Online Study Options in 2021

(Last Updated On: 18 June 2021)

As the New Zealand border remains closed, many universities and institutions continue to offer online courses for international students currently offshore who are unable to study on-campus due to border restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Benefits of online study are:

Save on fees and cost: no GST, no student insurance, no levies and save living expenses;
Special scholarships available;
Save time: complete part of your study while waiting for the border to re-open;
Par-time study available:
No visa required while studying online;
Prioritised for returning to New Zealand: Students currently enrolled in online courses will be prioritised to travel to New Zealand when the border restrictions are relaxed. (The Post-study Work Visa still requires a period of study undertaken inside New Zealand. Please ask your Choose New Zealand consultant and adviser for more details.);
Mitigating future student visa applications such as to establish that their genuine purpose of coming to New Zealand is to study (and not, for example, to holiday or work).

Below is a summary to quickly find the available online options from different institutions. We are trying our best to keep the information below up to date. Please feel free to ask us if you have any questions.

New Zealand Universities

University of Auckland:

For international students unable to return to New Zealand to study on campus due to current border restrictions, the majority of UOA’s courses are available for online study.

You can find Courses NOT available online in Semester One 2021 here.

AUT University:

AUT has a special page with all programmes available for offshore international students. You can find it here.

Massey University:

As the “New Zealand leading university for distance learning”, Massey University has been offering online study options for international students for decades. Most of Massey’s programmes are available online.

You can find all online options for international students on the page here, or on this fee list here.

You can also find the intended programme on Massey’s website and check if it mentions “Available for international students via distance learning” (as the example showing below)

Please note there are tuition fee differences between on-campus and online options. It is mainly due to the difference between GST inclusion or exclusion. If your student is looking for coming back to study in New Zealand as soon as the border re-opens, they should choose the on-campus option but study online first. For Chinese student who wishes to have their qualification recognised by the Chinese government, they shall only choose the on-campus option but study online when the border is closed.

University of Waikato:

The University of Waikato has many programmes available online for offshore international students in July 2021 and the special 20% Bursary for all these online programmes. In addition, students who make the transition from online to face-to-face classes when the border opens can receive a one-off travel grant of NZ$2,000. Information can be found here.

Victoria University of Wellington:

At VUW, many courses in Trimester 1 2021 will be available online for students who are unable to come to campus. There are some exceptions for courses where face-to-face learning is an essential part of your study. International students studying online in their home country can study part-time.

You can find the Online Study page here.

VUW also award more than NZ$12 million in scholarships each year. Scholarship applications for Trimester 2 2021 are now open. You can find the scholarships at VUW here.

You can also check if the Location information under the specific programme shows online options as below:

University of Canterbury:

UC’s flexible “Start online, Finish on-campus” pathway lets the students start their degree online from their home country and transition on to campus once the New Zealand borders open to international students. You can explore the online programmes of UC from here.

University of Otago:

The University of Otago offers existing distance learning options and a limited number of papers and programme temporarily delivered online that would normally only be delivered on campus. The eligible programmes can be found here.

You shall also read other details on the same page for further understanding of their online offering.

Lincoln University:

Lincoln provides online study options for international students. Some of their 2021 programmes are available partially online (for full-time students, some courses will still be run on campus). You can find more information here.

ITPs:

WITT:

Here are the available NZAQ approved online courses for international students.

New Zealand Diploma in Business (Leadership & Management) – Level 5
New Zealand Diploma in Web Development & Design - Level 5

After completing these level 5 courses, students can come back to New Zealand and join the second year of a related Bachelor Degree study.

EIT:

EIT has introduced an exciting suite of Postgraduate Certificate programmes starting online in 2021. You can find study options of Postgraduate Certificates for Business, Computing and Health Science here.

Available Courses:

Students can choose the postgraduate qualification to suit their future career:

Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Management
Postgraduate Certificate in Business Analytics
Postgraduate Certificate in Digital Business
Postgraduate Certificate in Information Technology
Postgraduate Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Postgraduate Certificate in Health Science

Five Reasons to Study Online at EIT:

Gain two qualifications; a Postgraduate Certificate in one specialisation and a Postgraduate Diploma or Masters in another area of study. Alternatively, you can study the same academic specialisation for both qualifications. (restrictions apply)
You can use your successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate with a minimum B average to gain admission into an EIT 180 Credit Master’s degree (restrictions apply)
No need to apply for a visa while you study online
Study at your own pace to fit-in with your work and lifestyle
Enjoy a great user experience with one-to-one online learner support

Information Sheet EITGraduate Online Postgraduate Certificates.pdf
FAQs EITGraduate Online Postgraduate Certificates.pdf

SIT:

Here at SIT, SIT2LRN Distance Learning is delivered online, which lets you study anywhere in the world. SIT offer flexible and accessible programmes in a wide range of subjects and qualifications which are NZQA approved, internationally recognised, and range from Certificates to Masters degrees. Information about SIT2LRN Distance Learning can be found here.

NMIT:

NMIT was the first Institute of Technology and Polytechnic (ITP) to give NZQA approval to offer online programmes to new international students studying overseas. You can find relevant information and available programmes here.

Otago Polytechnic:

OP has NZCEL and Applied Management qualifications available online. More information can be found here.

Otago Polytechnic offers various programmes through eCampus. These qualifications you complete online through eCampus are industry recognised, NZQA-accredited and internationally accepted. You can explore the available courses here.

Apart from that, Otago Polytechnic Auckland International Campus (OPAIC) is providing students with the opportunity to study English Language programmes online from outside of New Zealand.

Toi-Ohmai:

Toi Ohomai offers a range of courses that can be studied fully or partly online and is accredited to deliver several of these through eCampus NZ. You can find a list of programmes here.

Ara Institute of Canterbury:

Ara has partnered with eCampus NZ to deliver our qualifications online through the eCampus NZ portal. For more details about their online programmes, please check here.

Vocational Institutions:

Yoobee Colleges:

Yoobee offers a select number of programmes delivered online. You can explore the online courses offered by Yoobee here.

Certificate of Creative Media- 20 weeks (L4)

Dates: Feb 09 – Jun 25, 2021
Mode of Delivery: Synchronous Blended Online (mix of self-directed online and Zoom (or similar)
Progression: Students who successfully complete the course progress directly further by specialising in Level 5 Diploma either animation, web and graphic design or film production (once they have a valid Student Visa and can enter New Zealand)
Entry Requirements: Students must be 18 or older. Students must provide evidence of English Language proficiency equivalent to IELTS of 5,5, with no band score lower than 5.0

Bachelor of Animation (Year-1)/Diploma in Animation (L5)

Dates: Feb 09 - Dec 10, 2021
Mode of Delivery: Synchronous Blended Online (mix of self-directed online and Zoom (or similar)
Progression: Students who successfully complete the course progress directly to Year 2 of the Bachelor of Animation (once they have a valid Student Visa and can enter New Zealand)
Entry Requirements: Students must be 18 or older and submit a portfolio. Students must provide evidence of English Language proficiency equivalent to IELTS of 6, with no band score lower than 5.5 BEFORE they commence study in New Zealand

Certificate in Information Technology and Client Support (L5)

Dates: Feb 22 - Jun 25, 2021
Mode of Delivery: Synchronous Blended Online (mix of self-directed online and Zoom (or similar)
Progression: Students who successfully complete the course progress to the Level 6 Diploma in Systems Administration and Level 7 Diploma in Cloud Engineering (after they enter New Zealand)
Entry Requirements: Students must be 18 or older and provide evidence of English Language proficiency equivalent to IELTS of 5.5, with no band score lower than 5.0. Students must also provide evidence of having successfully completed the equivalent of Year 12 in New Zealand in their country.

NZTC:

NZTC Global enables students from around the world to study online, anywhere, anytime, gaining a specialist qualification via our online learning environment designed especially for distance learners. More information can be found here.