Students entering Year 13

Year 13 is the final year of school study and provides students with the opportunity to gain University Entrance (UE), which is required for studying an undergraduate degree. 

There are no compulsory courses at Level 3, however, students must select 5 courses to study, many of which may have prerequisites.

To gain University Entrance, students must achieve:

• NCEA Level 3
• 14 credits at Level 3 in each of three University Approved Subjects
• UE Literacy - 5 credits in reading and 5 credits in writing at Level 2 or above from specified Achievement Standards
• UE Numeracy - 10 credits at Level 1 or above.

Entry requirements to university courses may vary, and for some university courses a rank score is required. The rank score is calculated from your best 80 Level 3 UE Approved Achievement Standards.

Before selecting courses, students should explore their options by:

• Comparing the information on tertiary options on the Careers NZ website: www.careers.govt.nz
• Talking to students who are in tertiary study or training now or who have just finished
• Talking to family/whānau, teachers, Kaimanaaki Tangata and/or the Careers Team about your ideas
• Checking entry requirements for jobs of interest
• Using the jobs database to find out what you need to get into a job of interest
• Use the Course searcher tool to look up what and where you can study
• Volunteering in your community

N.B. Course availability is dependent on numbers and staffing, and course entry will be confirmed at the beginning of 2025. Students will be required to select additional back-up courses as part of this process.