Study support
Find out about the study support available to international students, with academic support and re-enrolment assistance.
Academic mentoring
Courses for international students
Student Learning runs useful, fun, and interactive courses for international students. They can help if you’re:
- finding it difficult to talk to your Kiwi classmates or lecturers
- being misunderstood even when you think you’re making yourself clear
- frustrated because you didn't know how to say ‘no’ to someone.
Their are courses to help you:
- prepare for studying in New Zealand
- improve your confidence in communicating with Kiwis and overcoming cultural barriers
- give presentations in English
- practise your conversational English
- improve your grammar and punctuation.
More about Student Learning courses for international students.
Academic monitoring programme
Under our Admission and Enrolment Regulations, students’ enrolment can be restricted if they don’t make satisfactory progress. Making good progress is also a condition of your student visa.
If you fail more than 50 per cent of your courses in a trimester, you’ll be referred to an academic monitoring programme with the International Student Experience team. An International student success adviser will give you confidential help to:
- improve your study performance
- identify the areas where you need to improve
- achieve success.
Other academic help
Pastoral care for international students
The Government’s new Pastoral Care Code of Practice, which sets out the University’s role and responsibilities in ensuring the wellbeing and safety of all our students, came into effect on 1 January 2022.
The Code applies to all domestic and international students, including those studying remotely and outside of New Zealand.
Learn more about the new code.
As an education provider, we’re responsible for the welfare of our international students.
The Pastoral Care Code provides a framework to make sure international students are:
- well-informed
- safe
- looked after.
The Code isn’t about academic standards—it’s just about supporting and providing information for international students.
Visit the NZQA website for full details of what’s covered in the Code (PDF).
International student complaints about our compliance with the Code
If you want to raise a concern or make a complaint, you can find information and support to do this in our complaints and conflict resolution section.
If your complaint is not resolved, you can contact the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) by phone on 0800 697 296 or email qadrisk@nzqa.govt.nz.
If it is a financial or contractual dispute, you can contact iStudent Complaints by phone on 0800 006 675. More information is available at iStudent Complaints.
For more information on the complaints processes, visit the NZQA student complaints about an education organisation webpage.