Passing your course
If you get a Student Allowance for tertiary study, you must pass more than half of the work of a full-time tertiary course to get it again. From 1 January 2011, if you get a Student Loan you must pass at least half of your course load (EFTS) over a set period to get it again.
On this page:
How to calculate if you have passed more than half for the Student Allowance
An enrolment must have a certain EFTS (equivalent full-time student) value to be considered full-time depending on the length of the enrolment.
You must pass more than half of the EFTS needed to be full-time to get another Student Allowance. For example, a 52 week long course needs a minimum EFTS value of 0.8 to be full-time. This means if your course is 52 weeks long you will only be required to pass 0.4001 EFTS or more to get another Student Allowance, even if your course is more than 0.8 EFTS. See the table below for full details.
EFTS is a measure of the amount of study or the workload involved in undertaking your course. EFTS are set by the Tertiary Education Commission.
| Number of gross weeks | EFTS for full-time | EFTS you need to pass to get another Student Allowance | Number of gross weeks | EFTS for full-time | EFTS you need to pass to get another Student Allowance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 0.3 | 0.1501 | 23 | 0.575 | 0.2876 | |
| 13 | 0.3 | 0.1501 | 24 | 0.6 | 0.3001 | |
| 14 | 0.3 | 0.1501 | 25 | 0.625 | 0.3126 | |
| 15 | 0.3 | 0.1501 | 26 | 0.65 | 0.3251 | |
| 16 | 0.4 | 0.2001 | 27 | 0.675 | 0.3376 | |
| 17 | 0.4 | 0.2001 | 28 | 0.7 | 0.3501 | |
| 18 | 0.4 | 0.2001 | 29 | 0.725 | 0.3626 | |
| 19 | 0.4 | 0.2001 | 30 | 0.75 | 0.3751 | |
| 20 | 0.5 | 0.2501 | 31 | 0.775 | 0.3876 | |
| 21 | 0.525 | 0.2626 | 32-52 | 0.8 | 0.4001 | |
| 22 | 0.55 | 0.2761 | 53 or more | 1.0 | 0.4001 |
Telling us whether you passed more than half of your course for the Student Allowance
When you apply for your Student Allowance, you will be asked whether you passed more than half the work of a full-time course the last time you received the Student Allowance.
We may check your study results with the Ministry of Education. If you answer "yes" but they confirm you didn't pass more than half the work of a full-time tertiary course, you may have to repay any payments you have received.
Student Loan performance requirement from 1 January 2011
From 1 January 2011, you will need to have passed at least half of your course load (EFTS) over a set period.
The assessment of performance includes courses of study ending in 2009 or later.
The EFTS count starts once you have used one or more parts of the Student Loan (eg living costs, course fees, or course-related costs).
Your performance will be assessed once you have used 1.6 EFTS. This is equal to about two years of full-time study.
Your performance is measured over the previous five years (five year rolling assessment period) or since you first received a Student Loan for study ending in 2009 or later - whichever is first.
Five year rolling assessment period for Student Loans
From 1 January 2011, your performance for Student Loans will be measured over a five year rolling assessment period or from when you draw down a Student Loan for study ending in 2009 or later - whichever is first. This means that we look at up to your most recent five years of previous study only.
Once you have received a Student Loan, EFTS for periods where Student Loan is not received are also included in the assessment.
Note: the five year rolling assessment period will not affect any students until 2015 as the earliest we will look at performance is from any study ending in 2009.
Example of five year rolling assessment
| Study Year | Student Loan received | EFTS studied | Years assessed | Total EFTS to check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Yes | 1.0 | None - assessment only starts once 1.6 EFTS have been studied | 0.0 |
| 2010 | Yes | 1.0 | None - assessment only starts once 1.6 EFTS have been studied | 0.0 |
| 2011 | Yes | 0.8 | 2009 - 2010 | 2.0 |
| 2012 | No | 0.8 | 2009 - 2011 | 2.8 |
| 2013 | Yes | 1.0 | 2009 - 2012 | 3.6 |
| 2014 | Yes | 0.8 | 2009 - 2013 | 4.6 |
| 2015 | Yes | 0.8 | 2010 - 2014 | 4.4 |
| 2016 | Yes | 0.8 | 2011 - 2015 | 4.2 |
If you don’t know if you have passed
For the Student Allowance, if you don't know your results yet, you can answer "I'm not sure" and let us know when you have your results.
We will check with the Ministry of Education. Or you can let us know as soon as you find out your study results.
We can't finish processing your application until we know whether you've passed or not.
For the Student Loan, from 1 January 2011, you will need to tell us if you have passed at least half or not. You will not be able to answer "I'm not sure". Your education provider may be able to tell you the total EFTS you have used and the total EFTS you have passed.
If you didn’t pass your course for reasons beyond your control
For the Student Allowance if you didn't pass more than half, but:
- have passed study since at your own expense, or
- didn't pass because of reasons beyond your control - such as illness (we will need proof),
then you may still be eligible. Please contact us.
From 1 January 2011, for the Student Loan, if you didn't pass at least half but:
- didn't pass because of reasons beyond your control - such as illness (we will need proof)
- have continued to study at your own expense and have passed at least half of your total EFTS
- have regained eligibility as a result of the five year rolling eligibility period,
then you may still be eligible. Please contact us.
