Tertiary achievement and attainment
Statistics relating to attainment, attrition, retention and completion of students at tertiary education providers and through industry training.
Key findings for provider-based tertiary achievement
What does the 2022 data show?
The number of students completing a qualification decreased overall by 9.8 percent from 2021 to 2022, returning to the declining trend of the past few years after the increase recorded in 2021.
- The overall change in 2022 reflects decreases of 7.4 percent for domestic students and 27 percent for international students compared with 2021. These changes follow similar trends in enrolments of domestic and international students (down 4.1 percent and 14 percent respectively in 2022). Compared with pre-COVID numbers in 2019, domestic student completions in 2022 were 3.0 percent lower, while international student completions had halved over the same period.
- The percentage decreases in domestic completions from 2021 were slightly greater for males than females and were greater for Māori students while Asian students had a slight increase. Decreases were greater for those aged under 25 years.
Wānanga had the largest decrease in domestic completions in 2022 (down 19 percent from 2021). Domestic completions at Levels 1 to 4 and graduate certificates and diplomas all declined by at least 10 percent, while bachelors degrees also decreased. Domestic completions declined across all fields of study except Information Technology and Health.
Completion rates and retention rates remained relatively stable for domestic students in 2022, while graduate progression rates declined at most levels of study.
- Completion rates for domestic students who started Level 4 certificates three years prior, remained the same at 61 percent in 2021 and 2022. Bachelors degree 7-year completion rates also remained steady at 67 percent.
- Level 4 certificate domestic completion rates decreased in 2022 for Māori and Asian students, continuing a decreasing pattern over several years. Asian students continue to have the highest completion rates for Level 4 certificates and bachelors degrees. Domestic completion rates for bachelors degrees decreased for Pacific Peoples, remained steady for European and Māori students, and increased slightly for Asian students in 2022.
- Women and those studying full-time continue to have higher qualification completion rates than men and part-time students respectively.
- The retention rate (proportion of students who either complete a qualification or continue in a higher-level qualification within 8 years of enrolling) was 71 percent for domestic students who started bachelors degrees in 2014, one percentage point lower than for those who started in 2013.
- The progression rate (proportion who continued to higher level study after completing a qualification) decreased in 2022 for domestic students at all levels of qualifications except masters degrees.
Qualification completion numbers
The number of students completing a qualification decreased overall by 9.8 percent from 2021 to 2022. This returns to the declining pattern of the past few years prior to the 5.7 percent increase recorded in 2021. Completions declined steadily from 2016 to 2019, and then by 6.9 percent in 2020 due to disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic. The overall decrease in 2022 reflects decreases in both domestic and international student completions, which took place in the context of similar changes in domestic and international enrolments.
- The overall number of domestic students who completed a qualification decreased by 7.4 percent (8,745 students) from 118,085 in 2021 to 109,340 in 2022, which was still higher than in 2020, but 3 percent lower than in 2019. International student completions decreased by 27 percent (4,490 students) from 16,345 in 2021 to 11,855 in 2022. International enrolments have continued to be greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and international student completions have halved from 23,815 in 2019 (see Figure 1).
- Percentage decreases in domestic completions were slightly greater for male students (8.4 percent) than for female students (7.2 percent). The number of Maōri students completing qualifications decreased by 14 percent from 2021 to 2022, a larger change than for European (down 7.8 percent), Pacific Peoples (down 6.2 percent) and Asian students (up 2 percent). The decreases in domestic completions were greater for those aged under 25 years (down 10 percent), than for those 25 years old and over (down 5 percent).
- Wānanga had the largest decrease in domestic completions in 2022 (down by 3,465 students or 19 percent from 2021), Te Pūkenga domestic completions decreased by 7.3 percent, universities by 5.1 percent and private training establishments by 3.4 percent. Domestic completions at Levels 1 to 4, graduate certificates and diplomas, and doctorates all declined by at least 10 percent. Domestic bachelors degree completions declined by 6.3 percent while masters degrees increased by 7.1 percent. There were decreases in domestic completions across all fields of study compared with 2021, except Information Technology (up 21 percent) and Health (up 2.3 percent). 2022 numbers remained more than 10 percent below 2019 levels in Management and Commerce; Creative Arts; Food, Hospitality and Personal Services; and Mixed Field Programmes.
Figure 1: Number of students completing qualifications 2013-2022
Qualification completion rates
Qualification completion rates can be calculated for any number of years after a group of students has started study. The completion rate for each qualification level reaches a plateau after which it no longer increases. The rates shown in the graphs below have different follow up periods to allow for the different length of qualification: 3 years for Level 4 certificates and 7 years for bachelors degrees.
Figures 2 and 3 compare completion rates for Level 4 certificates by study pattern and gender. Figures 4 and 5 compare bachelors degrees by the same variables.
Domestic completion rates for Level 4 certificates remained at 61 percent in 2022 after a decrease from 64 percent in 2020 to 61 percent in 2021. However, bachelors degree completion rates have been steady at 67 percent since 2017. Completion rates for part-time students remain lower than for full-time students – much lower for part-time bachelors degrees than for part-time Level 4 Certificates. Completion rates for female students remain higher than for male students.
Figure 2: Level 4 certificate 3-year domestic completion rates by study pattern
Figure 3: Level 4 certificate 3-year domestic completion rates by gender
Figure 4: Bachelors degree 7-year domestic completion rates by study pattern
Figure 5: Bachelors degree 7-year domestic completion rates by gender
Figures 6 and 7 show domestic completion rates for Level 4 certificates and bachelors degrees by ethnicity.
Level 4 certificate completion rates decreased slightly in 2022 for Māori and Asian students, continuing a decreasing pattern over several years. Asian students continue to have the highest domestic completion rates for Level 4 certificates.
Domestic completion rates for bachelors degrees decreased for Pacific Peoples, remained steady for European and Māori students, and increased slightly for Asian students in 2022.
Figure 6: Level 4 certificate 3-year domestic completion rates by ethnicity
Figure 7: Bachelors degree 7-year domestic completion rates by ethnicity
Retention rates
Retention rates measure how long students persist in their studies. The retention rate includes students who completed their qualification as well as those who did not complete their original qualification but continued their studies in a higher-level qualification. The complement of retention is attrition, or what proportion of students leave without completing.
The latest 8-year domestic retention rate across all types of study for bachelors degrees (beginning study in 2014) is 71 percent, while for full-time study the bachelors degree retention rate is 78 percent.
Across all qualification levels and types of study, the 8-year domestic retention rate is 75 percent, while for full-time study it is 83 percent (see Figure 8).
Figure 8: 8-year domestic retention rate by study pattern, bachelors degrees and all qualifications
Graduate progression rates
Many students continue their tertiary studies after completing a tertiary qualification, and this progression is often to a higher level of study than the qualification completed. Not surprisingly, graduate progression rates are usually higher for those completing level 1-4 certificate qualifications when compared to qualifications at level 5 or above, such as graduate diplomas and masters degrees. An exception to this is bachelors degrees (a level 7 qualification), which also have relatively high graduate progression rates.
For domestic students completing a qualification in 2021:
- 35 percent of Level 1 and 2 certificate graduates continued with study at a higher level in 2022
- 27 percent of Level 3 certificate graduates continued with higher-level study
- 31 percent of Level 4 certificate graduates continued with higher-level study, and
- 21 percent of bachelors degree graduates continued with higher-level study.
In contrast, 10 percent of those domestic students completing a graduate certificate or diploma in 2021 continued with higher-level study in 2022, while only 5 percent of masters graduates continued with higher-level study.
Progression to higher level study decreased in 2022 at all levels of qualifications except masters degrees, compared to 2021.
Technical Notes and Definitions
Methodology:
Full details of the method used to calculate tertiary qualification completion, attrition, direct progression and graduate progression rates can be found in the factsheet How does the Ministry of Education calculate tertiary qualfication completion rates? It covers terminology and definitions, and provides worked examples of the calculations, as well as example data tables with guides to their interpretation.
See How does the Ministry of Education calculate tertiary qualification completion rates?
Educational attainment in the population Updated: October 2022
Overview
The proportion of New Zealanders with qualifications has been increasing for several decades. But growth has slowed since 2019, and gaps persist for Māori and Pacific peoples, especially at degree level and higher. The population analysed by highest qualification is those aged 25 to 64. This covers the population who are likely to have completed their initial school and tertiary education and less likely to have retired.
Educational attainment in the population is an important indicator in measuring how well societies are doing. People with higher-level qualifications have higher rates of employment and higher earnings than those with low or no qualifications. They are also more likely to experience a range of better social outcomes, such as better health, social connection and civic engagement.
As the requirements for many jobs and the expectations of employers continue to change, education provides the skills and knowledge necessary for a more productive workforce and for participation in society . Education contributes to an expansion of scientific and cultural knowledge. A population's educational levels are positively related to economic growth rates and to a country's capacity to provide its citizens with a high standard of living.
People's qualifications are often considered a proxy for 'human capital', that is, their skills and knowledge. Changes in the educational attainment of the population also provides information about access to education and the equity of the education system.
Knowing how educational attainment in New Zealand compares with other countries is an important measure of how well our system is going, and where we might learn from other countries.
How We Are Going
Educational qualification attainment has been increasing steadily over the last few decades. In 2001, nearly a quarter (24 percent) of 25 to 64-year-olds did not hold even a school qualification. By 2021, this had reduced to just over 13 percent. However, growth slowed in 2019, and the proportion of adults with no qualifications has remained around 13 percent since 2018.
Figure 1: Distribution of the population aged 25 to 64 by highest qualification level
Notes:
- Qualification level data prior to 2013 is not completely comparable with that from 2013 due to changes made to the qualification question in the survey in 2013.
- Values represent an average of March, June, September and December quarters.
- Source: Ministry of Education analysis of Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey data.
More New Zealanders have also gained tertiary education qualifications. The proportion of 25 to 64-year-olds with a tertiary education qualification has increased from 54 percent in 2001 to 65 percent in 2021. All of this growth has been at bachelors degree level or higher, which has more than doubled from 13 percent in 2001 to 36 percent in 2021.
Growth in the number of people with a school qualification, and growth in the number of people with a bachelors degree has seen the relative share of people with a tertiary certificate or diploma decrease from 41 percent in 2001 to 29 percent in 2021. This decrease is a consequence of lower numbers of people gaining trades qualifications (mostly certificates at level 4) after the Global Financial Crisis.
More Māori and Pacific people are gaining at least a school qualification, but the education gap remains, especially at degree level
While qualification attainment for Māori and Pacific peoples has increased noticeably over the last few decades, the gap in attainment between these two groups and other groups persists. The proportion of Māori aged 25 to 64 with at least a school qualification was 71 percent in 2021, up from 59 percent two decades ago. For Pacific peoples it was 69 percent in 2021, up from 66 percent two decades ago. Attainment at the total population level was significantly higher, at 85 percent, up from 76 percent two decades ago. Growth in qualification attainment has slowed across all groups in the last two years, and the gap in attainment between Māori and Pacific peoples and the total population has remained at around 15 percent.
Figure 2: Percentage of Māori and Pacific peoples aged 25 to 64 with at least a school qualification
Notes:
- Around 2%-4% have not stated their qualifications. These have been counted as having no qualifications, so the figures in this graph are likely to slightly underestimate true levels of qualification attainment.
- Qualification level data prior to 2013 is not completely comparable with that from 2013 due to changes made to the qualification question in the survey in 2013.
- Values represent an average of the March, June, September and December quarters.
- Source: Ministry of Education analysis of Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey data.
Figure 3: Percentage of Māori and Pacific peoples aged 25 to 64 with a bachelors or higher qualification
Notes:
- Qualification level data prior to 2013 is not completely comparable with that from 2013 due to changes made to the qualification question in the survey in 2013.
- Values represent an average of the March, June, September and December quarters.
- Source: Ministry of Education analysis of Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey data.
The proportion of Māori aged 25 to 64 with a bachelors or higher qualification in 2021 was 18 percent. The comparable figure for Pacific peoples was 16 percent. These are significantly lower than the figure for the total population, of 35 percent. Growth has slowed in the last two years for all groups.
While degree or higher attainment for both Māori and Pacific peoples has increased significantly over the last few decades, it has not increased as much as for other groups, leading to an increase in the gap in attainment.
Educational attainment of New Zealanders is similar to the OECD average
The educational attainment of New Zealanders aged 25 to 64 was similar to the OECD average in 2021. Eighty one percent had attained at least an upper-secondary-level education, which under international standards is a Level 2 school qualification or higher.
Similarly, the proportion of New Zealanders aged 25 to 64 with a diploma-level qualification or higher was 40 percent, similar to the OECD average of 41 percent.
Compared with other anglophone countries in the OECD, New Zealanders are less likely to hold a diploma or higher, and more likely to hold a qualification below diploma-level.
Figure 4: Educational attainment in 2021 of the population aged 25 to 64 for selected OECD countries
Note:
- OECD (2022) Education at a Glance: OECD indicators 2022, Table A1.1.
References
- OECD (2022). Education at a Glance 2022: OECD indicators. Paris: OECD.
Some things to note
The age group 25 to 64 is used in this summary, as it covers the population who are likely to have completed their initial school and tertiary education and less likely to have retired.
The information used here relates just to the highest qualification that people have attained. They may have attained these qualifications in New Zealand or overseas. The qualifications may have been attained recently or up to nearly 50 years ago. Because it relates to the highest qualification attained, it won’t reflect the total attainment for different levels of education. For example, almost all people with degree qualifications will also have a school qualification.
Trends in attainment are also influenced by long-run changes in participation and completion in New Zealand education, as well as the skills of people settling in New Zealand.
Statistics relating to educational attainment in the New Zealand population.
- Educational attainment of the population [MS Excel 207kB]
- Educational attainment in the adult population: Indicator Report [PDF 419kB]
Students gaining qualifications
from tertiary education providersUpdated: June 2023
Statistics relating to qualification completion for students at tertiary education providers by a range of demographic and study-related characteristics.
- Students gaining qualifications from tertiary education providers [MS Excel 681.8kB]
Field of specialisation for students
gaining qualifications from tertiary education providers Updated: June 2023
Statistics relating to qualification completion in a field of specialisation for students at tertiary education providers by a range of demographic and study-related characteristics.
Course completion rates Updated: June 2023
Statistics relating to the rate at which students pass courses. These rates may differ slightly from those published by Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) in their education performance indicators series. This is because the student populations from which the rates are calculated are slightly different. TEC's data is expected to be available in due course.
- Course completion rates [MS Excel 64.4kB]
Qualification completion, attrition and direct progression rates Updated: June 2023
Statistics about rates at which students complete qualifications, discontinue their studies without completing, or progress to higher-level study without completing the lower-level qualification. Data is presented for detailed and grouped qualification levels and types, and for narrow and broad fields of study. Data is available in spreadsheets as filtered lists, or as comma delimited text files for uploading into business intelligence and analytics tools.
Note: Tables do not include the retention rate, this can be calculated as one minus the attrition rate.
Broad qualification/type level and broad field of study
1. Direct progression Attrition Completion rates Broad levels [Excel Binary 12.5mB]
2. Direct progression Attrition Completion rates Broad levels Broad FOS [Excel Binary 26.7mB]
3. Direct progression Attrition Completion rates Broad levels Broad FOS Domestic Ethnicity [Excel Binary 15.4mB]
Broad qualification/type level and narrow field of study
4. Direct progression Attrition Completion rates Broad levels Narrow FOS Domestic[Excel Binary 30.5mB]
5. Direct progression Attrition Completion rates Broad levels Narrow FOS International [Excel Binary 14.4mB]
6. Direct progression Attrition Completion rates Broad levels Narrow FOS All students [Excel Binary 31.4mB]
Detailed qualification type/level
7. Direct progression Attrition Completion rates Detailed levels Domestic [Excel Binary 9.9mB]
8. Direct progression Attrition Completion rates Detailed levels International [Excel Binary 4.9mB]
9. Direct progression Attrition Completion rates Detailed levels All students [Excel Binary 10.1mB]
Detailed qualification type/level and broad field of study
10. Direct progression Attrition Completion rates Detailed levels Broad FOS Domestic [Excel Binary 18.8mB]
11. Direct progression Attrition Completion rates Detailed levels Broad FOS Domestic Ethnicity [Excel Binary 19.8mB]
12. Direct progression Attrition Completion rates Detailed levels Broad FOS International [Excel Binary 10.4mB]
13. Direct progression Attrition Completion rates Detailed levels Broad FOS All students [Excel Binary 19.4mB]
Files for Business Intelligence and Analytics tools
- Data direct progression Attrition Completion rates Detailed levels Broad FOS [Zipped CSV 20.7mB]
- Data direct progression Attrition Completion rates Broad levels Narrow FOS [Zipped CSV 37.3mB]
Achievement in industry training Updated: June 2023
Statistics relating to achievement in workplace-based learning, including industry training and Apprenticeships.
- Achievement in industry training [MS Excel 449kB]
Field of specialisation
for industry training learners gaining qualifications Updated: June 2023
Statistics relating to qualification completion for industry training learners by their field of specialisation and other characteristics.
Achievement in targeted training programmes Updated: November 2014
Statistics relating to the rate at which students complete their courses.
- Achievement in targeted training programmes [MS Excel 58kB]