Provider-based enrolments

This page summarises the key trends in enrolments, equivalent full-time students (EFTS) and participation rates at universities, Te Pūkenga (institutes of technology and polytechnics), wānanga and government-funded private training establishments (PTEs). The data covers domestic and international students that were enrolled during the 12 months to December 2020. Full data tables can be accessed on this page. Participation rates for 2020 will be added once data is available.

What does the 2020 data show?

• The overall number of students enrolled in formal study at tertiary providers decreased by 2.2 percent (8,615), from 388,870 in 2019 to 380,255 in 2020.
• Domestic student numbers increased slightly, ending a trend of decreases since 2009. There were 0.4 percent (or 1,155) more students enrolled in 2020 than in 2019. As expected with the impact of COVID-19, international student numbers decreased significantly by 16 percent (9,775), from 60,695 in 2019 to 50,920 in 2020.
• There was a decrease in Māori domestic enrolments between 2019 and 2020 (-5.2 percent, or 3,825 students) while all other ethnic groups had either increased or stable domestic enrolments. Asian enrolments increased by 4.9 percent (2,505 students). Pacific Peoples enrolments were stable and European had a 1.3 percent increase (2,620 students).
• Total student numbers decreased across all subsectors, although in the universities the decrease was slight. The largest decrease was at wānanga (-15 percent, or 5,365 students) with smaller decreases at Te Pūkenga (-1.3 percent, 1,690 students) and PTEs (-3.1 percent, or 1,780 students). The number of students enrolled at university remained relatively stable (-0.1 percent, or 250 students).
• Decreases in the total study load, measured in EFTS, followed similar trends as for student enrolment numbers.

Total participation

The overall number of students enrolled in formal study at tertiary education providers in 2020 decreased by 2.2 percent (8,615), from 388,870 students to 380,225. Domestic student numbers increased slightly, ending a trend of decreases since 2009. There were 0.4 percent (or 1,155) more students enrolled in 2020 than in 2019. As expected with the impact of COVID-19, international student numbers decreased significantly (by 16 percent or 9,775 students), from 60,695 in 2019 to 50,920 in 2020 (see Table 1).

Figure 1: Domestic student enrolments and EFTS 2011-2020 and participation rates 2011-2019

Participation by ethnic group

Table 2 compares domestic enrolments and EFTS for the main ethnic groups for 2019 and 2020. Māori enrolments decreased by 5.2 percent (3,825 students) between 2019 and 2020, while all other ethnic groups either increased or were stable. Asian enrolments increased by 4.9 percent (2,505 students). Pacific Peoples enrolments were stable and Europeans had a 1.3 percent increase (2,620 students).

Enrolment changes were largely reflected in EFTS numbers, with increases for Asian (by 3.0 percent) and Other ethnic groups (by 3.4 percent) and a decrease for Māori (by 7.5 percent). There were also slight decreases for European and Pacific peoples despite relatively stable enrolment numbers.

Figure 2 shows participation rates by ethnicity for 2014 to 2019. Participation rates for 2020 will be added once data is available. Māori and Pacific rates were consistently higher than other groups, but all groups had decreases in rates, consistent with declining enrolments.

Figure 2: Domestic participation rates by ethnic group 2014-2019

Participation by subsector

All subsectors showed a decrease in total student enrolments in 2020, although the decrease in the universities was slight. For most the decrease was between 0.1 and 3.1 percent. The exception to this was the wānanga subsector where student enrolments decreased by 15 percent (5,365 students) from 35,490 in 2019 to 30,125 in 2020.

Except for the wānanga subsector, which has few international enrolments, all other subsectors had large decreases in international enrolments. The largest decreases were at universities (by 25 percent) and PTEs (by 24 percent), with a 14 percent decrease for Te Pūkenga. These decreases were partially balanced out by increases in domestic enrolments of between 1.6 and 2.2 percent (see Table 3).

Participation by qualification level/type

Enrolments decreased across all qualification levels except masters degrees between 2019 and 2020. The largest decreases were for lower level qualifications. Level 1 certificate enrolments decreased by 16 percent (2,150 students) and Level 2 certificates decreased by 14 percent (3,120 students). In general, the trends for enrolments are repeated for EFTS. An exception to this was for graduate certificates and diplomas where EFTS increased by 5.7 percent despite a 3.6 percent decrease in enrolments at that qualification level (see Table 4). An increase in the study load required to complete some qualifications was a factor in the divergence between student headcounts and EFTS.

Technical Notes and Definitions

Data sources:

Data relates to students enrolled at any time during the year with a tertiary education provider in formal qualifications of greater than 0.03 EFTS (more than one week's full-time duration). Data excludes all non-formal learning and on-job industry training. Data includes those private training establishments that received Student Achievement Component funding, and/or had students with student loans or allowances, and/or delivered Youth Guarantee programmes. Students are counted in each ethnic group they identify with. Totals also include those students with unknown values.

Equivalent full-time student (EFTS):

One equivalent full-time student (EFTS) unit is defined as the student workload that would normally be carried out in a single academic year (or a 12-month period) by a student enrolled full-time.

Participation rate:

The total participation rate is the percentage of the population aged 15 years and over who were enrolled at any time during the year. Rates are only calculated for domestic students.

Rounding:

Data, including totals, has been rounded to the nearest 5 to protect the privacy of individuals, so the sum of individual counts may not add to the total.

Te Pūkenga:

The New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (NZIST) was established in 2020 as part of the reforms of vocational education. It is a new kind of organisation providing work-based, on campus, and online vocational learning and training across the country. NZIST brings together the existing 16 Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) into one organisation, and over time, will develop the capability to support work-based, campus-based and online learning as a unified system. More information can be found on the website for Te Pūkenga.