University Entrance Guide

• University Entrance (UE) is the minimum requirement to go to a New Zealand university.
• To be awarded UE you will need:
  • NCEA Level 3
  • 14 credits at Level 3 in three approved subjects
  • L1 Numeracy
  • UE Literacy
    • 10 credits at Level 2 or above, made up of:
    • 5 credits in reading
    • 5 credits in writing
• Once you have met the requirements for University Entrance it will appear on your Record of Achievement.

• Applicants to New Zealand universities require 14 credits in a minimum of three approved subjects.
• The approved subjects specify the standards within each subject.
• The full list of subjects and the standards can be found at https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/awards/university-entrance/approved-subjects/ 

Example: A Student who GAINS University Entrance

• In the above example, the Year 13 student is taking five courses
• They have earned all 97 credits available to them (remember you only need 60 to pass Level 3)
• A bunch of their credits come from External (EXT) assessments (exams)
• This student gained University Entrance, because:
  • They got their 60 credits to pass Level 3 (97 actually)
  • They needed at least 14 credits minimum from at least three subjects (they got more than 14 in all five subjects)
  • 10 credits of UE Literacy - which the standards with an * provided

Example: A Student who  DOES NOT GET  University Entrance

• In this example, the Year 13 student is taking five courses
• The RED text shows the student did NOT pass those standards and did NOT get the credits
• They have gained 63 credits in total (remember you only need 60 to pass Level 3)
• And they have gained a bunch of their credits come from External (EXT) assessments (exams)
• This student did NOT get University Entrance, because:
  • They did get their 60 credits to pass Level 3 (63)
  • But they did not get at least 14 credits minimum from at least 3 subjects (they only got two subjects with 14 credits or more (Economics & History)
  • They did get their 10 credits of UE Literacy - which the standards with an * provided

• Ten credits from the standards (linked below) are required to meet the University Entrance literacy requirements.
• 5 credits in reading, and 5 credits in writing
• For standards that meet both reading and writing requirements it is possible to split the credits to fulfil the literacy requirement.
• For example, Art History 3.1 (91482, 4 credits) can contribute 2 credits to the reading requirement and 2 credits to the writing requirement.
• For the full list of standards that meet UE Literacy check out:
  • https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/awards/university-entrance/literacy-requirements/ 

• University Entrance can be gained across more than one year
• Typically, students studying English at Level 2 will have the opportunity to complete the University Entrance Literacy Requirement in Year 12