• In April 2009, the number of students enrolled in formal tertiary study¹ with tertiary education providers increased by 2.8 percent compared to April 2008.
• When the enrolments are converted to equivalent full-time student units the increase is bigger – formal enrolments (including international students) increased by 6.2 percent. The average study load per student is now 3.4 percent higher than this time last year.
• Domestic enrolments (excluding international students) increased by 2.1 percent in April 2009. Enrolments increased at every qualification level except certificates 1 to 3.  There were significant increases in the enrolments at bachelors level, honours degrees and postgraduate certificates and diplomas, masters and level 5 to 7 diplomas.
• The amount of study (measured in equivalent full-time student units) undertaken by domestic students increased from April 2008 to April 2009 by 6.0 percent (an increase of more than 10,000 equivalent full-time student units).
• International enrolments increased by almost 10 percent in April 2009 and when converting this number to equivalent full-time student units, the size of the overall increase is similar.  The most significant increases are at doctorate level, graduate certificates and diplomas and level 5 to 7 diplomas – up by 20 percent and over. One in every three doctoral students in New Zealand in 2009 is an international student.
• The provisional data shows that the number of enrolments in level 1 to 3 certificates decreased from April 2008 to April 2009, the fourth decline in as many years. However, in terms of equivalent full-time student units, enrolments in level 1 to 3 certificates increased.
• Eighteen to 19 year-olds had the biggest percentage increase in their number in April 2009 as the 'baby blip' generation ( those born between 1989 and 1993) continued to move from school into tertiary education.
• Enrolment by people aged 40 years or over fell by 4.7 percent.

Figure 1: Percentage change in all formal enrolments by age group (April 2009 compared with April 2008)

The latest information on industry training shows that there was also steady growth in the number of workplace-based learners during the last quarter of 2008. The number of trainees increased from 2007 to 2008 by 4.8 percent to 195,000.

Figure 2: Percentage change in the number of students by qualification level (April 2009 compared with April 2008)

Formal enrolments by qualification level

Compared with the same period last year, the number of domestic enrolments increased in April 2009 at every qualification level except certificates 1 to 3 (Figure 2). There are almost 10 percent more students enrolled in postgraduate study and 5 percent more at bachelors level (including graduate certificates and diplomas).

Compared with domestic students, enrolments by international students increased by a greater percentage at almost all qualification levels. Bachelors-level enrolments did not change overall – a  fall in bachelors degrees of 2.1 percent was offset by more graduate diploma- and certificate enrolments. The biggest increase in international enrolments was at diploma level with double-digit increases recorded at all other qualification levels.

When the enrolments by domestic students are converted to equivalent full-time student units, stronger increases are observed at most qualification levels (Figure 3). There are over 10 percent more equivalent full-time student units in level 4 certificate and postgraduate qualifications. The increase in equivalent full-time student units at bachelors level was the same as the increase in enrolments – up by about 5 percent – and for level 1 to 3 certificates the increase is around 3 percent.

Somewhat smaller increases at most qualification levels are observed when the April 2009 international enrolments are converted to equivalent full-time student units. An exception to this is the bigger increase (from a low base) in diploma-level equivalent full-time student units.

Figure 3: Percentage change in the number of equivalent full-time students by qualification level (April 2009 compared with April 2008)

Figure 4: Percentage change in formal enrolments (including international students) and EFTS by qualification level (April 2009 compared with April 2008)

Ethnic group and gender

Both domestic and international students identifying with the Pasifika ethnic group increased more than any other ethnic group in April 2009.

The increase in the number of domestic enrolments by Pasifika men was 14 percent and for Pasifika women the increase was 12 percent. Domestic enrolments by Māori and Asian men increased by around 10 percent and for Māori and Asian women the increase was 6 percent.

In April 2009, domestic and international enrolments by females increased overall by over 3 percent with significant increases occurring in every ethnic group. This compared to an overall increase in enrolments by male students of 1.9 percent. The increase in enrolments by European males was smaller than for the other ethnic groups.

Figure 5: Percentage change in the number of students by ethnic group (April 2009 compared with April 2008)

Study loads increase at polytechnics and wānanga

In April 2009, the overall study load of students increased at tertiary educations institutions while it fell slightly at private training establishments. From April 2008 to April 2009, the number of equivalent full-time students at wānanga increased by 13 percent (part of this increase was due to a number of enrolments missed in data returns in April 2008), at the institutes of technology and polytechnics by 10 percent and at the universities by over 5 percent.

Student loans and allowances

Student loan borrowers and student allowance recipients have increased over the March 2009 quarter compared with the first quarter in 2008.

The number of student allowances recipients increased in the March 2009 quarter by 26 percent compared with the first quarter in 2008. Some of the increase in the uptake of allowances by students was due to changes made in Budget 2008 that broaden the access of students to allowances. For example, the increase in parental income threshold made more students eligible and the age for the removal of parental income testing shifted from 25 to 24 years on 1 January 2009.

The uptake of loans by students has also increased. Eleven percent more students took up loans in the March 2009 quarter than in the same period last year and this reflected the changes in the enrolment patterns described earlier. More young people enrolled in bachelors degrees as part of the 'baby blip' generation moving into tertiary education. Also, borrowing increased, in part, as a consequence of the economic situation. An example of this is the higher youth unemployment rate that has led to more young people undertaking tertiary education study and taking up a student loan. The number of borrowers of course-related and living costs increased in the March 2009 quarter compared with the March 2008 quarter by 27 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

The largest increase in borrowers is in the polytechnics where numbers are up by 18 percent. The increase in university borrowers is up by 10 percent while the increases in the other provider types are smaller.