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Admission Requirements

Arts & Professional Studies
Admission Requirements

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Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Education (Primary) (BEd)

General Admission Requirements ( Te Reo Māori)

To be accepted into this programme, an applicant must:

  • be at least 16 years of age
  • be a New Zealand citizen (or citizen of Australia, Tokelau, Niue, Cook Islands) or permanent resident
  • reside in New Zealand
  • have successfully completed NCEA Level 3 Te Reo Māori or a New Zealand Certificate in Te Reo Māori Level 4
  • meet with a kaiako to discuss course workload and commitment

Or

  • successfully complete the pre-entry assessment
  • meet with a kaiako to discuss course workload and commitment

General Admission Requirements ( All Specialisations except Te Reo Māori)

To gain entry to the Bachelor of Arts programme, candidates must have:

  • University Entrance
  • NCEA Level 3
  • 14 credits at Level 3 in each of the three approved subjects
  • 10 Literacy credits at Level 2 or above, made up of 5 credits in reading and 5 credits in writing.
  • 10 Numeracy credits at Level 1 or above, made up of:
  • co-requisite Level 1 Numeracy standard 32406 or Te Pāngarau unit standard 32412, or
  • certain achievement standards.

NCEA equivalence can include:

  • University Entrance, A or B Bursary
  • Overseas equivalent qualifications, including IB and CIE, or HSC (Australia)
  • Other NZQA Level 3 certificates in relevant disciplines to Laidlaw programmes
  • Other NZQA Level 4 certificate in a different discipline.
  • The following may be accepted as equivalent at our discretion, and the applicant may need to sit an assessment for entry:
  • Reference/support/documentation from an employer
  • Evidence of the level of academic achievement or a portfolio of work for home-schooled students.

All equivalences must be documented.

Applicants must seek NZQA’s International Qualification Assessment (IQA)evaluation of their non-NZ (overseas) qualifications prior to applying.

In recognition of the professional competence and standards maintained by certain regulatory and professional bodies, Laidlaw may accept specific professional registrations in place of an IQA report, provided that the professional body is nationally recognised and operates under statutory or formally established regulations in New Zealand. (e.g. Medical Council, Nursing Council, Teaching Council, Chartered Accountancy bodies, etc.) Professional registration will be accepted in place of IQA where it is current and demonstrates that the applicant has achieved at least the equivalent of the minimum academic requirement for the programme. Where a programme requires specific academic subjects or levels of study, additional evidence may still be requested.

  • Applicants must provide official confirmation of current professional registration. Admissions will verify the authenticity of the registration directly with the issuing authority, where necessary.
  • The Academic Registrar or a delegated staff member will determine whether a professional registration is acceptable as an alternative to IQA. All decisions must be documented and consistently applied.

Special Admission Requirements

For applicants who do not meet the above requirements, an Entry Assessment may be required.

  • Includes a literacy test. (Dates for assessment will be advised.)

Possible study options can arise depending on the assessment result:

  • An offer of entry to a level 4 or level 5 programme
  • An offer of entry to another Laidlaw programme
  • Entry to the BA (if appropriate).

Entry Points into the BA*

  • Applicants who have completed the New Zealand Certificate in Christian Ministry (Level 4) with a strand in Internship may be eligible to enter the first year of the degree.
  • Applicants who have completed Te Pōkairua Reo (Rumaki) (Te Kaupae 5) may be eligible to enter the second year of the degree.
  • Applicants who have completed the New Zealand Certificate in Youth Work (Level 5) may be eligible to enter the second year of the degree.
  • Applicants who have completed the New Zealand Diploma in Christian Studies (Level 5) with either a strand in Christian Leadership or Theological Studies may be eligible to enter the second year of the degree.
  • Applicants who have completed both Te Pōkairua Reo (Rumaki) (Te Kaupae 5) and Te Pōkairua Reo (Rumaki) (Te Kaupae 6) may be eligible to enter the third year of the degree. Applications for credit transfer must be submitted within five years of completing Te Pōkairua Reo (Rumaki) (Te Kaupae 6).

*Eligibility is subject to the credit transfer rules (see section 2.6.3.4 of the Gen Regs).

English Language Requirements

Applicants must meet both the Academic and English language requirements for this programme. In addition to the requirements outlined above, applicants for whom English is not their first language must use one of the following methods to demonstrate that they have the required level of English proficiency to study in New Zealand:

  • achieved NCEA level 3 and has met New Zealand university entrance requirements; or
  • awarded an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge A-level qualification for which the teaching and assessment were conducted in English; or
  • awarded the Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA) or the Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL); or
  • completed all primary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand primary school years 1 to 8) and at least three years of secondary education (being the equivalent of three years from New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
  • completed at least five years of secondary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools is one of the countries listed in 22.5 where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
  • been awarded a Bachelor's degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours Degree, Post-graduate Certificate, Post-graduate Diploma, Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree with English as the language of instruction from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.
  • achieved, within the two years preceding the start date of the programme in which the student is enrolled, one of the internationally recognised proficiency test outcomes specified below for the level of the programme in which the student is enrolling:
  • International English Language Testing System (Academic) (IELTS) - 6.0 with a minimum of 6.0 in writing, reading, speaking, listening
  • Cambridge English Exams: C2 Proficiency (CPE), C1 Advanced (CAE), Cambridge English Exams, B2 First (FCE): minimum of 169 across all bands (listening, reading, writing, speaking and total overall)
  • International English for Speakers of Other Languages qualifications by City and Guilds (IESOL) - C1 expert International ESOL Written (LRW) Pass with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) Pass.
  • Pearson Test of English (Academic) (PToE) score of 52.
  • New Zealand Certificate in English Language (NZCEL) Level 4 (Academic).
  • equivalent (see Programme Approval, Recognition, and Accreditation Rules 2026 - NZQA)

Police Clearance

It is a condition of enrolment in any internship or practicum course(s) that students complete a Police Vetting Service Request and Consent form as part of their application. 

International applicants must provide a police clearance certificate from their country of citizenship AND from any country in which they have lived for more than 12 months in the last 10 years. This police clearance should be less than six months old and should be presented at the time of application.

Should a candidate to the programme have a criminal conviction, an assessment of risk is made based on the severity, recency, age of offending, and pattern of offending. This assessment is conducted by a panel consisting of the Academic Dean, Programme Lead, and Head of School.

Additional Admission Requirements for Bachelor of Arts (Chaplaincy)

Minimum Age
Applicants for the specialisation in Chaplaincy must be at least 20 years of age on or before the first day of the semester in which the proposed programme of study is offered.

Selection Interview
Applicants who have successfully completed the first stage of the application process will provisionally be accepted into the programme and invited to attend a group interview and, if required, a further interview by a panel of two selectors.

Police Clearance
It is a condition of enrolment in any Chaplaincy specialisation or any chaplaincy courses that students complete a Police Vetting Service Request and Consent form as part of their application. 

International applicants must provide a police clearance certificate from their country of citizenship AND from any country in which they have lived for more than 12 months in the last 10 years. This police clearance should be less than six months old and should be presented at the time of application.

Should a candidate to the programme have a criminal conviction, an assessment of risk is made based on the severity, recency, age of offending, and pattern of offending. This assessment is conducted by a panel consisting of the Academic Dean, Programme Lead, and Head of School.

Additional Admission Requirements for Bachelor of Arts (Youth Work)

Selection Interview
Applicants who have successfully completed the first stage of the application process will provisionally be accepted into the programme and invited to attend a group interview and, if required, a further interview by a panel of two selectors.

Police Clearance
It is a condition of enrolment in any Youth Work programmes that students complete a Police Vetting Service Request and Consent form as part of their application.

International applicants must provide a police clearance certificate from their country of citizenship AND from any country in which they have lived for more than 12 months in the last 10 years. This police clearance should be less than six months old and should be presented at the time of application.

Should a candidate to the programme have a criminal conviction, an assessment of risk is made based on the severity, recency, age of offending, and pattern of offending. This assessment is conducted by a panel consisting of the Academic Dean, Programme Lead, and Head of School.