NCEA Requirements
NCEA Certificate Requirements
NCEA Level 1
80 credits at any level (Level 1, 2 or 3) and including…
10 credits Level 1 Literacy
10 credits Level 1 Numeracy
NCEA Level 2
80 credits at Level 2 or above or…
60 credits at Level 2 or above PLUS 20 credits from any level
NCEA Level 3
80 credits at Level 3 or above or…
60 credits at Level 3 or above PLUS 20 credits from any level
University Entrance Requirements: UE
University Entrance (UE) is the minimum requirement to attend a New Zealand university. To qualify for UE, you will need all of the following:
- NCEA Level 3
- 14 credits in each of three University approved subjects
- UE Numeracy = 10 credits at Level 1 or higher from specified Achievement Standards
- UE Literacy = 10 credits (5 in reading & 5 in writing) at Level 2 or higher from specified Achievement Standards
Note: In addition to achieving University Entrance, most universities require further entry criteria to be met. This information is available on the university website or prospectus.
Auckland University’s Literacy requirement: minimum of 17 credits in English at either Level 2 or above.
Course Endorsement of Merit or Excellence
Students will gain an endorsement for a course (subject) if, in a single school year, they achieve:
- 14 or more credits at Merit or Excellence, and
- At least 3 of these credits from externally assessed standards and 3 credits from internally assessed standards. Note this does not apply to Physical Education and Level 3 Visual Arts.
Certificate Endorsement of Merit or Excellence
A certificate will be endorsed with Merit or Excellence where a student has 50 Merit credits or 50 Excellence credits at the level of the NCEA certificate or above. Where the student has a combination of 50 credits of Merit or Excellence at the level of the certificate or above they will be entitled to a Merit endorsement.
UE Approved Level 3 Courses at KBHS
Accounting | Digital Technologies | Music |
Art Design | Drama | Physical Education |
Art Painting/ Sculpture | Economics | Physics |
Art Photography | English | Samoan |
Biology | Geography | Science |
Calculus | History | Statistics |
Chemistry | Japanese | Te Reo Māori |
Design & Visual Communication | Mathematics |
Non UE Approved Level 3 Courses at KBHS
Building & Construction | Gateway | Services Academy |
Financial Skills | Police Academy | Recreation |
Tourism |
NZQA New Zealand Scholarship Exams
NZ Scholarship exams provide recognition and monetary reward to top students in a subject. They are externally assessed exams run by NZQA and are designed to challenge the most capable Level 3 candidates. They are not a qualification and do not earn credits but they will appear on a student’s Record of Achievement. NZ Scholarships are awarded to approximately the top 3% of participating candidates in each subject.
Students will be identified as potential Scholarship candidates by their teachers based on their academic performance and potential in a subject, students may inquire whether they would be suitable for entry. Additional work and a study programme would be implemented to prepare for the exams.