Study in New Zealand from Nepal: Costs, Entry, Visas
What a Nepali student actually needs to study in New Zealand — city living costs, NEB entry routes by university, fees, funds and work rights.
Start here: the two things that decide your application
Most Nepali students studying in New Zealand arrive on one of three routes — a packaged foundation year plus a bachelor's degree, a direct bachelor's entry at the few institutions that publish one for NEB, or a postgraduate diploma or master's after a Nepali bachelor's degree. Which route is open to you is decided by your NEB GPA (or bachelor's aggregate), your IELTS, and whether the institution actually publishes a Nepal equivalence table — and many do not.
All figures below are the published New Zealand dollar amounts held in our Master Reckoner. Before you budget, confirm with the institution whether a tuition figure is per year or for the whole course — they publish both, and mixing them up is how families under-plan by a full year.
What living in New Zealand costs, city by city
Living cost is the number Nepali families underestimate most, because everyone plans for Auckland tuition and Dunedin rent. These are the monthly living-cost figures used in our tool:
| City | Living cost per month | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Auckland | NZ$3,662 | Highest in NZ; UoA/AUT/Massey area |
| Wellington | NZ$3,200 | VUW area; expensive but compact |
| Christchurch | NZ$2,800 | UC area; mid-range |
| Hamilton | NZ$2,700 | Waikato/Wintec area |
| Dunedin | NZ$2,500 | Otago; affordable student town |
| Palmerston North | NZ$2,500 | Massey HQ |
| Lincoln | NZ$2,500 | Lincoln Uni village |
| Tauranga | NZ$2,300 | Toi Ohomai region |
| Hawke's Bay | NZ$2,300 | EIT region |
| Invercargill | NZ$1,950 | SIT — cheapest in NZ |
Auckland at NZ$3,662 a month and Invercargill at NZ$1,950 a month are the two ends of the same country. If your family's budget is tight, the city choice moves more money than the scholarship does.
The funds figure
Separately from living costs, our tool applies a funds figure per applicant type:
| Applicant | Funds figure | Partner | Children |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single student | NZ$20,000 | — | — |
| Couple (no kids) | NZ$20,000 | NZ$7,400 | — |
| Couple + 1 child | NZ$20,000 | NZ$7,400 | NZ$3,200 |
| Couple + 2 kids | NZ$20,000 | NZ$7,400 | NZ$6,400 |
The catch every counsellor sees: the published number is only the floor. What gets examined is the source — how long the money has been in the account, who it belongs to, whether the income that produced it is documented, and whether the loan or land sale behind it is explainable. A file with the right balance and an unexplained recent deposit is a weaker file than one with a smaller balance and a clean paper trail. Confirm current requirements directly with Immigration New Zealand.
Undergraduate entry from NEB +2
Most New Zealand universities route an NEB Class 12 leaver through a foundation year first. A handful publish a direct route. Two institutions that agents often sell as "direct and cheap" are not direct at all.
| Institution | Route from NEB | Academic bar published | IELTS | Pathway fee | Bachelor tuition (published) | Scholarship as published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UoA | Foundation (UP Education) | GPA 2.6–2.8 | 5.5 (5.0 sub) | NZ$32,500 | NZ$45k–$48k | Up to $10k merit |
| AUT | Foundation (UP Education) | GPA 2.4–2.6 | 5.5 (5.0 sub) | NZ$26k–$31k | NZ$38,700+ (B.Bus); B.CIS NZ$43,900 | NZ$5k–$7k South Asia |
| UC | UCIC Foundation / UTP Stage 2 | 60–65% | 5.5 (5.0 sub) | NZ$29,500 | NZ$33k–$49k | NZ$10k–$20k merit |
| VUW | Foundation (UP Education) | GPA 2.5 | 5.5 (5.0 sub) | NZ$29,800 | NZ$33,450 | Up to $10k auto |
| Massey | Foundation / Level 5 bridge | GPA 2.5 | 5.5 (5.0 sub) | NZ$27,500 | NZ$37,630 | Up to $5k merit |
| Otago | Otago Foundation Year | GPA 2.7 | 5.5 (5.0 sub) | NZ$28,500 | NZ$35k–$39,598 | NZ$15k auto |
| Lincoln | Foundation / L5 diploma package | GPA 2.4 | 5.5 (5.0 sub) | NZ$26,000 | NZ$31k–$37k | Up to $10k auto |
| Waikato | Direct for a strong NEB result | 75% average | 6.0 (5.5 sub) | NZ$0 direct · NZ$28,900 via College | NZ$36,370–$38,252 | Up to $15k merit · $4k Waikato College South Asia Bursary |
| Ara | Direct | GPA 3.0 across four academic subjects | 6.0 (5.5 sub) | NZ$0 | NZ$26,000–$29,761 | NZ$5k merit |
| Otago Poly | Direct | GPA 2.7 across four academic subjects | 6.0 (5.5 sub) | NZ$0 | NZ$25k–$29k | NZ$2,000–$4,000 tuition credit |
| ATMC NZ | Direct | NCEA L3 "or equivalent" | 6.0 (5.5 sub) | NZ$0 | NZ$19,000 Y1 / NZ$16,000 Y2 / NZ$14,000 Y3 (B.Applied Management) | Re-confirm before quoting |
| EIT | Case by case | Not published | 6.0 (5.5 sub) | NZ$0 | NZ$26,000 (NZ$24,500 net after the EIT scholarship) | Net-fee scholarship in most programmes |
| Toi Ohomai | Case by case | Not published | 6.0 (5.5 sub) | NZ$0 | NZ$25,523–$29,703 | Regional promo, case by case |
| SIT | Not direct — one year of tertiary study in 1st Division at a recognised university | 1st Division + 1 yr tertiary | 6.0 (5.5 sub) | Done in Nepal | NZ$15k–$22k | Zero Fees English hook |
| Wintec | Not direct — one year of undergraduate study at a recognised tertiary institution of university standing | 1 yr tertiary | 6.0 (5.5 sub) | Done in Nepal | NZ$26,600 | Up to $5k merit |
Four things worth reading twice:
- SIT and Wintec do not take a +2 leaver into a bachelor's. A +2 leaver can enter SIT's diploma programmes (Higher Secondary Certificate in 1st Division) or Wintec's Level 5 diploma (HSEB 1st division, or a Proficiency Certificate at 65%). Anyone telling you SIT is the cheapest direct bachelor's for NEB is wrong.
- Waikato genuinely publishes a direct route: "Nepal Higher Secondary Certificate: 75% average or higher, or Nepal Proficiency Certificate: GPA 3.0/4.0 average or higher." Below 75%, use the Waikato College route.
- Ara's bar is 3.0 across four academic subjects, and Ara does not accept a Medium-of-Instruction letter for English. Otago Polytechnic's degree bar is 2.7 across four academic subjects, and every English test must be sat at an approved centre.
- EIT, Toi Ohomai and ATMC publish no Nepal equivalence table. Toi Ohomai's own wording is that non-New Zealand schooling "will be considered on a case-by-case basis". Get a written assessment before you pay anyone anything.
Scholarship names above are quoted as the institutions publish them. Unless the name says South Asia, ask in writing whether a Nepali applicant is assessed for it.
Postgraduate entry after a Nepali bachelor's
Here is the honest position: most New Zealand universities publish no single percentage for postgraduate entry, so any counsellor quoting you one flat number is guessing.
- Auckland converts overseas grades with its own Grade Point Equivalent calculator on a 0–9 scale, per programme. Use the GPE calculator, not a percentage.
- UC's PGDip in Business needs "a minimum overall grade comparable to a B grade at UC", and UC states a B equals a GPA of 5.0 on its 0–9 scale. Its Master of Business Management needs only a B- average in 300-level courses — the diploma bar is higher than the master's.
- Otago's PGDipBus regulation reads "a bachelor's degree with an average grade of at least B". Otago publishes admission rules per qualification, so check the exact one.
- Lincoln publishes grade averages: B- for PGCert/PGDip, B for a taught master's, B+ for Honours.
- Waikato publishes no minimum grade for its PGDip at all; its taught master's is a B-/B/B+ average depending on programme. Ask which band applies.
- VUW publishes no figure and refers qualification recognition to UK ENIC/NOOSR. It also states GMAT or GRE scores are not required.
- Toi Ohomai accepts a cognate qualification or five years of relevant experience at both PGDip and master's level — a real option for career-changers.
- EIT grades on its own 11-point scale. An applicant who misses entry to the Master of Applied Management can start the PGCert and progress after four courses at a minimum B average.
- ATMC NZ has no postgraduate programmes at all. It lists four Level 7 qualifications only.
- Ara, Wintec and SIT publish no verified postgraduate threshold. Confirm directly.
Two course-specific traps: the Otago MBA requires 3+ years of work experience plus GMAT or GRE — a bachelor's alone will not get you in. Yoobee's Master of Software Engineering requires a bachelor's in CS, IT or Software Engineering, with no bridging accepted.
English, and the two subjects with a higher bar
Foundation routes sit at IELTS 5.5 (5.0 in each sub-band). Direct degree entry sits at IELTS 6.0 (5.5 sub) at the institutions listed above.
Two exceptions matter for Nepali applicants:
- Nursing and health: the Nursing Council requires IELTS 7.0 in all bands. PTE and TOEFL are not accepted for clinical pre-registration, and an interview applies.
- Social work: IELTS 7.0 with no band below 7.0, or PTE 65, or TOEFL 100, plus a mandatory interview.
Sitting a cheaper test and hoping it is accepted is a wasted exam fee.
Work rights, Green List courses and graduate earnings
Post-study work is modelled in our tool as 3 years after a master's, 3 years after a bachelor's, 2 years after a diploma, 1 year after a PGDip, 1 year after a GradDip, and none after a foundation year. Partner work rights apply at master's level; at PGDip level they apply only for Green List programmes; they do not apply for undergraduate, GradDip, diploma or foundation study. Confirm all of this against Immigration New Zealand's current rules before you commit.
During study, the student minimum wage used in our modelling is NZ$23.95 per hour, with 25 hours per week across 36 study weeks and 40 hours per week across 16 break weeks. Starting-salary benchmarks used for graduates: NZ$60,000 for a bachelor's, NZ$70,000 after a PGDip, NZ$90,000 after a master's.
Green List-linked programmes cluster in IT, engineering, nursing, social work and professional accounting. Some of the lower-fee options published: SIT PGDip in IT at NZ$23,300, SIT Master of IT at NZ$33,700, Ara PGDip in ICT at NZ$29,229, SIT Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Civil/Mech) at NZ$21,300, SIT Bachelor of Nursing at NZ$20,800, Otago Polytechnic Bachelor of Social Work at NZ$23,100, and EIT's Master of Nursing Science (1.5 years) at NZ$44,400 total. Nursing and social work still carry the registration and English hurdles above.
Browse the full destination page at New Zealand, or compare routes side by side in the Master Reckoner. More country guides sit in the blog.
Common questions
Can I go straight from +2 (NEB) into a bachelor's degree in New Zealand?
At most universities, no — UoA, AUT, UC, VUW, Massey, Otago and Lincoln route NEB students through a foundation year first. Waikato publishes a direct route at a 75% average, Ara at GPA 3.0 across four academic subjects, and Otago Polytechnic at GPA 2.7 across four academic subjects. SIT and Wintec require one year of tertiary study already completed in Nepal before bachelor's entry, though their diploma programmes accept a +2 in 1st Division.
How much money does a Nepali family need to show?
Our tool applies a funds figure of NZ$20,000 for a single student, with NZ$7,400 added for a partner and NZ$3,200 for