Up to $12,000 Cover for One Year's Study or Two Year's Work Based Learning @ Feesfree.govt.nz

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Up to $12,000 Cover for One Year's Study or Two Year's Work Based Learning @ Feesfree.govt.nz
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beatthatflight on 29/10/2025 - 18:49 feesfree.govt.nz (672 clicks)
Last edited 29/10/2025 - 19:38 by 1 other user
Fees Free – New Zealand

What is it?
Fees Free is a fund that may cover one year’s full time tertiary study or two years’ work-based learning, up to NZ$12,000.

Who is it for?
It’s for first-time tertiary learners whose course or programme is eligible.

Important changes as of 2025:

  • If you start tertiary study or work-based learning in 2025 or later, the scheme covers the final year of your first qualification or programme, rather than the first year.
  • If you started in 2024 or earlier, you can still check your eligibility under the first-year scheme—but you must check by 31 Dec 2025.

How to check your eligibility:

  • If you started in 2024 or earlier: Enter your National Student Number (NSN) on the site’s checker to see your status.
  • If you’ll be starting in 2025 or later: Visit the Inland Revenue website to see if you can access the final-year Fees Free version.

Key things to note:

  • Your course/programme must be eligible (check with your provider).
  • The maximum benefit is up to NZ$12,000.
  • The scheme shifts from first-year coverage to final-year coverage starting 2025 — so timing matters.
  • Deadlines apply: for earlier starters (pre-2025) you must act by end of 2025.

Bottom line:
If you’re a first-time tertiary or work-based learner, this could save you up to NZ$12k in fees. If you start in 2025 or later, make sure you’re clear that the scheme now covers your final year of first qualification. If you started in 2024 or earlier, check your NSN now to lock in eligibility.

Source: Fees Free website (Tertiary Education Commission)

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Comments

Search through all the comments in this post.
    • taeken on 29/10/2025 - 21:08
      +10

      Pretty good deal vs. paying the fees TBH

      • kfr23 on 29/10/2025 - 23:11
        +2

        I know it's a deal, I was meaning why post it now, here? It's been a thing for a while? I don't know anyone who might want to study that wouldn't know it's already a thing?

        • Matty D on 30/10/2025 - 08:13
          +1

          The new government changed it so it's the last year of studies instead of the first. Some people may not be aware?

  • echo on 30/10/2025 - 03:06
    +6

    At universities you can overload on courses from the standard 8 papers per year (Approx $9000 worth) to 11 courses in one calendar year to maximise your full allowance too.

    • Jaxson on 30/10/2025 - 08:32

      Still have to pass the course content right so that’s a lot to take on, but are you suggesting flow into summer school period too?

      • echo on 31/10/2025 - 01:17
        +1

        Yeah, I did it, and while it was a lot of work in a year, it will save me about $3000 over the course of my degree. Or you can do 5 papers per semester if you are keen.

        • Savy101 on 08/11/2025 - 20:02

          I know someone who didn't get in Pharmacy Degree so ended up completing health science. If they start on Pharmacy (accepted) does it reset or continues ?I cant understand why the couldn't get in on 2nd or even 3rd year as they could have saved at least years

  • isyx on 30/10/2025 - 07:26

    Any way to change it to the last year, my last year is 12k vs 7k in my first year which I had applied in 2022 🤣

    • jrunv on 30/10/2025 - 10:30

      I think its to avoid an overlap of people who would qualify for first year based on their start date and last year based on their end date. That would be the dream though haha

  • Latex Fist on 30/10/2025 - 13:00
    +3

    Man, born in the wrong time.

    8 years too late to make use of the property market, 5 years too early to get all the free stuff that uni students get nowadays :/

    • zyfinity on 30/10/2025 - 19:58

      My first year of uni was in 2021 so 4 years ago, they had first year free then and for a few years prior. don't think theres anything else that's free nowadays lol

      • Latex Fist on 31/10/2025 - 12:17

        Trains were half price for uni students for a really long time a couple years after I'd finished. I was having to spend like $12 a day in travel 5 days a week. Other things also.

        Also by the time I was able to afford buying a house, the market crashed the month after. Lost 250k pretty quickly. Minimum wage was also $13/hr when I was in uni. Worked 87 hours in one week, didn't even crack a grand. The wage to house price ratio is waaaayyyyy better now for your generation than it was for mine. With the losses on the hosue, I'm behind people 10 years younger than me.

        • zyfinity on 02/11/2025 - 11:55

          Depends, I spent $7.5 each way plus $1.5 for the bus each way every day in 2021, then in 2022 and 2023 they got significantly cheaper, probably about half price total but then in 2024 especially for peak times the price is about the same as 2021 if not sometimes higher.

          I feel like the job market alongside the value of the NZD was far higher a decade ago, alongside the housing market being almost half price what it is now.

          Although it is possible you just had unluckly timing for alot of things unfortunately.

  • mickey9876 on 30/10/2025 - 13:15

    Wow why isn't this more on the public news! Sounds amazing!

    • Fox419 on 30/10/2025 - 13:22
      +4

      Fees free has been around since Labour launched it in 2018 but i guess it is easy to miss if you are not looking at higher education for the first time.

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