Different Tracks - a look at the different ways New Zealanders get tertiary qualifications

3 - Changing Qualifications

Current Ministry of Education qualification completion rates only include students completing a qualification at the same level as the one they started. This tends to understate performance as:

• 5% of students completed a higher-level qualification instead of the one they started.
• Between 5% and 10% completed a lower-level qualification instead of the one they started.
• Another 5% were still studying without having completed a qualification 10 years after starting.
  

Changing qualifications was common:

• 40% of bachelors students changed qualifications before they completed. 23% changed to another degree, 14% within the same provider. 28% enrolled in another qualification after graduating. 12% progressed directly to postgraduate study, while 8% continued with another degree. Eventually 20% progressed to postgraduate study. [See section 4 for more on degrees.]
• 34% of diploma students changed qualifications before they completed. 10% changed to degree level or higher. 19% enrolled in another qualification after completing their diploma. 7% progressed directly to degree level or higher, while 8% enrolled in another diploma. Eventually 20% progressed to degree study, and 4% to postgraduate study. [See section 5 for more on diplomas.]
• 25% of certificate students changed qualifications, 8% to diploma level or higher. 17% of all the students who started a certificate in 2000 had progressed to diploma level or higher by 2006. 8% had progressed to degree study. 3% had gained a degree or higher by 2006.
  

A significant minority of students starting qualifications completed a different qualification to the one they started. 5% of students starting a diploma in 2000 graduated with a degree or higher-level qualification instead. 4% of those starting a degree in 1997 gained a higher-level qualification instead.

Figure 1 - Qualification completion rates by level¹

A further 5% to 10% of students completed a lower-level qualification than the one they started. In total, 10% to 15% of students successfully completed qualifications (either at a higher or lower level) in addition to those who started and completed at the same level. The biggest difference was at diploma level, where completion rates rose from 35% to 50% when all qualifications at higher and lower levels were included.

Nearly 30,000 people completed a bachelors degree in 2006. This figure includes between 2,000 and 2,500 students who started a certificate or diploma but changed to a bachelors degree. Similarly, it includes around 1,200 students who started a bachelors degree and who changed to and completed a higher-level qualification instead. These included typically, those who gained an honours degree.  Around 300, or 10% of students who began a masters degree left with a lower qualification instead, typically a postgraduate diploma or another bachelors degree.

Changing qualifications before completing is common. The graph below shows that between 25% and 35% of certificate or diploma students changed qualifications, with 10% changing to a higher-level qualification. Changing qualifications was most common for bachelors students, where over 40% of those starting a bachelors degree in 1997 changed qualifications before completion. Of these, 23% changed to another degree, 14% with the same provider, and 9% to a different provider. Changing providers is discussed further in the next section. These figures were relatively similar for 1997, 1998 1999 or 2000 starters.

Figure 2 - How many students change qualifications before completing?

Postgraduate students were less likely to change qualifications. Around 10% changed to a lower-level qualification before they had completed their postgraduate qualification.
Sometimes changing qualifications represents a genuine change in goal, which more often occurs during or at the end of the student's first year.

Sometimes the change reflects the different ways providers structure their qualifications, where students, by design or choice, change the qualification they are working towards, utilising many or all of the courses they have already passed.
 

Figure 3 - How many students continue study after completing?

The graph above shows how many students enrolled after completing a qualification. Across all qualification levels, 22% enrolled in a different qualification after they completed their original qualification. Over 30% of students starting a postgraduate certificate or diploma, or a bachelors with honours degree in 1997 continued study after completing their qualification. Half of these (15%) progressed to higher-level study.

Across all qualification levels, 30% changed before completing their qualification and 22% enrolled in a different qualification after they completed their original qualification. In total, 46% of all students changed qualification levels at least once during their study, either before they completed, or after, or both. The graph below shows those who progressed to higher-level study.²

Figure 4 - How many students progress to higher-level study?

20% of students starting certificates in 2000 enrolled in another qualification after completing their certificate. 8% enrolled at diploma level or higher. 17% of all the students who started a certificate in 2000 had progressed to diploma level or higher by 2006. 8% had progressed to degree study, and 3% had gained a degree or higher by 2006.

19% of students starting diplomas in 2000 enrolled in another qualification after completing their diploma. 7% progressed directly to degree level or higher, while 8% enrolled in another diploma. By 2006, 20% had progressed to degree study or higher, while 4% had progressed to postgraduate study. Pathways and outcomes for ITP diploma students are explored further later in this report.

28% of students who started a bachelors degree in 1997 enrolled in another qualification after graduating. 12% progressed directly to postgraduate study, while 8% enrolled in another degree. Eventually 20% progressed to postgraduate study. Pathways and outcomes for university degree students are explored further later in this report.

Footnotes

1. See technical notes for full details of the data and the definitions used in this graph, and all tables and graphs in this report.
2. These progression figures differ from other progression statistics published by the Ministry of Education, which relate to the percentage of students completing qualifications who-enrol in higher level study after completion. The figures used here relate to the percentage of students starting qualifications that enrol in higher-level study. These figures include both those who progress directly after completion, as well as those who eventually progress to a higher-level qualification after doing another lower-level qualification, and those who progress without having completed their original qualification.