The Nine Types of New Zealand Student Visa
Immigration New Zealand operates nine student visa products, not one. They are the Fee Paying, Pathway, English Language, Exchange, Foreign Government Supported, NZ Government Scholarship, Dependent Child, Vocational Trainee and Trafficking Child Victim Student Visas. Which one applies depends on who pays your tuition and what you are enrolled in.
Quick Facts
| Number of student visa products | 9 |
| The default | Fee Paying Student Visa — from NZ$850 |
| Cheapest common option | Pathway Student Visa — from NZ$750 (no IVL) |
| No tuition charged | Exchange, Foreign Government Supported, NZ Government Scholarship, Dependent Child (school only) |
| Work rights | 25 hours a week in term time across the Fee Paying, Pathway, Exchange and Foreign Government Supported visas, for visas granted on or after 3 November 2025 |
| Not student visas | The Post Study Work Visa (a work visa) and the Guardian Visitor Visa (a visitor visa) |
| How to apply | Online. Most student visas run through Enhanced Immigration Online |
| Figures checked | 20 August 2026 |
The nine products, side by side
| Visa | Who it is for | Cost from | Key limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee Paying Student Visa | Anyone paying their own tuition, at any level from school to doctorate | NZ$850 | Maximum 4 years; one named provider and course |
| Pathway Student Visa | Students enrolled in up to 3 consecutive courses with an approved pathway provider | NZ$750 | Maximum 5 years; must meet the prerequisites for courses 2 and 3 |
| English Language Student Visa | Students enrolled at an English language provider | Track the Fee Paying rules — confirm on your offer of place | Named in INZ's product list; English language students appear in the Fee Paying wait-time table |
| Exchange Student Visa | Students accepted into an approved student exchange scheme | NZ$850 | Must be outside New Zealand to apply; Study Abroad programmes do not count |
| Foreign Government Supported Student Visa | Scholarship holders from a country with an education agreement with New Zealand | NZ$850 | Requires a letter confirming tuition and living costs are covered; full medical and travel insurance |
| NZ Government Scholarship Student Visa | Holders of a New Zealand Government scholarship | Confirm on INZ | Scholarship terms govern the visa |
| Dependent Child Student Visa | Children of a parent on an appropriate work or student visa, for primary or secondary school | NZ$750 | Expires with the parent's visa; tertiary study needs a different visa |
| Vocational Trainee Student Visa | Trainees on approved vocational training arrangements | Confirm on INZ | Narrow category |
| Trafficking Child Victim Student Visa | Child victims of people trafficking | Confirm on INZ | Special category |
Two of those nine are specialised enough that INZ publishes little about them publicly. Where we cannot verify a figure, we say so rather than guessing — the Vocational Trainee and Trafficking Child Victim products fall into that group.
Two visas people expect to find here, and will not
The Post Study Work Visa is a work visa. It is the visa a graduate applies for after study, it gives up to three years of work rights, it costs from NZ$1,670, and INZ classifies it in the work visa group. It is covered in this cluster because it is the reason many people study in New Zealand, but it is not a student visa. See the Post Study Work Visa explained.
The Guardian Visitor Visa is a visitor visa. It lets a parent or legal guardian live in New Zealand with a child who holds a student visa. It sits in the visitor group and carries visitor conditions, including no right to work in New Zealand by default. See the Guardian Visitor Visa explained.
How to tell which one applies to you
The test is not "which visa is best". It is a factual question with a factual answer, and it turns on two things.
Who pays the tuition? If you do, you are in Fee Paying or Pathway territory. If an approved exchange scheme, a foreign government scholarship or a New Zealand Government scholarship covers it, the matching product applies instead. If your parent holds an appropriate New Zealand work or student visa and you are going to school, the Dependent Child Student Visa applies.
How many courses are you enrolled in? One course means the Fee Paying Student Visa. A planned sequence of up to three consecutive courses with an approved pathway provider means the Pathway Student Visa is available.
Your offer of place usually settles it. Providers know which visa their offer supports, and a Pathway offer of place is a specific document — you cannot apply for a Pathway Student Visa on an ordinary offer.
Fee Paying versus Pathway — the comparison people actually search for
| Fee Paying Student Visa | Pathway Student Visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost from | NZ$850 ($485 + $265 + $100 IVL) | NZ$750 ($485 + $265, no IVL) |
| Courses covered | 1 | Up to 3, consecutively |
| Maximum length | 4 years | 5 years |
| Processing | 80% within 8.5 weeks | 80% within 8.5 weeks |
| Funds | NZ$20,000 a year tertiary / NZ$17,000 school, plus tuition | NZ$20,000 a year, or NZ$1,667 a month |
| Insurance | Appropriate medical and travel insurance | Full medical and travel insurance, stated explicitly |
| Partner or children included | No | No |
The NZ$100 difference is the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. The Pathway fee of $750 is the application fee plus the immigration levy with no IVL in the cheapest case. Do not treat the two totals as interchangeable — they are different products with different components.
The trap with the Pathway visa is the prerequisite rule: you must meet the entry requirements for the second and third courses to stay on the visa. Failing a course does not just cost you a year, it can cost you the visa. The Pathway page covers what happens then.
Exchange, scholarship and government-supported study
These three products share a logic: somebody other than you is paying, and INZ wants to see who.
Exchange Student Visa. You must be accepted into an approved student exchange scheme and be outside New Zealand when you apply. Exchange students are treated as domestic students and pay no tuition. The visa runs to a maximum of four years, costs from NZ$850, and is processed faster than the Fee Paying visa — 80% within four weeks against 8.5.
The single biggest misunderstanding here: Study Abroad programmes are not approved exchange schemes. A Study Abroad student pays tuition and needs a Fee Paying Student Visa. The names sound similar and the consequence is a wrong application and a lost fee. See the Exchange Student Visa explained.
Foreign Government Supported Student Visa. For students from a country that has an education agreement with New Zealand, holding a foreign government scholarship, with a letter confirming tuition and living expenses are covered. Full medical and travel insurance is required. Maximum four years, from NZ$850, 80% decided within three weeks.
NZ Government Scholarship Student Visa. For holders of a New Zealand Government scholarship. The scholarship conditions drive the visa conditions, and the administering agency is the first place to ask.
Dependent children and school
The Dependent Child Student Visa is for the child of a parent holding an appropriate work or student visa, to attend primary or secondary school. It expires when the parent's visa expires. The child may be treated as a domestic student for school fees. Funds are NZ$17,000 for a full year, or NZ$1,417 a month.
Tertiary study needs a Fee Paying Student Visa instead. A child who finishes year 13 on a Dependent Child Student Visa and enrols at university is applying for a different visa, at a different price, with a different funds test. The dependent child page sets out both age tests, which are not the same number.
What every student visa has in common
Whichever product applies, four rules do not change.
The provider must be a Code signatory. Every approved education provider must have signed the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021. NZQA is the authority on which providers and qualifications are recognised.
Work rights are 25 hours a week in term time for visas granted on or after 3 November 2025, across the Fee Paying, Pathway, Exchange and Foreign Government Supported visas. The old figure was 20 hours, and a great deal of published material still says so.
Applications are online. Most student visas are processed through Enhanced Immigration Online, and paper applications for the Fee Paying Student Visa are no longer accepted.
The visa names a provider and a course. Changing either generally needs a variation of conditions or a new visa, and a variation costs NZ$325.
Where to confirm this
- INZ's full visa list: immigration.govt.nz/visas
- Provider and qualification recognition: nzqa.govt.nz
- Our index of every student product: all New Zealand student visas
This is general information about published rules, not immigration advice, and it cannot take your circumstances into account. Where the right product is genuinely unclear — a mid-course change, an unusual scholarship, a previous decline — a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer is the right person to ask.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many student visas does New Zealand have?
Nine: Fee Paying, Pathway, English Language, Exchange, Foreign Government Supported, NZ Government Scholarship, Dependent Child, Vocational Trainee and Trafficking Child Victim Student Visas. The Post Study Work Visa is a work visa and the Guardian Visitor Visa is a visitor visa, despite both being part of the study journey.
Which student visa do I need for New Zealand?
It depends on who pays your tuition and how many courses you are enrolled in. Paying your own tuition for one course points to the Fee Paying Student Visa. Up to three consecutive courses with an approved pathway provider points to the Pathway Student Visa. An approved exchange scheme, a foreign government scholarship or a New Zealand Government scholarship each have their own product. Your offer of place usually names the visa it supports.
What is the difference between the Fee Paying and Pathway Student Visas?
The Fee Paying visa covers one course, runs to a maximum of four years and costs from NZ$850. The Pathway visa covers up to three consecutive courses, runs to a maximum of five years and costs from NZ$750 because no IVL applies. The Pathway visa also requires you to meet the prerequisites for the second and third courses.
Is the Post Study Work Visa a student visa?
No. INZ classifies it as a work visa. It is applied for after an eligible qualification is completed, gives up to three years of work rights depending on the qualification, costs from NZ$1,670, and can only be held once.
Can I study English in New Zealand on a student visa?
Yes. INZ's product list names an English Language Student Visa, and English language students also appear in the Fee Paying Student Visa wait-time table. Funds use the tertiary rate of NZ$20,000 a year. Short courses of up to three months in a 12-month period can be done on a visitor visa instead.
Do all New Zealand student visas allow work?
No. Work rights of 25 hours a week in term time apply to the Fee Paying, Pathway, Exchange and Foreign Government Supported visas for grants on or after 3 November 2025, and are subject to age and school-year rules. Students aged 15 or younger cannot work at all, and conditions are printed on the individual visa.
Can a student visa include my partner or children?
No. Neither the Fee Paying nor the Pathway Student Visa can include a partner or dependent children. They apply separately and pay their own fee and immigration levy.
