Summary

The International Student Levy (ISL or the Levy) currently applies to primary and secondary state and state-integrated schools that receive tuition fees from international-fee paying students studying in New Zealand.

The number of international students at state and state-integrated schools increased dramatically from approximately 5,000 in 1997 to approximately 20,000 in 2003. International fee-paying student numbers then fell and have slightly recovered in 2007 (Figure 1-1).

The ISL is the means by which schools reimburse the Government for Crown expenditure in respect of international students. The ISL has been deducted from state schools’ operating grants since 1993 and from state integrated schools since 1 January 2008.

The Ministry of Education’s International Division has commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct a review of the ISL.