FAQs

Nine ITPs use eCampus NZ to deliver online learning: Ara Institute of Canterbury, Otago Polytechnic, Toi Ohomai, Universal College of Learning (UCOL), Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT), Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT), NorthTec, and Whitireia & WelTec.

Learners can enrol via their regional institute or on this site.

Programmes are delivered through the eCampus NZ portal, and successful learners are awarded a qualification through the institute they are enrolled with.

Learners also have access to the on-campus facilities and services of their enrolling institute.

You will be enrolled through one of our partner Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs), who will contact you to collect the information and documentation needed to enrol in your chosen course. If you are over twenty years old, you will also be asked to supply a recently updated CV. Visit our Required Documents page for more information.

Yes. For your study to be approved as full-time for StudyLink purposes, the length of that course must meet a certain EFTS (equivalent full-time student) value.

If you want to study as a full-time student, you must work on more than one course at a time. You do not have to enrol in more than one certificate or diploma. For example, if you enrol in a Diploma of Business and decide to study as a full-time student, you will complete eight separate courses over 36 weeks, spending approximately 33 hours each week on your studies.

Visit the StudyLink website to access information about their definition of full-time study for Student Loan and Student Allowance purposes. You can also  contact one of our dedicated sales and learner services coordinators for advice.

At this time we are unable to accept applications from international students.

Yes, in some circumstances you may be given credit towards courses in your programme of study in recognition of previous study, work, or life experience.

If you have previously completed a course and you would like to apply to have it credited towards your new programme of study, please contact your enrolling Institute of Technology and Polytechnic (ITP) before you finalise your enrolment. You will be asked to complete a Credit Transfer form. Your enrolling ITP will decide whether you are eligible.

If you have completed a similar course to the required standard and want to apply to have it credited to your new programme of study, you will be asked to complete a Cross Credit application.  Your enrolling ITP will decide whether you are eligible.

If you have gained knowledge and skills in the workplace or through life experience and would like this to be recognised and credited towards your new programme of study, please contact your enrolling ITP and complete the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) form that they provide.  Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) involves a formal assessment of your knowledge and skills for the purpose of awarding credit towards that qualification. Your enrolling ITP will decide whether you are eligible.

No, you do not need to reveal your vaccination status in order to study online as you are not required to attend classes on campus.

Most learners using eCampus NZ study entirely remotely using online academic and pastoral support services through their facilitators, student advisors, and enrolling institute.

Learners studying through eCampus NZ are allowed to use the on-campus facilities and services of their enrolling institute, such as libraries and academic support services.

You must, however, fulfil your enrolling institute’s vaccination requirements in order to visit their campus, and the on-campus facilities and support services available to you will be restricted if you do not meet these requirements.

Visiting campus is not required for any programmes delivered via eCampus NZ.

If you do want to visit your enrolling institute’s campus, please check their COVID-19 support pages for information on their vaccination requirements beforehand:

• • Toi-Ohomai
  • Ara
  • NorthTec
  • Otago Polytechnic
  • NMIT
  • EIT
  • UCOL
  • Whitireia and WelTec

If you do not fulfil your enrolling institute’s vaccination requirements, you will still have access to online support services.

Clarification of vaccination requirements for learners studying via eCampus NZ for ITP contacts

• Prospective learners do not need to reveal their vaccination status in order to study online as they are not required to visit their enrolling institute’s campus.
• Visiting an enrolling institute’s campus is not required to meet the requirements of any programmes delivered via eCampus NZ.
• Learners have been directed via regular communications to check their enrolling institute’s COVID-19 support pages before visiting their campus and ensure they comply with all requirements.
• Learners have been informed that those learners who do not comply with their institute’s requirements will not be able to access on-campus facilities.

eCampus NZ provides a supportive learning environment. You have access to your own student advisor, a dedicated course facilitator, resources on the eCampus NZ portal, the Smarthinking tutoring service and support services provided by your enrolling Institute of Technology and Polytechnic (ITP).

You’ll find detailed information about the many support services available to you on our Student Support page.

Your experienced course facilitators are dedicated to helping you achieve your study goals. Our facilitators love hearing from learners and their whānau.  Take some time to get to know your facilitator by reading the ‘Meet your Facilitator’ information on your course overview.

You can contact your facilitator directly from your course home page.

Facilitators will try to respond to email enquiries within 24 hours. All email enquiries will be responded to within 48 hours.

If you have not heard back from your facilitator within 48 hours, please contact your student advisor, who will try to help you with your enquiry or issue.

If you would like to know more about how your facilitator will help you learn, please visit our Student Support page.

When you enrol, your student advisor’s name and email address will be sent to you with your study plan. Your student advisor can provide personalised advice about study skills, referrals to on-campus support services and other non-academic issues or queries. If you would like to know more about how your student advisor will help you learn, please visit our Student Support page.

One of the major benefits of completing study with eCampus NZ is that we have courses available to start at regular intervals throughout the year.

Check the relevant course page for course-specific information.

Our courses do have set start dates and end dates. Make sure that you choose a start date that suits your commitments and lifestyle, as failure to log in within the first 10% of your course will result in your enrolment being cancelled.

The number of weeks each course takes to complete varies, depending on the number of credits per course and the course level.  Most eCampus NZ courses are delivered over a period of 9-14 weeks and have monthly start dates.

Check the relevant course page for course-specific information.

As you move through each course, you will complete activities and readings, contribute to forums, and complete assessments. Your course facilitator will be on hand to guide you through the course and answer your questions.

We recommend that you complete the core papers before moving on to courses from a specific strand.

You may start with courses from a specific strand, but we only recommend this option to learners with prior knowledge of the subject area.

For example, if you are studying towards a New Zealand Diploma in Business (Project Management) Level 5, we recommend that you first complete the four core papers of the New Zealand Diploma in Business. However, if you have some prior knowledge of project management, you may choose to study a course from the Project Management strand before completing the four core courses.

For advice on the best study pathway for you, please contact our sales and learner service coordinators.

No, not all courses need to contain unit standards. Courses delivered wholly online by eCampus NZ do not contain unit standards. All courses successfully completed will be listed on your academic transcript.

All qualifications awarded will be listed on your NZQA Record of Achievement.

Yes, any study completed online through eCampus NZ is industry recognised, NZQA accredited and internationally accepted.  The qualification that you complete through eCampus NZ will be awarded by one of our partner Institute of Technology and Polytechnics. Your qualification will be of equal merit to a qualification completed on-campus.

Yes, the NZQA qualifications that eCampus NZ offer are internationally accepted as they are listed on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF). The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) works closely with other government agencies such as Education New Zealand (ENZ), the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) to develop formal agreements and arrangements with other countries to recognise each other’s qualifications.

Not every country has the same arrangements in place, so be sure to check out NZQA’s country-specific qualification recognition arrangements for more specific information. You can also visit  the NZQA website for more details.

At eCampus NZ, we offer a range of qualifications across levels 3-6 of the New Zealand Qualification Framework (NZQF). If you’re not sure which level to choose, visit the NZQA website for information on the knowledge and skills demanded at each level and the further education and employment opportunities each qualification can lead to. For advice on the best study pathway for you, please contact our sales and learner service coordinators.

Digital badges are electronic versions of paper certificates. They are becoming a popular way to showcase skills and achievements online. You can share your badge to LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook; over email; embedded in a website or in your email signature. Find out more here.

From 1 January 2018, tertiary education has been fees-free for eligible first-time tertiary students on programmes level 3 and above. This exciting opportunity is not just offered to new school leavers. The ability to study fees-free is open to anyone of any age, provided they meet the eligibility criteria. Visit the Fees Free website to learn if you are eligible.

If you are studying towards an NZQA certificate or diplomas with eCampus NZ, you are eligible for student loan support on condition that you meet certain criteria set by StudyLink. Visit the StudyLink website to find out more.

No, as this may result in you being liable for the course fees. eCampus NZ courses are offered at regular intervals throughout the year. If your StudyLink funding isn’t approved in time, please contact our sales and learner service coordinators to discuss moving to a later course occurrence.

First-time learners can apply online using this link.

You can use MyStudyLink to manage your information, claim course-related costs, and re-apply for Student Allowance or Student Loan online.

Alternatively, you can email StudyLink through their FAQs page or give them a call on 0800 88 99 00.

Visit this page for information on how to appeal your fees-free entitlement if you used your entitlement on study that was impacted by COVID-19.

Visit this page for information on how to get your fees free entitlement reinstated if you withdrew from study for reasons connected to COVID-19.

No, you can’t save your remaining fees-free entitlement to use later. Visit the fees-free website for more information.

If your study was impacted or you withdrew from your study due to COVID-19, you may be able to appeal to have the fees-free allowance you used for these courses reinstated. Visit this page on the Fees-Free website for more information.

It’s great that you want to get prepared. Kei runga noa atu koe! 

Good news – there are no textbooks to buy. All readings and course materials are available online. 

As the eCampus NZ portal may be new to you, we recommend giving yourself time to explore the portal before your course starts.  

When you enrolled, you were sent an email with instructions about how to log in to the portal. You can log in using the green Portal Login button on the top right hand of this page. Once you have logged in to the portal, click on the My Support tab and spend some time looking through the resources provided. You’ll find learning resources, instructional videos, FAQs for current learners and much more. 

To help you find your way around the portal, you have been enrolled in our ‘Getting Started on eCampus’ course, which became available when you were sent your login details. This course follows the same format and structure as the rest of our courses, and it will help you get to know the platform before you start your course. 

Your other course/s will become available one week before the official start date. This gives you an opportunity to explore the course/s, note down assessment due dates, and get prepared for the exciting learning journey you have ahead of you before it officially begins. 

You will receive a welcome email when your course becomes available one week before the official start date. This gives you an opportunity to explore the course/s, note down assessment due dates, and get prepared for the exciting learning journey you have ahead of you before it officially begins.

Your eCampus NZ account gives you access to a Microsoft Office365 ProPlus License, which means you can use a range of applications and services such as Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive and Sway. 

You can access the online versions of these apps through the portal – simply log in and choose Office 365 on the navigation menu. This will take you to your Microsoft 365 dashboard, where you’ll also find the option to install the desktop versions of the Microsoft Office 2016 applications on up to five devices. 

Please note that from November 1^st, 2021, Chromebook users will no longer be able to install the desktop versions of Office 365 applications to your device. However, you can still access the online versions from your Microsoft 365 Dashboard.

The online versions of the applications do not offer as many features as the desktop versions, which is why many of our learners decide to install the desktop versions on their device/s. For example, if you want to create a bibliography or use more advanced editing and page layout tools in Word, you’ll need to install the desktop version. 

Click on these links to compare the features available on the online and desktop versions of Word, PowerPoint, OneNote and Excel.  

Visit the Office 365 page on Tō Tautoko for more information.

All learners are different. As a guide, NZQA suggests that each credit is worth 10 hours of total study time, so a 15-credit course delivered over 10 weeks will require approximately 15 hours per week of study.  The study can take many different forms, including readings, contributing to forums, completing activities and completing and submitting assessments etc. When planning your schedule, keep in mind the number of weeks you have been given to complete the course. If you miss an entire week of study, you will miss a significant amount of course content and will need to catch up.

You are responsible for your own learning and meeting the set course assessment deadlines. All content and assessments will be available from the beginning of each course. However, a key requirement for eCampus NZ learners is that you log in regularly and actively engage with learning materials throughout your course. This means completing activities, reading texts and resources, contributing to forums and completing and submitting assessments.

While you may submit your assessments early, remember that they are designed to deepen your understanding of course content, and it’s better to complete them as you progress through the course. You can view the Learning Path on your course Home Page to help you manage your time and plan your study schedule.

Most of the courses are delivered over a 9-14 week period. Most courses have monthly start dates, so you can choose course dates that fit around your commitments, including planned holidays. When choosing your start date, keep in mind that you must engage with the course within the first 10% of your course. Failure to do so will likely result in your enrolment being cancelled. Take into account that you must engage with each course regularly and complete all course and assessment requirements by the due dates posted on the Assessment Requirements section of your course.

If you are receiving StudyLink support, make sure that you contact StudyLink to discuss how taking a break between courses will impact on your student loan and/or student allowance.

eCampus NZ offer courses at regular intervals throughout the year. As a result, occasionally assessment due dates fall during holiday periods.

However, you are allowed to submit assessments early, so you can plan your study schedule to avoid uploading assessments on a public holiday. Contact your student advisor if you’d like help with creating a study schedule and managing your time over holiday periods.

There are no exams. However, you will be required to complete assessments, including online tests, as you progress through your course. The type of assessment depends on the learning outcomes of the course you are enrolled in and can include reports, online portfolios and case studies. Assessments have set submission dates and will contribute to your overall grade.

To help you to succeed, your course facilitator is there to assist you with the assessment requirements and timelines. All you need to do is follow the course schedule and engage with your facilitator and advisor.

Your facilitator will mark the assessments you complete throughout the course and will provide you with feedback on areas of success and opportunities for improvement.

You will be enrolled through one of our partner Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs). At the end of your course (usually within 2-3 weeks of the course end date) your assessment results and provisional course result will be sent to your ITP for final approval. You will receive your confirmed course result from them. They will let you know how to access the result, and when it is available.

Your ITP will approve the award of a qualification when you have met all course requirements.

To study with eCampus NZ, you need access to a desktop/laptop computer or modern PC with internet access and enough data to spend approximately 15 (part-time) or 30 (full-time) hours a week online, including watching videos, downloading files etc.

You should not attempt to study using only a mobile phone or Android/Apple tablet as you will not be able to access the resources you need or upload files, such as assessments, to the portal.

If you are a Mac user, check with the Sales and Enrolments team before you start to ensure there are no constraints for Mac users on your chosen courses.  Click here for more detailed information on eCampus NZ’s computer requirements.

eCampus NZ requires computers with a minimum* of Windows 8.1 or MacOSx 10.12, and we recommend Windows 10 or above and MacOS 11 or above.

*Many courses rely on 3rd party applications and browsers (e.g. Chrome etc.). While eCampus NZ takes every opportunity to design courses with this in mind, we cannot be held accountable for 3rd party application updates that may prevent your software working as expected.

We have a dedicated IT Support team that is available on Monday – Friday between 9am and 5pm and can be contacted by email at [email protected] or on 0800 328 269. Our IT Support team will endeavour to respond to your enquiry within 4-6 hours, based on the urgency and priority of the issue.  If you encounter an issue outside of these hours, please email or leave a message and our team will respond to you on the next working day.

You will have been sent an email from eCampus NZ containing the login information you need to access the portal. Be sure to check your email account’s spam/junk folder if it hasn’t arrived yet. You can log in using the green Portal Login button on the top right hand of this page.

If you are unable to find your login details, please contact our dedicated IT Support team. They are available on Monday – Friday between 9am and 5pm and can be contacted by email at [email protected] or on 0800 328 269.  If you encounter an issue outside of these hours, please email or leave a message with our answer services and our team will respond to you on the next working day.

A key course requirement is you should regularly access and engage with the learning materials and activities on the eCampus NZ portal. This will ensure that you keep up with the learning and are prepared when your assessments are due.

If you do not log in within the first 10% of your course (the cancellation period), it is likely that your enrolment will be cancelled. Cancellation at this stage will result in a refund of all fees and will not appear on your academic record. This will not affect future applications at eCampus NZ and you may transfer into a later course occurrence or begin a new program of study. However, your enrolling Institute of Technology and Polytechnic (ITP) may still charge an administration fee when you cancel your enrolment at this stage. If applicable, your enrolling ITP will inform StudyLink that your enrolment has been cancelled and any StudyLink payments connected to this course will stop.

Non-engagement after the cancellation period may result in you being withdrawn from the course. There will be no refund of fees at this point and your enrolling ITP will inform StudyLink that you have been withdrawn from the course. If you are not able to access your course for more than a few days, please let your facilitator know. 

There may be other options available to you if you are unable to complete your course due to circumstances outside of your control. Please contact your student advisor to discuss your options.

We want you to be a successful learner. However, if you find that you are unable to finish a course you have enrolled in, you can withdraw from your course if you do so before the last 2-3 weeks of the course (depending on the length of the course). Your result will then show as ‘Withdrawn’. If applicable, your enrolling Institute of Technology and Polytechnic (ITP) will inform StudyLink that you have withdrawn from the course and any StudyLink payments connected to this course will stop.

If you do not withdraw within this timeframe and do not finish the course, a ‘Fail’ result will appear on your academic transcript. If applicable, your enrolling ITP will inform StudyLink if you do not regularly engage with your course and submit assessments and any StudyLink payments connected to this course will stop.

If you want to join a later course occurrence, you will need to re-enrol and pay the course fees again.

There may be other options available to you if you are unable to complete your course due to circumstances outside of your control. If you are considering withdrawing from your course, please contact your student advisor to discuss your options.

We understand that life can get in the way and that you may need to cancel your course enrolment. We can cancel your enrolment if you give us notice within the first 10% of your course. This will enable you to transfer into a later course occurrence, or a different course altogether. We are happy to discuss alternatives with you.

If you cancel within the first 10% of your course, your fees will be refunded, although your enrolling institute may still charge an administration fee. If applicable, your enrolling Institute of Technology and Polytechnic (ITP) will inform StudyLink that you have cancelled your enrolment and any StudyLink payments connected to this course will stop.

If you do not cancel your enrolment within this timeframe, you will need to formally withdraw from study.

eCampus NZ uses data to improve how we support our learners, how we design and develop the eCampus NZ platform and our courses, and how we can make the learner experience better. Data plays an important part in our continuous improvement strategies. In short, the data we collect helps us to be better at what we do and how we do it.

Our use of data is informed by two key policies – our Privacy Policy (which follows the Privacy Act 1993) and our Data Governance policy. It’s important for you to know just how seriously we take the use of data and the rules we follow to ensure we use it safely, ethically and for the purposes we collect it.

The registration of your award will be completed by NZQA once they receive the relevant completion data from the Ministry of Education, which your enrolling Institute of Technology and Polytechnic (ITP) will submit on your behalf.

The NZQA registration process is currently experiencing a 12 to 18 month delay, which is outside of the control of your ITP.
However, you can request an immediate registration of your award through your ITP at a cost of $ 5.10 per award. Please contact your enrolling ITP if you would like to do this.

Please also note that your official academic transcript is available from your enrolling institution and is usually sufficient as evidence of your qualification.