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Home / Starting study / What's available / Studying while overseas

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Studying while overseas

If you're studying overseas, you may be able to get a Student Loan or Student Allowance.

If you're enrolled in a course in New Zealand at an approved education provider, and you need to go overseas as part of your course, you may be able to get a Student Loan or Student Allowance.

Your overseas study needs to be:

  • approved by your education provider
  • credited to your New Zealand qualification.

You also need to meet the criteria for Student Loan and Student Allowance

If you're a New Zealand permanent resident, you also:

  • can't be enrolled extramurally
  • must have, in the last 5 years, spent less than 6 months in the country you're going to.

If you're studying a course that's run by an overseas education provider and you're not enrolled at a New Zealand provider, you can't get a Student Loan or Student Allowance.

What you need to do

Getting Student Loan and Student Allowance

  • Apply online for a Student Loan and Student Allowance (if you haven't already).
  • You and an authorised staff member at your New Zealand education provider need to fill out an Overseas study application form.
  • Log in to Connect and upload your form.
linksOverseas study application (PDF 352KB)

Getting other payments

You need to email us or call us

We'll let you know if you can keep getting these payments or not.

Payments

Usually, your payments will be the same as when you're in New Zealand.

If you're getting a Student Allowance and you were living at home with your parents and are now going overseas, your rate could change. You may also be able to get an Accommodation Benefit

If you're going to enrol at an overseas campus or delivery site through your New Zealand education provider, you may be able to get a Student Loan or Student Allowance.

You need to be:

  • studying a full-time course at level 7 or above on the National Qualifications Framework
  • going to a country that's approved for overseas study by the Ministry of Education
  • studying at the overseas campus or delivery site
  • studying part of your qualification in New Zealand.

You also need to meet the criteria for Student Loan and Student Allowance

If you're a permanent resident in New Zealand, you must also have, in the last 5 years, spent less than 6 months in the country you're going to.

What you need to do

Getting Student Loan and Student Allowance

  • Apply online for a Student Loan and Student Allowance (if you haven't already).
  • You and an authorised staff member at your New Zealand education provider need to fill out an Overseas study application form.
  • Log in to Connect and upload your form.
linksOverseas study application (PDF 352KB)

Getting other payments

You need to email us or call us

We'll let you know if you can keep getting these payments or not.

Payments

Usually, your payments will be the same as when you're in New Zealand.

If you're getting a Student Allowance and you were living at home with your parents and are now going overseas, your rate could change. You may also be able to get an Accommodation Benefit

If you're studying at secondary school and thinking about applying for an exchange programme overseas, you may be able to apply for Student Allowance.

You need to meet the eligibility criteria for Student Allowance as well as be studying a recognised exchange programme

What you need to do

Getting Student Loan and Student Allowance

  1. Apply online for a Student Allowance (if you haven't already).
  2. You and an authorised staff member at your New Zealand education provider need to fill out an Overseas study application form.
  3. Log in to Connect and upload the form.
linksOverseas study application (PDF 352KB)

Getting other payments

You need to email us or call us

We'll let you know if you can keep getting these payments or not.

Payments

Usually, your payments will be the same as when you're in New Zealand.

If you're getting a Student Allowance and you were living at home with your parents and are now going overseas, your rate could change. You may also be able to get an Accommodation Benefit

If you live overseas and decide to study a course through distance learning that's based in New Zealand, you may be able to get a Student Loan and Student Allowance.

You need to be:

  • a New Zealand citizen
  • studying a course that's run by a New Zealand education provider.

You also need to meet the criteria for Student Loan and Student Allowance

What you need to do

  • Apply online for a Student Loan and Student Allowance (if you haven't already).
  • You and an authorised staff member at your New Zealand education provider need to fill out an Overseas study application form.
  • Log in to Connect and upload your form.
linksOverseas study application (PDF 352KB)

New Zealand permanent residents studying from 1 January 2017

From 2017, if you live overseas and decide to study a course through distance learning that's based in New Zealand, you won't be able to get a Student Loan and Student Allowance.

linksRelated

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