Entry requirements for international students in New Zealand depend on your school certificate, grades and English, not on national exam scores such as Russia's Unified State Exam (EGE). A school certificate from Russia and several other countries does not give direct entry to a New Zealand university bachelor's degree: the official requirements of Lincoln, Massey, AUT and others ask for one year of study at a recognised university, a foundation programme or a level 5–6 diploma first. Those are the routes to a New Zealand degree, and none of them depends on exam scores. You still need the school certificate itself; in Russia it is issued after the state final assessment, which includes exams in Russian and mathematics.
Updated 30 September 2026. Requirements are taken from official university pages on that date.
At a glance: what New Zealand providers ask of a Russian school leaver
Summary of official pages for international applicants, checked on 30 September 2026:
| Provider | Bachelor's with a Russian school certificate | Alternative offered |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln University | no — one year of successful study at a recognised university is required | Pathway Certificate (Foundation) on the school certificate; First-Year Pathway Diploma with EGE results |
| Massey University | no — 1 year of study at a recognised tertiary institution | — |
| AUT | no — 1 year of successful study towards a degree at a recognised institution | diplomas on the school certificate |
| University of Auckland | Russia is not in the table of countries whose certificates are accepted for bachelor's entry from 2027 | foundation or a year at university |
| Unitec (polytechnic) | no — 1 year of tertiary study | diplomas on the school certificate |
| Victoria University of Wellington | via Foundation Studies | Foundation on the school certificate: grade "3" or above in 3–5 subjects |
Sources: Lincoln, Massey, AUT, University of Auckland, Unitec, VUW Foundation Studies.
The conclusion is simple: national exam scores are almost never required, but there is no direct "school certificate to university bachelor's" route either. There is always an intermediate step between school and a degree.
Why the school certificate still matters
A secondary school certificate is required for almost every route. In Russia it is issued after the state final assessment in year 11, which includes the EGE in Russian and mathematics. So "without the EGE" in a New Zealand context means "without high subject exam scores", not "without finishing school". A New Zealand provider will look at the grades on your certificate, your English and, for foundation programmes, your grades in specific subjects.
The certificate and transcript need translating into English; the provider's document requirements say which type of translation it accepts.
Route 1. A university foundation programme
A foundation programme lasts a year or less, stands in for the missing school year and leads into a bachelor's at a specific university.
- Lincoln University — Pathway Certificate (Foundation): on a school certificate with grade "3" or above in four academic subjects including mathematics; 60 credits; NZD 14,500 in 2026; English IELTS 5.5 (bands ≥5.0) (Lincoln, fees, English).
- Victoria University of Wellington — Foundation Studies (run by UP Education): on a school certificate; the standard 12-month track needs grade "3" in three relevant subjects, and the 8–9-month and 6-month fast tracks need four and five (VUW Foundation, June 2026).
Lincoln also offers a First-Year Pathway Diploma, a one-year diploma that leads straight into the second year of a bachelor's. That one does ask for the EGE certificate, so it suits applicants who have taken it.
Route 2. A level 5–6 diploma at a polytechnic or private provider
Polytechnics and private providers accept a school certificate for level 5–6 diplomas on the NZQCF (formerly NZQF): AUT and Unitec list the Russian "Certificate of Secondary Education" for diplomas (AUT, Unitec). A diploma is a qualification in its own right and can lead on to a bachelor's. The minimum English is IELTS Academic 5.5 for level 5 and 6.0 for levels 6–7 (NZQA).
Check in advance what a diploma means for your visa. From 16 November 2026, graduates of level 5–7 qualifications that do not lead to a post-study work visa can apply for a new 6-month Short-Term Graduate Work Visa (INZ). See the Post-study work visa page.
Route 3. A year at a recognised university, then a bachelor's
The standard requirement at Lincoln, Massey, AUT and Unitec is one year of successful study at a recognised university. That year can be completed anywhere, including at home or online, provided the institution is recognised. After it, you apply for a bachelor's in New Zealand, and the provider decides individually how much of your earlier study to credit.
Route 4. The joint NIU and ICL bachelor's with an online first year
The joint programme by Nairi International University (NIU) and ICL Graduate Business School, the Bachelor of Business Information Systems (BBIS), follows the logic of route 3, with the year of university study built into the programme:
| Item | BBIS |
|---|---|
| Level and credits | level 7, 360 credits: 180 at NIU, 180 at ICL |
| Length | three academic years compressed into 24 months: six trimesters of 16 weeks |
| First year | at NIU by distance, from home, with no visa |
| Second stage | on campus at ICL Graduate Business School, Auckland |
| To enrol | a school certificate |
| To move on to ICL | IELTS Academic 6.0 (no band below 5.5) and the NIU certificate for the first year |
| First-stage cost | USD 7,500 per academic year; the on-campus stage is costed individually |
The path is school certificate → first year online with NIU → on campus at ICL in New Zealand → a bachelor's degree, and exam scores are not requested at any point.
If you left school years ago or have a college diploma
There is no age limit for study in New Zealand, and nobody checks old exam results, so every route above is open to older applicants. If you studied at a vocational college or started university without finishing, the provider will assess your documents individually and may credit part of your study; you will need your diploma or academic transcript with subjects and hours, translated into English.
If you already hold a bachelor's degree, school exams do not matter at all: your next step is a master's, covered on the Master's in New Zealand page.
English: the one exam you will need
On almost every route an English test takes the place of exam scores. NZQA minimums by level (NZQA):
| Where | IELTS Academic |
|---|---|
| Foundation (Lincoln example) | 5.5, bands ≥5.0 |
| Level 5 diploma | 5.5, bands ≥5.0 |
| Level 6 diploma, bachelor's (level 7) | 6.0, bands ≥5.5 |
All accepted tests, alternatives and ways to raise your score are on the English language requirements page.
Catalogue programmes for school leavers
- Bachelor of Business — AIS — a level 7 bachelor's at a private provider in Auckland;
- NZCEL (Academic) Level 5 — Skill New Zealand — if your English needs work first;
- all programmes are in Programs and courses.
Sources
All links checked on 30 September 2026.
- Lincoln University — International undergraduate entry criteria: https://www.lincoln.ac.nz/study/apply-and-enrol/apply/international-undergraduate-entry-criteria/
- Lincoln University — International fees 2026: https://www.lincoln.ac.nz/study/fees/international-fees/
- Lincoln University — English language requirements: https://www.lincoln.ac.nz/study/apply-and-enrol/apply/english-language-requirements/
- Massey University — Entry requirements for international students: https://www.massey.ac.nz/study/entry-requirements-to-study-at-massey/entry-requirements-for-international-students/
- AUT — International student entry requirements: https://www.aut.ac.nz/study/entry-requirements/international-student-entry-requirements
- University of Auckland — 2027 undergraduate programme-specific entry requirements: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/assets/study/applications-and-admissions/entry-requirements/undergraduate-entry-requirements/overseas-secondary-school-applicants/2027+Undergraduate-programme-specific-entry-requirements-J-Z.pdf
- Unitec — International entry requirements: https://www.unitec.ac.nz/?p=2498
- Victoria University of Wellington Foundation Studies (UP Education) — entry requirements: https://wgtn.up.education/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VUW-Foundation-Entry-Requirements-Web.pdf
- NZQA — English language entry requirements for international students: https://www2.nzqa.govt.nz/tertiary/english-language-entry-requirements-for-international-students/
- INZ — New Short-Term Graduate Work Visa (10.09.2026): https://www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/news-centre/new-short-term-graduate-work-visa-launching-on-16-november-2026/