Adult Entry
Only available to Citizens or Permanent Residents of New Zealand (including the Cook Islands, Tokelau and Niue) or Australia.
You can apply to enter university for study if you are 20 or older on or before the official course start date.
If you do not have University Entrance through NCEA (or equivalent) you will be enrolled in a Certificate of Proficiency for your first semester with the right to advance to a degree programme upon successful completion of your courses.
Places for Adult Entry students without University Entrance will be offered subject to priority and availability.
The Liaison Team offer course advice to all adult students and will contact you after you have applied to enrol.
Starting university can be both challenging and exciting. Formal study at tertiary level requires you to develop research and study skills. You must be able to read complicated academic texts, and locate useful information in them quickly and accurately. You must be able to evaluate the quality of information that you find, and record it in a way that helps you to recall it later. You must be able to manage your time effectively so that you get the most out of your study.
To help students who are aged over 20 and who are contemplating university study we have designed the following admission process to ensure you get the advice you need and to help guide your decision-making.
Before you come, consider the following questions:
- What subject or qualification are you hoping to study? You may need to seek further course advice.
- When you were in school, did you gain University Entrance via NCEA, Bursary, Higher School Certificate or the equivalent? If you answered yes, please bring evidence of this to your appointment
- Have you got good support at home and a quiet place to study?
- Have you got excellent time management skills? As a general rule, each 15-point course will be about 10 hours work a week if you pace yourself.
- Have you got good computer literacy skills?
- Have you got the support of others who have been successful at university study?
- Have you got evidence of recent successful tertiary study and is it relevant to the subject/s and qualification/s you are hoping to study?
- Are you competent in the use and understanding of written and spoken English? For all subjects and qualifications at university students need to be competent in the use and understanding of written and spoken English.
- Are you confident that you have strong mathematical skills? This is not a requirement for all subjects and qualifications. It is particularly important for Engineering, Science and Teaching qualifications.
If the majority of your answers to the questions above are no, you may not be well prepared to succeed at degree-level study. You are welcome to talk over your options with our Liaison Team or you may want to consider further preparation before you begin.
Depending on your readiness, there are a variety of study options available to prepare you for successful university study. These programmes can help you to gain the skills and confidence to undertake University study.
- Some secondary schools welcome adult students
- The Correspondence School offers secondary school courses for adults
- Many polytechnics offer pre-degree level courses
- University bridging programmes often include courses in specific subjects
The UC Liaison Team are happy to talk over the options and help you decide which of these might be suit you. Feel free to contact us for advice.