Tertiary Programme Information

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GUIDELINES FOR ENTRY INTO TERTIARY PROGRAMMES

In general, minimum entry requirements are as follows:-

Certificate Courses:                Open Entry or NCEA Level 1 or 2

Diploma Courses:                   Successful completion of a Certificate Course or NCEA Level 2

Degree Courses:                     Common Entrance Standard for all NZ Universities

For university entry, students will need to meet all of the following requirements:

  • Attain NCEA Level 3.
  • Achieve 14 credits at Level 3 in each of three (3) subjects from the list of approved subjects.
  • Achieve UE numeracy – achieve the numeracy CAA or 10 credits at Level 1 and above from specific achievement standards
  • Achieve UE literacy – 10 credits (5 in reading and 5 in writing) at Level 2 and above from specific standards. 

The University of Auckland will offer a student an unconditional place if the applicant gains a minimum of 17 credits in English at Level 2 or 3.  This is in addition to the UE requirement and other entry and programme requirements.   Students not meeting the 17 credit English requirement will be required to take (and pass) an academic English paper in their first year of university study.


ENTRANCE TO UNIVERSITY COURSES AND UNIT STANDARDS QUALIFICATIONS

Although Universities will recognise credits in subjects offering Level 3 Unit Standards, such recognition will be limited, and students intending to study for any Degree at University Level are strongly recommended to take 5 subjects in Achievement Standards at Level 3 in Year 13.

 

NEW ZEALAND SCHOLARSHIP

An External Assessment at Level 4 worth 72 credits gained across at least 3 subjects.   This will be based on content within the Level 3 Achievement Standards, but will be a broader and more substantial challenge for students.


LIST OF APPROVED SUBJECTS FOR UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE (as approved by NZQA)
(* Offered at Glendowie College)
  • Accounting *
  • Agriculture and Horticulture
  • Biology * 
  • Business Studies*
  • Chemistry *
  • Chinese (Second Language) *
  • Classical Studies *
  • Construction & Mechanical Technologies
  • Cook Island/ Māori
  • Dance*
  • Design (Practical Art) *
  • Design & Visual Communication *
  • Digital Technologies *
  • Drama *
  • Earth & Space Sciences
  • Economics *
  • Education for Sustainability 
  • English *
  • French (Second Language) 
  • Geography *
  • German (Second Language) *
  • Health Education*
  • History *
  • History of Art *
  • Home Economics *
  • Indonesian
  • Japanese (Second Language)
  • Korean
  • Latin
  • Mathematics *
  • Calculus *
  • Statistics *
  • Media Studies *
  • Music Studies *
  • Painting (Practical Art) *
  • Photography (Practical Art) *
  • Physical Education *
  • Physics *
  • Printmaking (Practical Art)
  • Processing Technologies *
  • Religious Studies
  • Samoan
  • Science * 
  • Sculpture (Practical Art)
  • Spanish (Second Language)
  • Social Studies *
  • Technology *
  • Te Reo Rangatira or Te Reo Māori *


ADDITIONAL UNIVERSITY SCHOOL LEAVER ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS 

To be admitted into an undergraduate Bachelor degree, you must gain the University Entrance Standard (as detailed earlier).   Furthermore, universities may consider a rank score based on your 80 best credits at Level 3 or higher over a maximum of five approved subjects, weighted by the level of achievement attained in each set of credits.  If you achieve fewer than 80 credits, the rank score will be based on those credits you have gained at Level 3 over a maximum of five approved subjects and weighted by the level of achievement.   You are strongly encouraged to take achievement standards as preparation for University studies.

The rank score will be calculated by awarding four points for Excellence, three for Merit and two for Achieved for up to 24 credits in each approved subject taken at Level 3 in the last two years.  The maximum available score is 320. 

Some programmes offered by universities may request a portfolio of work, interview, referees report and/or audition as part of their admission process.

Example of how a rank score for NCEA Level 3 is calculated

Subject

Standard type

Results

Calculate

Rank Score

Economics

Achievement

6 Achieved

No counted

Nil*

English

Achievement and Unit

6 Excellence

6 Merit

16 Achieved **

6 x 4 points

6 x 3 points

12 x 2 points

66**

History

Achievement

8 Excellence

10 Achieved

8 x 4 points

10 x 2 points

52

Mathematics with Calculus

Achievement

4 Excellence

3 Merit

8 Achieved ***

4 x 4 points

3 x 3 points

25

Physics

Achievement

24 Merit

24 x 3 points

72

Statistics and Modelling

Achievement

7 Merit

10 Achieved ***

7 x 3 points

21

Rank score                                          

236

* Only five subjects are included in the calculation.

** Maximum 24 credits per subject.  Any points above this limit are excluded.

*** Not included as only best 80 credits used in calculation of rank score.

 Auckland University requires an allocated rank score for guaranteed entry into their degree programmes.


2025 Undergraduate admission requirements for school leavers who are New Zealand and Australian citizens and permanent residents.

This table must be read in conjunction with the other information. This table indicates the rank score that will gain you admission to your programme.  Refer to the above to see how rank scores are calculated.

Programme

NCEA (Level 3)

Other requirements

Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS)

230 

Subject to the qualitative evaluation of a portfolio of creative work and written statement.

Bachelor of Arts (BA) 1

150

Nil

Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) 2

165 

Nil

Bachelor of Communication (BC)

180

 

Bachelor of Dance Studies (BDanceSt)

150 

Subject to the qualitative evaluation of a CV, written statement and an audition/interview.

Bachelor of Design (BDes)

180 

Nil

Bachelor of Early Childhood Studies (BECSt)

150

Subject to a satisfactory interview, police check and referees’ reports.

Bachelor of Education (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) (BEd (TESOL)) 

Semester 2 intake only

150

Subject to a satisfactory interview, police check and referees’ reports.

Bachelor of Education (Teaching)
(BEd(Tchg)) 3 

150

Subject to a satisfactory interview, police check and referees’ reports.

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (BE(Hons)) 4

260 with 17 external Level 3 credits in Calculus and 16 external Level 3 credits in Physics.

Nil

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)

150 


Bachelor of Global Studies (BGlobal St)

210 with a minimum of 16 credits in each of three subjects from the NCEA approved subject list. Study of an additional language is encouraged.

Nil

Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc)

Pathway to Pharmacy and Medicine/Surgery

250 with a minimum of 18 credits in one of English, Geography, History, Classical Studies, History of Art, Māori or Social Studies and a minimum 18 credits in one of Biology, Chemistry or Physics.

Nil

 

Bachelor of Laws (LLB (Part 1))

Students must be offered a place in another bachelor’s degree.  Entry will be based on the guaranteed scores for the other bachelor’s degree.

Nil

Bachelor of Music (BMus)

150

Subject to the qualitative evaluation of:

An audition portfolio is required for applicants taking the major in Classical Performance, Jazz, Performance and Popular Music.

Bachelor of Nursing (BNurs)

230 with a minimum of 18 credits in one subject from English, Geography, History, Classical Studies, History of Art, Māori or Social Studies and minimum 18 credits from one of Biology, Chemistry or Physics. 

Nil

 

Bachelor of Property (BProp) 2

165 

Nil

Bachelor of Science (BSc) 5

  • Biomedical Science
    Pathway to Optometry, Pharmacy, Medical Imaging and Medicine/Surgery
  • Food Science and Nutrition
  • All other majors/specialisations

 

280


200

165

Nil

Bachelor of (Advanced) Science (Hons) 

260

Nil

Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) 3

150

Subject to a satisfactory interview, police check and referees’ reports.

Bachelor of Sport, Health and Physical Education (BSportHPE) 3

150

Nil

Bachelor of Urban Planning (BUrbPlan(Hons))

180

Subject to the qualitative evaluation of a written statement.


 Conjoint programmes

Not all degree programmes have conjoint options.  See www.auckland.ac.nz/conjoints for a list of options.
 Applicants must achieve the greater of the two rank scores for their selected programmes.

ProgrammeNCEA (Level 3)Other requirements

Bachelor of Arts conjoints

210

Nil

Bachelor of Commerce conjoints

210

Nil

Bachelor of Communications conjoints

210


Bachelor of Design conjoints210Nil

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) conjoints

275 with 17 external Level 3 credits in Calculus and 16 external Level 3 credits in Physics.

Nil

Bachelor of Fine Arts conjoints

210

Subject to the qualitative evaluation of a portfolio of 12 colour reproductions and written statement.

Bachelor of Global Studies conjoints

210 with a minimum of 16 credits in three subjects from the NCEA approved subject list. Study of an additional language is encouraged.

 

Bachelor of Health Sciences conjoints

250 with a minimum of 18 credits in one of English, Geography, History, Classical Studies, History of Art, Māori or Social Studies and a minimum 18 credits in one of Biology, Chemistry or Physics. 

Nil

Bachelor of Laws (Part 1) conjoints

Admission will be based on the conjoint score for the other degree.

Students will be selected into Part II on the basis of their results in Part I.

Bachelor of Music conjoints

210 

Subject to the qualitative evaluation of. 

An audition portfolio is required for applicants taking the major in Classical Performance, Jazz, Performance and Popular Music.

Bachelor of Nursing conjoints

230 with a minimum of 18 credits in one of English, Geography, History, Classical Studies, History of Art, Māori or Social Studies and a minimum 18 credits in one of Biology, Chemistry or Physics.

Nil

Bachelor of Property conjoints

210 

Nil

Bachelor of Science conjoints

210

Nil

Bachelor of (Advanced) Science conjoints

275

Nil

1.Māori school leaver applicants and applicants from Equity target groups (including Pacific applicants, those from refugee backgrounds etc) who achieve the University Entrance (UE) Standard and a rank score of 120-149 will be admitted to the Bachelor of Arts (BA) through the Targeted Admission Scheme.

2.Visit www.business.auckland.ac.nz/tas for Targeted Admission Scheme for BCom and BProp.

3. Māori and Pacific school leaver applicants who achieve the UE Standard and meet other requirements will be admitted to the programmes in the Faculty of Education and Social Work under the Targeted Admission Scheme.

4. The Faculty of Engineering will give consideration to students who have missed out on admission to BE (Hons) who are able to demonstrate sufficient ability in engineering-related and approved study in the BSc programme for admission in Semester 2.

5.  Māori and Pacific school leaver applicants who achieve the NCEA rank score greater than or equal to 140 will be admitted to the Bachelor of Science (BSc).  Higher admission standards are required for the majors in Biomedical Science, Food Science and Nutrition and Sport and Exercise Science. 

Applicants for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) must first complete Year 1 of either the BHSc or the BSc in Biomedical Science, or have completed another degree approved by the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences.

Applicants for the Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPham) must first complete Year 1 of either the BHSc or the BSc in Biomedical Science or have completed another degree approved by the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences.

Applicants for the Bachelor of Optometry (BOptom) must first complete the set courses from the common year of the BSc in Biomedical Science or have completed another degree approved by the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences.

Applicants for the Bachelor of Medical Imaging (Honours) must first complete the required Year 1 courses of the BSc. 

International students will be required to achieve higher rank scores.


All NZ Universities annually revise their entry requirements for their respective programmes/undergraduate degrees.  It is highly recommended that students visit the websites of each university to gain up-to-date details.

It should be remembered that the common university entry standard will still be the minimum entry requirement for all undergraduate degrees at NZ universities.  However, students will also need to meet the Guaranteed Entry Scores or Preferential Entry Requirements that each university is setting for their undergraduate degrees.


STUDY OVERSEAS

Study in Australia

Please check carefully the application requirements of your selected universities, particularly the requirements for completing an English course at an appropriate level.  Some Australian universities require equivalent final secondary year study in English.

Study in Canada

http://studyincanada.com

Study in United Kingdom

www.ucas.com

Study in the United States

The process of applying to study in the United States takes far longer to organise than the application process for study in New Zealand.  It is recommended that you start 12-18 months before you plan to begin study in the United States.

Standardised tests are a requirement for entry into most United States universities.  SAT tests are widely recognised for undergraduate college admissions.

www.collegeboard.com          SAT’s

www.ncaa.org                         Sports Scholarships, Rankings

Students who intend applying to the United States for a Sporting Scholarship need to make sure that they study the required core subjects as requested by the NCAA, as only core courses are used in the calculation of the grade-point average.


PLEASE NOTE:  For specific details and minimum requirements/guidelines for each subject offered, you will need to visit the course information pages on SchoolPoint.


We regret that while we offer a wide range of options, it is not possible to accommodate all option choices for some students.  
Where difficulties occur it is recommended that students consult the House Deans.

Please also note that some courses may not run if there are insufficient numbers.