Special Admission

Special Admission is for people over 20 who do not have a recognised University Entrance qualification but have relevant work and life experience.

You can apply for Special Admission if you:

  1. are over 20 years of age
  2. are a New Zealand citizen, resident or permanent resident, or an Australian citizen or permanent resident
  3. do not hold a recognised University Entrance qualification.

Required documentation

  1. A CV (of up to three pages) outlining your work and life experience to date. The Careers and Employment website has tools to help with CV writing.
  2. A one-page personal statement, which must be written by you, explaining your goals, motivations to study and any relevant experience. If we detect AI assistance in your personal statement, this will be taken into consideration when assessing your application.
  3. Academic transcripts of any secondary or tertiary-level qualifications you have achieved.

We may also require an additional assessment of your English and mathematics skills, either in-person or online. If we detect AI assistance in your assessments, this may result in a fail.

Special Admission is being reviewed for 2027 to ensure students have the best chance of success. Requirements may change for students applying to begin study in the 2027 academic year.

How to apply

  1. Apply online by the deadline. Note that the Special Admission deadline is typically earlier than the general admission deadline. Check our key dates.
  2. Submit your CV, personal statement, and certified copies of academic transcripts (if required).
  3. You may be asked to complete English and mathematics assessments. Assessments will take place online or in person, in Wellington or Auckland.

How applications are assessed

We will seek evidence of the following:

  • work experience that has prepared you for university study by requiring you to use higher-order thinking skills and high-level written communication and numeracy skills
  • clear goals and objectives for degree-level study
  • qualifications that are relevant to your proposed programme of study
  • demonstrated English and mathematics skills (if we request a follow-up assessment).

Practice assessments and answers

If we indicate that further assessment is required, you may use the following practice tests to prepare: