirm their unfamiliarity with the overseas country they intend to study in and provide evidence that they are ordinarily resident in New Zealand.