How many loans you can get

There is a limit to how many Student Loans you can get in your lifetime.

Usually, you can only get enough Student Loans to pay for up to 7 EFTS of study. This includes all loans you got since 2010.

What are EFTS?

7 EFTS is:

  • around 840 points/credits, or
  • about 7 or 8 years of full-time study.

If you've nearly completed 7 EFTS of study, you may be able to get another Student Loan if:

  • you haven't studied 7 EFTS yet, and
  • your next course or paper will take you over the 7 EFTS limit.

Example

You've studied 6.5 EFTS and have enrolled for another course which is 1 EFTS. Although this takes you over the 7 EFTS limit to 7.5 EFTS, you may be able to get another Student Loan for this course.

  • Getting more loans once you've studied 7 EFTS

    You may be able to get another Student Loan for up to an extra 1 EFTS of study if you're either:

    • a graduate-entry student who's studying one of these long undergraduate qualifications:
      • Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at either the:
        • University of Auckland
        • University of Otago
      • Bachelor of Optometry at the University of Auckland
      • Bachelor of Veterinary Science at Massey University
      • Bachelor of Dental Surgery at the University of Otago
    • completing post graduate study (eg, a Masters Degree, a Bachelor with Honours Degree).

    You may be able to get more Student Loans for up to an extra 3 EFTS of study if you're doing doctoral study. However the 3 EFTS will be reduced by the number of extra EFTS you’ve already used for a post graduate or long undergraduate qualification.

    Long undergraduate qualification changes

    You may be able to get up to an extra 3 EFTS of study for a long undergraduate qualification.

    If you've already used extra EFTS, the amount you can get reduces. For example if you've already used:

    • 1 EFTS for a long undergraduate qualification, you can only use up to 2 EFTS
    • 1 EFTS for postgraduate study, you can only use up to 2 EFTS for a long undergraduate qualification.

    Applications for 2019 study are open now. If you’re starting your 2019 study in late 2018, you can also apply.

    What you need to do

    1. Apply online for a Student Loan (if you haven't already).
    2. Fill out a Student Loan 7 EFTS extension application form
    3. Log in to Connect and upload your form.
    linksStudent Loan 7 EFTS extension application form (PDF 281.95KB)

  • Withdrew from study

    If you completely withdrew from a course and there was a full fee refund from your education provider, we won’t the count the EFTS for that course as part of the 7 EFTS.

  • Don't know how many EFTS you've used

    You can check how many EFTS you've used online, in MyStudyLink.

    Find out about MyStudyLink