Homeschooling the secondary years in New Zealand: NCEA, Cambridge and university entrance

Children must be enrolled at a registered school from age 6 until they turn 16, and section 38 of the Education and Training Act 2020 lets the Ministry of Education exempt a child from that requirement. The Ministry says a certificate of exemption stays valid until the child turns 16 or enrols in a registered school, whichever comes first.

After 16 your teen is no longer required to be enrolled, so continuing to learn at home is a family choice. The Ministry's procedures manual says the supervision allowance can continue until the end of the year in which the child turns 19. Check the Ministry's current guidance on what you need to do to keep receiving it.

NZQA says a home-schooled student who wants to enter for achievement or unit standards must establish a link with a registered school that has consent to assess. NZQA publishes a form for home-school students wishing to enter through a link school.

• The link school makes the entries, moderates internally assessed work and must be satisfied that assessment is fair, valid and reliable and that the work is the student's own.
• The student must meet the entry and eligibility criteria in NZQA's current assessment and examination rules.
• No school is obliged to act as a link school, and a link school may arrange administrative costs with the family. Approach local schools early, ideally a year or more before senior study starts.
• Home-schooled students can also enter New Zealand Scholarship through a link school; NZQA requires them to attest to their eligibility before a Justice of the Peace.

Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (Te Kura), the state distance school, offers NCEA courses. Its enrolment criteria are based on the Ministry of Education's Te Kura enrolment and dual tuition policy.

• Under 16: Te Kura says students under 16 with a home education exemption may be able to enrol as fee-paying students, depending on their circumstances.
• Ages 16 to 19: Te Kura states there are no fees for young adults aged 16 to 19 who are not attending another school. Its 2025 young adult enrolment form says students in a Youth Guarantee programme or a fees-free tertiary programme are not eligible, and describes how taking one or two subjects compares with full-time enrolment for home-educated students.

Check Te Kura's current fees, eligibility and enrolment form before planning, and ask how enrolment would affect your home education status and supervision allowance.

Cambridge International says home-schooled students and private candidates can access Cambridge exams in New Zealand. The Association of Cambridge Schools in New Zealand says home-educated students can enter as private candidates at a centre that agrees to accept them, with applications considered case by case. Centres may limit which subjects they accept — for example, subjects with practical or internally assessed components — so contact a centre early about subjects, entry deadlines and fees.

We could not confirm whether home-educated students can sit International Baccalaureate (IB) exams as private candidates in New Zealand. If you are interested in the IB, ask an IB World School directly.

University Entrance (UE) is the usual minimum requirement for degree study and is awarded through NCEA. Home-educated students who gain NCEA through a link school or Te Kura can work towards UE in the same way as school students.

• Discretionary entrance (under 20): NZQA notes that applicants under 20 without UE may be eligible for discretionary entrance, with each university setting its own criteria. Massey University says home-schooled students who are not studying a formal qualification it recognises can apply for discretionary entrance by showing evidence of their achievement, including a registered teacher's assessment of a sample of their work as equivalent to NCEA Level 2. The University of Auckland's discretionary entrance requires NCEA Level 2 results and a recommendation from a school principal, which may not suit home-educated applicants, so contact the university directly.
• Home school applicants at Auckland: The University of Auckland says home-schooled students must achieve University Entrance through a recognised secondary qualification or a foundation programme, and meet the requirements of their chosen programme.
• Foundation and preparation programmes: Universities offer programmes for students who don't yet meet entry requirements. Massey, for example, mentions a Certificate of University Preparation and foundation pathways.
• Age 20 and over: Universities offer admission routes for applicants aged 20 or older, such as the University of Canterbury's 20+ admission.

Each university sets its own rules and deadlines. Contact admissions early in Year 12 or the equivalent, not after results come out.

Universities and other providers may ask home-educated applicants for evidence of what they have achieved, and Massey's discretionary entrance route for home-schooled students relies on samples of work. Keep good records from Year 11 or earlier:

• subjects studied each year, with the main texts and resources
• dated samples of written work, projects and assessments
• NCEA, Cambridge or other results and certificates
• certificates from online, tertiary or short courses
• evidence of work, volunteering, sport, music or other achievements

A brief end-of-year summary, written as you go, makes applications much easier.