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Follow these steps to apply for Fees Free in myIR. You must apply within 1 year of completing your qualification or programme.  For qualifications or programmes completed in the 2025 calendar year, you have until 31 December 2026 to apply. 

Do we have your information yet? If you wait for us to receive your information from the Tertiary Education Commission, completing your application will be easier.

To work out when we'll have your information, see this page.

Application processing times

Before you start

To apply for Fees Free, you will need:

  • your national student number (NSN)
  • tertiary education organisation where your study or work-based learning was completed
  • date you completed the qualification or programme
  • name of the qualification or programme
  • qualification or programme level on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework.

We may pre-fill this information (apart from your NSN) if we have received it from the Tertiary Education Commission.

In myIR select 'I want to...'

Select 'Apply for Fees Free'

Enter your application details

Review and submit your application

Log in to myIR

What happens next

We will contact you if we need more information. When your application has been processed, you will receive confirmation of the outcome. 

Your application can take some time to process based on when your tertiary education organisation sends your qualification or programme information.


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Last updated: 15 Jan 2026
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