Who qualifies?

Who can get a student loan?

Regardless of what you or your parents earn, you qualify if you are:

• A New Zealand citizen, permanent resident or refugee entitled to live in New Zealand indefinitely, and
• Doing a tertiary course that is approved by the Ministry of Education for a student loan, and
• Studying full-time, limited full-time, or part-time for 32 weeks or more. Part-time students won't get the living costs portion of the student loan.

Who can't get a student loan?

Someone who:

• Is currently bankrupt.
• Is on a course already paid for by the Government such as STAR or TOPS.

Limited Full-time
You have limited full-time status when you're not a full-time student but are treated as one when being assessed for the Student Loan. To qualify for limited full-time status, there must be a good reason why you can’t study full-time, for example:

• You have an illness, a disability or some other reason beyond your control or
• You have to reduce your course to less than full-time on academic advice or
• You're studying more than half a full-time course and your course completes a recognised programme.