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The
most important issues to consider when planning
your study are :
English
Language School
All students can enter an English Language School or
Institute to study General English for as long as they
wish. Longer term English programmes with an academic
focus, sometimes called Academic English or Certificates
of Attainment in English, are for 12 weeks and have 4 or
5 entry dates each year. Many English Language Schools
have short term holiday and activity programmes mainly
for younger students. General English programmes can be
for part-time or full-time (23+ hours per week) study
but Academic English programmes are normally only for
full-time study. Student visas cannot be issued for
part-time study. A suitable English language programme
can be found or arranged to suit most requirements.
Students intending to proceed to secondary school can
undertake a General English course or secondary school
preparation course for up to 3 months at an English
Language School before proceeding to secondary school
depending on their English and academic level. Some
secondary schools require students to pass an English
test before they can be enrolled and these students
should attend an English Language School to prepare them
for this test. Many secondary schools will accept
international students directly and have English
language programmes within the school to assist
students.
Students intending to further their study at tertiary
institutions can study English leading to the IELTS Test
at an English Language School or at a Tertiary English
Language Institute.
 Secondary
School
Students attend secondary school for 5 years and can
enrol from Year 9 to Year 13. The school year begins
early February and finishes early December. Because
students take the National University Entrance Bursary
examination at the end of Year 13 most schools will not
accept new students into Year 13 from after May or June.
Even at this time students may not complete sufficient
of the course to qualify to take the Bursary
examination.
Students can begin at secondary school in Years 9-12 at
anytime of the year however if you are planning to
arrive from September it is better for you to attend
English school until the end of January when the new
secondary school year begins. This is also because much
of the school time in October and November is spent on
examination preparation and then the long summer holiday
is in December and January.
It is important for ISSL to have a good idea of your
English level as this will assist in recommending a
school which best meets your needs. It is not necessary
for students to attend an English school before
proceeding to secondary school but it can help those
students who have very limited English. Schools will
assess each students English and academic levels on
arrival in New Zealand and place the student in the Year
level most appropriate to their abilities.
Secondary school students must complete Year 13 and pass
the University Entrance Bursary examination to qualify
for Entry to University. All secondary schools are
Government registered and there are several different
types of secondary schools to choose from.
Foundation Studies
Students who wish to go to University but do not want to
go to secondary school because they may have already
completed schooling in their home country and/or may
consider themselves too old can qualify for University
by taking a Foundation Studies course at one of the
Universities who offer these courses.
Foundation Studies is a one year course and start dates
may be in March, April, July and September depending on
the University. The courses are scheduled to finish
shortly before the beginning of the next University
semester so successful students can proceed directly
into their Bachelor degree studies.
Students need to satisfy English and academic
requirements to gain entry to Foundation Studies.
English Requirement - IELTS (General) 5.0-5.5 or
TOEFL of 490-530+
Academic Requirement - depending on country. Some
examples are:
China 70% average in Year 12
Hong Kong D grade average in HK CEE
Indonesia Grade 6.5 average in SM43
Thailand Grade 2.5 average in Matayom 6
In Foundation Studies students will study compulsory and
optional subjects and must achieve an acceptable grade
average and IELTS (Academic) result to proceed to
undergraduate studies. A pass in Foundation Studies can
qualify a student for entry into any University in New
Zealand.
Undergraduate and Degree Studies
All tertiary institutions have a wide range of
undergraduate study programmes. These can range from one
year Certificate programmes, to two year Diplomas and 3
or 4 year degrees. Most degrees are 3 years.
You
can select your undergraduate study course either by
course, institution or location. Students must submit
documents to confirm their previous study record to
ensure they meet the academic entry requirements. If
these documents are accepted most institutions will
issue an Offer of Place confirming acceptance into the
course conditional on satisfying the English
requirement.
Because most tertiary institutions also have English
language institutes it is normal practice for the
institution to issue two Offers of Place, or one
combined Offer of Place, which includes an English
programme with the undergraduate course offer. The
normal English requirement is IELTS (Academic) 6.0 or
6.5 average depending on the course. Institutions
sometimes also require a minimum mark of 6.0 in the
Writing module.
A good option is for students to initially apply for a 6
month English programme and once they are studying in
New Zealand they will be better able to review their
future study options. They will also have a better idea
about how long it will take for them to achieve the
English entry level and can plan their future study
accordingly.
Tertiary institution course semester entry dates are
around mid-February and mid-July each year.
Postgraduate Studies
Entry to post-graduate studies requires verified
confirmation of an acceptable previous study record and
an English language level of IELTS 6.5 or better
depending on the course. Students who have already
completed an undergraduate degree in their home country
must submit this documentation for review by the
institution they are applying to enter. The institution
will review the degree course transcript, the reputation
of the issuing institution, when the degree was
completed and the relevance of the degree to the course
applied for when deciding the enrolment application.
If the previous study is in an area not relevant to the
course applied for it is likely the institution will
first offer a place in a Graduate Diploma programme.
This is an undergraduate qualification and students who
complete this qualification (may take 1-2 years) with
acceptable grades will be allowed entry into Master
degree programmes. Master degrees normally take 2 years.
Alternatively students may be offered entry into a one
year postgraduate diploma programme initially and if
they complete this course successfully they can continue
for one further year of study to obtain the Masters
degree.
Some students may receive an offer of direct entry into
a Masters degree if their meets all prerequisite
requirements.
MBA Degrees
MBA degrees are normally from 14 to 16 months full-time.
They are very intensive and highly focused programmes
with differing entry dates between the four Universities
who offer these programmes. The Universities look at a
range of criteria when assessing MBA applicants
including academic qualifications, work history,
personal interests and English levels. MBA applicants
normally must have an english level of IELTS (Academic)
6.5.
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