How Much a New Zealand Student Visa Costs
A Fee Paying Student Visa costs from NZ$850: a $485 application fee, a $265 immigration levy and the $100 International Visitor Levy. A Pathway Student Visa costs from NZ$750 because no IVL applies. None of it is refunded if the application is declined.
Quick Facts
| Fee Paying Student Visa | From NZ$850 = $485 + $265 + $100 IVL |
| Pathway Student Visa | From NZ$750 = $485 + $265, no IVL |
| Exchange Student Visa | From NZ$850 |
| Foreign Government Supported Student Visa | From NZ$850 |
| Dependent Child Student Visa | From NZ$750 = $485 + $265, IVL-exempt |
| Post Study Work Visa | From NZ$1,670 = $320 + $1,350 immigration levy |
| Pacific fee band (Band B) | Reduced student application fee of $270 instead of $485 |
| Variation of conditions | NZ$325 |
| Refunds | Fees and levies are not refunded if an application is declined |
| Last general fee change | 1 October 2024 — no general increase in 2025 or 2026 |
| Figures checked | 20 August 2026 |
Why INZ's "from $850" hides the useful part
Immigration New Zealand publishes a single "from" price per visa. That number is three separate charges added together, and they behave differently — different exemptions, different refund rules, different purposes.
Publishing the split is not pedantry. It is the difference between knowing you owe $850 and knowing that $100 of it is a levy some travellers never pay and nobody ever gets back.
The Fee Paying Student Visa, broken down
| Component | Amount | What it pays for | Refundable if declined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $485 | INZ's assessment of the application | No |
| Immigration levy | $265 | Settlement programmes, immigration research, system infrastructure, the Immigration Advisers Authority | No |
| International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) | $100 | Conservation and tourism infrastructure | Never |
| Total | from NZ$850 |
The immigration levy is charged per application, not per person. The IVL is charged per person and is exempt for Australians and citizens of 16 Pacific nations. Our IVL explainer covers who does not pay it.
The Pathway Student Visa, broken down
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee | $485 |
| Immigration levy | $265 |
| Total | from NZ$750 |
The Pathway total contains no IVL in the cheapest case. That is the whole of the NZ$100 gap between the two headline numbers.
Do not treat $850 and $750 as two quotes for the same thing. They are different visas with different scope: the Pathway visa covers up to three consecutive courses for up to five years and requires full medical and travel insurance, while the Fee Paying visa covers one course for up to four years. See the Pathway Student Visa explained.
Every student-related visa cost in one table
| Visa | From | Components |
|---|---|---|
| Fee Paying Student Visa | NZ$850 | $485 + $265 + $100 IVL |
| Pathway Student Visa | NZ$750 | $485 + $265 |
| Exchange Student Visa | NZ$850 | Application fee, levy and IVL |
| Foreign Government Supported Student Visa | NZ$850 | Application fee, levy and IVL |
| Dependent Child Student Visa | NZ$750 | $485 + $265, IVL-exempt |
| Guardian Visitor Visa | NZ$441 | $300 + $41 + $100 IVL |
| Post Study Work Visa | NZ$1,670 | $320 + $1,350 levy |
| Variation of conditions | NZ$325 | Single charge |
| Reconsideration of a declined temporary visa | NZ$220 | Single charge |
Two of those numbers deserve a second look.
The Post Study Work Visa levy is more than four times its application fee. $320 buys the assessment; $1,350 is the immigration levy. New Zealand prices that visa as a settlement product, not as paperwork, and the fee structure says so out loud.
The Guardian Visitor Visa is cheaper than the student visa it supports. A parent accompanying a school-age child pays from NZ$441. It is a visitor visa, with visitor conditions — no local work rights by default. See the Guardian Visitor Visa.
The Pacific fee band
INZ charges visa fees in bands. Applicants in Band B, which covers Pacific applicants, pay a reduced student visa application fee of $270 instead of $485. The immigration levy and, where it applies, the IVL are charged separately.
The band is determined by where you apply from and your nationality, under INZ's published fee-band rules. It is not something you select. The fee bands explainer sets out how the bands work across all visas.
No refunds if you are declined
INZ does not refund the application fee or the levies when an application is declined. The IVL is never refunded in any circumstance.
That single rule should shape how you prepare. An incomplete application is not a cheap first attempt — a decline costs you the full fee and starts the whole thing again, and a refusal in your history is something later applications have to deal with. Refunds exist only in narrow special circumstances, which are published on INZ's refunds page.
There is also no way to buy a faster decision. New Zealand has no paid priority service for any visa. Any website, agent or "consultant" offering express government processing for a fee is describing something that does not exist.
What this page deliberately does not tell you
Tuition. Providers set their own fees, they differ enormously between a school, a private training establishment, a polytechnic and a university, and no government schedule exists. The number that binds you is on your offer of place.
Living costs. INZ publishes a funds requirement — NZ$20,000 a year for tertiary and English language study, NZ$17,000 a year for school years 1 to 13 — but that is a minimum you must evidence, not a forecast of what a year will cost. What you actually spend depends on the city, your accommodation and your habits.
Insurance premiums. Insurers price individually on age, cover and medical history. Your provider will usually have an arranged policy; compare it rather than assume it.
Anyone publishing precise national figures for these three is estimating. We would rather tell you what drives the cost and where the real number lives.
The other costs of applying
Beyond the visa fee, most applicants meet some of these:
- Medical examination and chest x-ray, where required, charged by the panel physician
- Police certificates, charged by the issuing authority in each country
- Certified translations of non-English documents
- Passport renewal, if yours expires before your course ends — a short passport shortens the visa
- NZQA assessment of an overseas qualification, where a provider or a later visa requires it
None of these are INZ charges, and none are avoidable by paying INZ more.
Where to confirm this
- Fees and when to pay: immigration.govt.nz fees page
- Refunds: immigration.govt.nz refunds page
- Our full schedule: New Zealand visa fees
General information about published fees, not immigration advice. Fees change; the date on this page is the date they were checked.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a New Zealand student visa?
From NZ$850 for the Fee Paying Student Visa — a $485 application fee, a $265 immigration levy and the $100 International Visitor Levy. The Pathway Student Visa is from NZ$750 because no IVL applies. Pacific Band B applicants pay a reduced application fee of $270.
Why is the Pathway Student Visa cheaper than the Fee Paying Student Visa?
Because the Pathway total does not include the $100 International Visitor Levy in the cheapest case. Both carry the same $485 application fee and $265 immigration levy. They are different visas covering different amounts of study, not two prices for one product.
Do I get my money back if my student visa is declined?
No. INZ does not refund the application fee or the levies when an application is declined, and the IVL is never refunded. Refunds are available only in narrow special circumstances set out on INZ's refunds page.
Have New Zealand visa fees gone up in 2026?
There has been no general fee or levy increase in 2025 or 2026. INZ's published schedule still reads as at 1 October 2024. Quotes above the published figures are worth questioning.
How much does it cost to study in New Zealand as an international student?
The visa is from NZ$850. Tuition is set by the provider and appears on your offer of place, and it varies widely between schools, private training establishments, polytechnics and universities. INZ separately requires evidence of NZ$20,000 a year in living costs for tertiary study, or NZ$17,000 a year for school years 1 to 13.
Can I pay extra to have my student visa processed faster?
No. New Zealand has no paid priority or express service for visa applications at any price. Offers of expedited government processing are a common scam pitch.
How much does it cost to change course or provider?
A variation of conditions on a temporary visa costs NZ$325. Where a variation is not enough, a new student visa application costs the full fee, levy and IVL again.
