Why New Zealand
Up to three years of open work rights after a coursework master's, up to 25 hours of work a week while you study, and a published list of occupations with a defined route to residence.
What a coursework master's actually gets you
A coursework master's is a structured programme of taught courses at an advanced level, usually finishing with a project or an industry placement rather than a thesis. It is the type to aim for, and in some cases it will take you into a different professional area from your first degree.
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Some are built for a change of field
Wellington's Master of Software Development requires a bachelor degree that is not in computer science. Auckland's Master of Engineering Studies accepts an approved bachelor degree on its 180 point option rather than an engineering one. AUT's Master of Computer and Information Sciences takes graduates from adjacent disciplines.
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And some are firmly closed
Otago's Master of Surveying is restricted to applicants who already hold a four year surveying degree. Canterbury's engineering master's want a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours. Knowing which is which before you apply is most of the value of an assessment.
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A project or placement, not a thesis
Wellington's Master of Building Science finishes with an industry project or practicum in its third trimester. That is the sort of work that turns into a first job offer.
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Up to three years of open work rights
A level 9 master's qualifies for a post-study work visa of up to three years, no employer sponsorship needed to start. A coursework master's in Australia gets two years. The United Kingdom gives two years now and eighteen months from 1 January 2027.
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Up to 25 hours a week while you study
A student visa can be granted with rights to work up to 25 hours a week in term and full time over scheduled holidays. It is a ceiling that is granted rather than an automatic entitlement, so check the conditions on your own visa. It helps, but it will not fund the degree and the visa still requires evidence you can support yourself.
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A published occupation list, mostly health
Immigration New Zealand lists 215 occupations. We list the 180 a master's can lead to, 174 of them straight to residence. Of those 180, 129 are health and social services. Engineering has 28, ICT 12 and construction 6. If your field is engineering or ICT, the list is narrower than the headline number suggests.
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It does not have to be a university
Immigration New Zealand grants the post-study work visa on the level of the qualification, not the type of provider. An institute of technology teaches the same level 9 master's for as little as NZ$24,600 a year, against NZ$55,484.50 for 120 points at the University of Auckland, and the visa outcome is identical. Engineering is the exception: that is still a university route.
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One of the safest countries in the world
New Zealand ranks third of 163 countries in the 2025 Global Peace Index, behind Iceland and Ireland, and first in the Asia-Pacific. There is also a protection specific to international students: any provider that enrols you must be an approved signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021, which sets out what it has to do for your wellbeing and safety.
What you can do after you graduate
How long you can stay and work once you graduate, how much you can work while you are studying, and what the route to residence actually is, in the four countries most applicants weigh up.
| Criterion | New Zealand | Australia | United Kingdom | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post-study work rights | Up to 3 years for a level 9 master's | 2 years for a coursework master's, 3 for a research master's | 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, 18 months after that | Up to 3 years for a master's, even if the programme was shorter than 2 years |
| Work rights while studying | Up to 25 hours a week in term, full time in scheduled breaks | 48 hours a fortnight while the course is in session, unlimited when it is not | Depends on the course. No single figure is published | Up to 24 hours a week off campus during terms |
| Pathway to residence | The Green List: 174 of its 215 roles go straight to residence with a qualifying job offer, and the rest after 24 months of work. Otherwise the Skilled Migrant Category, which needs 6 points, and a level 9 master's is worth 5 | Points-tested skilled migration. The Skilled Independent visa is permanent, but you need 65 points or more and an occupation on the skilled occupation list | No occupation list route. You must usually have lived and worked in the UK for 5 years, normally on a Skilled Worker visa | Express Entry, a ranked pool. Experience gained on a post-graduation work permit feeds the Canadian Experience Class, and the highest ranked are invited to apply |
New Zealand from immigration.govt.nz, Australia from the Department of Home Affairs subclass 189, 485 and 500 pages, the United Kingdom from gov.uk, Canada from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Checked 18 and 19 August 2026.
What a first year actually costs
One person, one year, in New Zealand dollars. Tuition is the published range across the programmes we list. Everything else comes from Immigration New Zealand or from a provider.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition, coursework master's | NZ$24,600 to NZ$74,150 | From an institute of technology at the low end to a university at the high end, on the basis each provider publishes |
| Living costs you must show | NZ$20,000 | Immigration New Zealand evidence of funds requirement, one year |
| Student visa application | From NZ$850 | Immigration New Zealand published starting fee |
| Health and travel insurance | NZ$1,348.50 | Lincoln University's published figure for one year. Others differ |
| Post-study work visa, later | From NZ$1,670 | Immigration New Zealand published starting fee |
| Indicative first year, at the lowest tuition | From NZ$46,798.50 |
Tuition, living costs, the student visa fee and one year of insurance. Sourced from immigration.govt.nz, each provider's own fee schedule and Lincoln University, checked 18 August 2026. Confirm the current figures before you commit: providers revise fees every year.
When to do what
Working backwards from a February intake. The July intake follows the same sequence, half a year later. These are our own working timeframes, not a published rule.
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6 months before
Assessment and shortlist
Work out which providers are realistic and whether your English needs work. Entry requirements vary far more than fees do.
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5 months before
Sit IELTS
Leaves room for one retake without threatening the intake. Most providers ask for 6.5 overall with no band below 6.0.
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4 months before
Applications lodged
Transcripts, degree certificate, English result and personal statement.
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3 months before
Offer, then student visa lodged
Conditional offer first, then unconditional once the conditions are met. Immigration New Zealand encourages applying for the student visa 3 months before you travel, and funds evidence, medicals and police certificates take time to gather.
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1 month before
Flights and accommodation
Arrive with time to settle before orientation.
Common questions
A student visa can be granted with rights to work up to 25 hours a week during term time and full time during scheduled holidays. This went up from 20 hours, so if you have read 20 somewhere, that source is out of date. Two things to be clear about: the hours are a ceiling granted on your visa rather than an automatic entitlement, so check your own visa conditions, and full time work in the holidays requires a course worth 120 credits.
It helps, but it will not fund the degree, and the visa still requires evidence that you can support yourself: tuition plus NZ$20,000 for a year of living costs.
No, and anyone who tells you otherwise is not being straight with you. A level 9 master’s gives you a post-study work visa of up to three years. Residence needs a qualifying job offer from an accredited employer in a Green List role, and for Tier 2 roles, 24 months of work first. Several Green List engineering roles also require an accredited undergraduate engineering degree, a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours, an Engineering New Zealand benchmark letter, or CPEng registration. A New Zealand master’s is not automatically any of those.
It depends on the services you need. We set our fees out in writing before you commit to anything, so nothing is charged without your agreement. Where immigration advice is involved, that is given by a licensed adviser and the fee for it is agreed with you separately, also in writing.
Yes. Heartland Immigration is our sister company, so the student visa, the post-study work visa and the residence application are all handled by a licensed adviser rather than passed to a third party.
Find out where you stand
Send us your degree, your average and your English result, and we will tell you which programmes are realistic.