01
Direction
Clarify your study direction
Who you are, why NZ study may fit, and what level may be realistic.
Study pathways
Study in New Zealand: qualifications, post-study work, and residence pathways
Explore the full RTNZ Study Hub: academic levels, pathway logic, work-rights context, compliance, and longer-term planning after study.
- Level 7, 8, and 9 pathway planning
- Institution and documentation readiness
- Career-aligned education strategy
RTNZ Study Hub
Choose your study route with the full pathway in view
This hub is the starting point for the Study silo. Use it to understand how level choice, work rights, compliance, and future residence planning connect, then move into the page that matches your stage.
Not every study question is the same. Some users need a broad system overview, while others need level-specific guidance.
The strongest planning starts by identifying your actual stage: system orientation, undergraduate entry, postgraduate progression, work-rights understanding, or residence direction after study.
RTNZ uses the Study silo as a structured route map, not a generic education brochure.
Flagship Planning Tool
Student Journey Map
A strategic blueprint connecting academic choice, work rights, and long-term residence planning within the RTNZ ecosystem.
Official RTNZ Planning Framework
02
Level
Choose your academic level
Undergraduate, master’s, PhD, and how progression logic shapes the next steps.
03
Institution
Compare institutions and cities
Universities, fit by city or region, academic strengths, and student profile fit.
04
Evidence
Prepare the application and evidence
Academics, English, finances, and narrative coherence across the file.
05
Compliance
Protect visa compliance and work-rights options
Lawful positioning, work-rights awareness, and documentation discipline.
06
Post-study
Build your post-study direction
Employability, pathway planning, and residence realism after graduation.
07
Residence
Connect into long-term residence planning
Study residence context, Skilled Migration bridge, and Future Strategy where relevant.
Student funds, work, and what can follow
Immigration New Zealand sets the living-fund and work rules below. University tuition examples are in the next table.
| Rule | Current Immigration New Zealand position |
|---|---|
| Living funds | Tertiary, English language, and other non-compulsory study: NZD 20,000 for each year when study lasts one year or more, or NZD 1,667 for each month when it is shorter. This is separate from tuition. |
| Work during study | An eligible student visa can allow up to 25 hours a week. From 3 November 2025 that replaced the 20-hour setting for new grants. A visa that still says 20 hours keeps that limit until a variation of conditions. Full-time work in a break applies only when the visa allows it. |
| Post-Study Work Visa | A level 7 degree or higher, with at least 30 weeks of full-time study in New Zealand, can support this visa. A master’s or doctoral qualification with at least 30 weeks can be granted for 3 years. The length otherwise depends on the qualification. One person can hold this visa only once. |
| Partner work visa | A partner work visa can be supported for level 9 or 10 study. Level 7 or 8 study can support it only when that qualification is specified on the Green List or on the qualifications eligible for a Post-Study Work Visa. |
Checked 15 October 2026 against Immigration New Zealand: student fund requirements, fee-paying student visa, working on a student visa, post-study work pages, and bringing family on a student visa. Tuition is in the next table.
2026 international tuition examples
There is no single New Zealand tuition price. These figures are the universities’ own 2026 estimates for a full-time year, or for the whole programme where the university says so. Student services fees sit on top.
| Level | Published 2026 examples | Do not read this as |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree | University of Canterbury Bachelor of Arts: NZ$34,880 per 120 points. University of Auckland Bachelor of Arts: NZ$40,225. University of Otago Bachelor of Commerce: NZ$42,315. University of Auckland Bachelor of Engineering (Honours): NZ$58,009. | One national band. Clinical degrees are higher. Auckland medicine from year 2 is NZ$86,561. |
| Taught master’s | University of Auckland arts postgraduate: NZ$44,970 per 120 points. Auckland medical and health sciences postgraduate: NZ$55,214.40 to NZ$86,560.80 per 120 points. University of Canterbury Master of Arts: NZ$57,300 for the 180-point programme. | A yearly price that fits every master’s. Some fees are per 120 points. Some are a fee for the whole programme. |
| PhD, living in New Zealand | International PhD students who live in New Zealand pay the domestic PhD rate. University of Auckland: NZ$8,847.60 a year. University of Canterbury: NZ$8,570 to NZ$10,321 per 120 points, by subject. University of Otago examples: NZ$8,063 for commerce and NZ$12,638 for a dentistry thesis. | The fee for a named professional doctorate. Auckland lists those doctorates at NZ$55,408.80 for 2026. The domestic PhD rate also fails if the student does not keep the residence condition the university sets. |
Checked 15 October 2026 on the universities’ own pages: Auckland undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral international fees; Otago sciences, business, and health sciences international fees; Canterbury bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral international fees. Study in Australia fees were not used. They are a different country.
Planning lens
If you are planning from Pakistan or overseas
This is a planning lens, not a separate route. The New Zealand study system is the same; what changes is how you keep evidence, sequencing, and household context coherent.
- Keep study intent, funds, and work-rights expectations aligned with what you can credibly explain across documents.
- If skilled migration is also on the horizon, avoid letting short-term travel narratives fight a longer study plan. Use the hubs to separate concerns without mixing fixed outcomes.
- Treat tools and hub pages as orientation; confirm eligibility settings against official instructions when you are close to decisions.
Next steps: Study compliance hub · Skilled Migration hub · Compliance & trust centre · How RTNZ tools work
Study silo routes
Pick the page that matches your stage
These links are the main branches of the Study silo. Use them to move from this hub into depth, not to replace it.
Study in New Zealand
Broad system overview: levels, institutions, and progression before you choose a depth page.
Open overviewNew Zealand Universities
Advisory comparison of the eight universities: city, strengths, fit, and route alignment, not rankings.
Compare universitiesUndergraduate studies
Entry, foundation, and bachelor-level routes with progression logic in view.
View undergraduate hubMaster’s
Postgraduate coursework and professional tracks weighed against credibility and timing.
View master’s hubPhD
Research degrees, supervision fit, and how doctoral study interacts with rights and horizons.
Explore PhD hubWork rights
In-study and post-study work context tied to programme level and compliance.
Read work-rights contextGraduate pathways
Study-to-employment and longer-pathway planning without job or residence certainty.
Map graduate pathwaysIndustry placement
Placements, internships, part-time work, and graduate employment separated clearly.
Understand placementsCompliance
Genuine student expectations, evidence bundles, and consistency across workflows.
Review compliance hubResidence (study context)
How study sits alongside longer residence design, without treating a qualification as a fixed outcome.
View residence contextEducation hierarchy
New Zealand study in three lines
Enough context to orient. Full system framing lives on Study in New Zealand.
NZQF levels
From certificates and diplomas through degrees and doctoral research, level choice should match prior study and intent.
Institution types
Universities, institutes of technology/polytechnics, and private providers sit differently in outcomes and progression.
Route logic
Foundation to degree, UG to PG, and research tracks each imply different evidence and sequencing. Pick the page that matches your stage.
Study in New Zealand unpacks institution types and progression logic when you need the strategic explainer.
After study: residence, skilled pathways, and future planning
Study decisions often affect what becomes realistic after graduation. Keep residence planning, work rights, and evidence discipline in view early.
Residence after study
How qualification and timing may sit alongside residence options. Read with realistic expectations.
Skilled Migration
When post-study skilled routes matter, keep evidence and sequencing aligned from the start.
Future strategy
Long-horizon framing so study timing does not fight downstream goals.
Journey map
Choose the next study step by journey stage
The Study hub still links to the same route set, but the next step is grouped by what the user is trying to decide.
Start here
Use these when you are still orienting around level, institution, or broad study fit.
Compare options
Move here when the decision is between levels, routes, or onward planning.
Check evidence
Use these when conditions, work rights, or longer-route implications need source-aware review.
Use a tool
Move from reading into orientation tools when the pathway needs structure.
New to the Study silo?
If you need the system picture before choosing undergraduate, postgraduate, or research depth, read the strategic overview first, then return here to pick your level hub.
Open Study in New Zealand →FAQ
Study hub
Tertiary, English language, and other non-compulsory students must show NZD 20,000 for each year when study lasts one year or more, or NZD 1,667 a month when it is shorter. That sum is for living costs and sits apart from tuition. Eligible student visas may allow up to 25 hours of work a week.
No. Each university sets the 2026 international fee. Checked examples run from NZ$34,880 for a Canterbury arts year to NZ$58,009 for an Auckland engineering honours year. Clinical degrees cost more. An international PhD student living in New Zealand pays the domestic PhD rate. Checked 2026 examples run from NZ$8,063 to NZ$12,638 a year.
No. Study can support long-term options, but residence outcomes remain contingent on policy, employability, and evidence. RTNZ frames study as a staged plan, not a promise.
Start with Study in New Zealand for level logic and progression, then use the Student Journey Map to see how sequencing and work-rights context may interact.
No. Tools provide orientation and next-page links, but case-by-case review is still required for compliance-sensitive decisions.
Ready when your stage is clear
Check Eligibility structures your profile for screening. Book Strategy Session is for a focused pass when sequencing and documentation need careful judgement.
Need a clearer next step?
Use the contact page if you want a direct question handled before booking or assessment. Contact RTNZ