Financial support after school

What tertiary education support is there?

Depending on your circumstances, you will be able to apply for different types of financial support when you start tertiary study. Covering things such as your course fees or day-to-day expenses like food, you’ll want to check what support you can apply for ahead of time to make sure you get your money sorted.

Some examples of financial support for tertiary education include:

• Student Allowance – a weekly payment to help with day-to-day expenses.
• Student Loan – a sum of money to help you pay for things like course fees and study materials, along with luxury costs.
• Scholarships – financial awards given for reasons ranging from your performance at school to the area you’ve grown up in.
• Fees Free – a maximum of NZ$12,000 can be claimed by students that meet certain requirements to help pay for their first year course fees.

Each of these are meant to make it easier for you to do some kind of tertiary education. Scholarships are particularly helpful as you don't have to pay them back. And, with a lot of scholarships unclaimed every year in Aotearoa New Zealand, it will pay to do some investigation work and apply to those you are eligible for. You may be surprised by how much money you can get this way!

Our post on the topic has more information on financial support, which you can read by clicking on the link below.

Useful links:

• School Leavers’ Toolkit – ‘Financial support for tertiary education'

What if I don’t want to go into tertiary education?

You don’t need to be in tertiary education to get financial support. Depending on your situation, for example, if you need support because you work less than 30 hours a week or if you are forced to move out of home, you may be able to apply for financial aid from Work and Income.

Examples of support you can apply for include:

• a weekly payment for people looking for work (Jobseeker Support)
• support with living expenses.

If any of these apply to you, check out the relevant links below. If not, and you want to see what other financial aid is available, the Ministry of Social Development page can give you a more personalised breakdown.

Useful links:

• Ministry of Social Development – ‘Check what you might get’
• Work and Income – ‘Help with living expenses’
• Work and Income – ‘Jobseeker Support’
• Work and Income – ‘What we can do for 16-19 year olds’

Key websites

• Ministry of Social Development (MSD): MSD is a Government department providing things like employment services, student allowances and loans and advising the Government on social policies.
• Work and Income: Work and Income is actually run by the MSD, though it focusses specifically on helping people into work and training, supporting employers and advising people on financial issues.
• Youthline: Youthline is made up of a group of organisations throughout the country with the aim of providing support for young people who need it. It has a useful ‘Advice Hub’ covering topics such as ‘Body’ and ‘Mind’, and a free call line if you need someone to talk to.