Currently, the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) is the main national qualification for secondary school students in New Zealand.
NCEA is recognised by employers, and used for selection by universities and polytechnics, both in New Zealand and overseas.
Each year, students study a number of courses or subjects. In each subject, skills and knowledge are assessed against a number of standards. For example, a Mathematics standard could be: “Apply numeric reasoning in solving problems”. Schools use a range of internal and external assessments to measure how well students meet these standards. When a student achieves a standard, they gain a number of credits. Students must achieve 80 credits to gain an NCEA certificate.
There are three levels of NCEA certificate, Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3. In general, students work through Levels 1 to 3 in Years 11 to 13 at school.
Students are recognised for high achievement at each level by gaining NCEA with Merit or NCEA with Excellence.
University Entrance Requirements
University Entrance (UE) is the minimum requirement to go to a New Zealand university.
You need 60 credits at Level 3 or higher, plus 20 credits at Level 2 or higher to gain NCEA Level 3.
14 credits each, in three approved subjects.
Made up of:
- 5 credits in Reading
- 5 credits in Writing
Made up of:
- Achievement Standards – specified Achievement Standards available through a range of subjects; or
- Unit Standards – package of three Numeracy Unit Standards (26623, 26626, 26627 – all three required).
How We Track and Report Progress
We keep in close contact with whānau about how students are progressing.
Every fortnight, families receive a progress report for each of the student’s classes, showing whether the student has concerns, is developing towards expectations, is meeting expectations or is exceeding them, alongside their achievement of our school values and their attendance.
We also provide two larger written reports across the year, including an end-of-year summary of achievement to date, and we hold subject teacher, parent and student interviews. Each year we run an NCEA information evening to help whānau understand the qualification and how to support their child.
Our 2025 NCEA Results
Kaipara College students achieved strong results in 2025, sitting above the national average across Levels 1–3 and University Entrance.
| Kaipara College | National Average | |
|---|---|---|
| NCEA Level 1 | 75.2% | 72.1% |
| NCEA Level 2 | 76.9% | 72.7% |
| NCEA Level 3 | 78.5% | 70.4% |
| University Entrance | 55.4% | 49.9% |