Monitoring update: March 2025

At the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), we gather a range of information about common issues through our monitoring work. We’re committed to partnering with tertiary education organisations (TEOs) and sharing learnings from our monitoring work to help the sector build capability. That way, we can all achieve better outcomes for learners.

This update includes information about:

Fees Free 2025

The final-year Fees Free policy started on 1 January 2025 for learners who are studying or training for the first time. Learners need to organise payment for their fees on enrolment or as required by their TEO. They don’t need to do anything to confirm their eligibility for final-year Fees Free until 2026, even if they complete a qualification this year.

Updating your website

TEOs should update their website information as soon as possible to reflect the final-year Fees Free policy. We are working on some updated messaging that you can use on your website. For those updates, keep an eye on Content for TEO websites – final-year Fees Free.

Who learners should contact

As a reminder, please do not direct learners to contact Inland Revenue about Fees Free at this time. For information on the Fees Free policies, please direct learners to the Fees Free website. They can contact TEC on 0800 601 301 or customerservice@tec.govt.nz if they have further questions.

Reporting non-funded students through the Single Data Return

During a recent TEO audit, we identified that the TEO did not report unfunded students who were enrolled in micro-credentials as part of their Single Data Return (SDR) submission.

As a reminder, the Single Data Return (SDR) collects information required by the Ministry of Education and the TEC for funding, monitoring performance and publishing performance information, as well as statistical reporting and policy formation.

TEOs that receive TEC funding for qualification delivery or foundation education, including Youth Guarantee, and/or have students with student loans and allowances are required to complete an SDR.

All students for whom a confirmed student enrolment has been made in a TEO’s student management system, including non-funded students, must be reported in the SDR. The SDR provides one central point for the collection, processing and delivery of information from TEOs to education agencies.

If you have any questions, please contact your relationship manager or customerservice@tec.govt.nz.

Face-to-face delivery requirements

The 2025 funding conditions require delivery in several of the Foundation and Youth Transition funds to be face-to-face (for example, not delivered online or via distance learning), unless we have given prior written approval for another form of delivery due to exceptional circumstances.

To ensure provision is suitable, TEC must be confident that providers can maintain sufficient pastoral care and learning support for learners, including appropriate formative assessment, access to learning equipment and high levels of engagement. This level of pastoral care and learning support can be more difficult to provide through extramural delivery. TEC must also be confident that programmes meet the intent of the fund.

For information on applying for an exemption to deliver these funds extramurally, please refer to the Exemptions and exceptional circumstances information for each of these funds:

Employer-led Workplace Literacy and Numeracy

TEO-led Workplace Literacy and Numeracy

Intensive Literacy and Numeracy

Adult and Community Education

Youth Guarantee

If you have any questions, please contact your relationship manager or customerservice@tec.govt.nz.