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International students report high satisfaction as New Zealand sees steady recovery in enrolments
This year, 87 percent of students gave a positive rating of their overall experience, maintaining the upward trend seen in 2024 (86%). The proportion of students who rated their experience as ‘excellent’ rose to 43 percent, a two percent increase from the previous year.
These strong satisfaction results come as international student enrolments in New Zealand continue to grow. Between January and April 2025, 63,610 international students were enrolled with New Zealand education providers, a 16% increase compared to the same period in 2024 (54,690), and a 49% increase on 2023 (42,700).
All education subsectors saw growth, with Private Training Establishments (PTEs) showing the strongest increase at +41% compared to 2024.
China and India remained the top source markets, followed by Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, USA, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand, and Germany. Notably, Sri Lanka rose to fifth place (from ninth), and Nepal to seventh (from eleventh), reflecting shifting dynamics in student mobility.
What students value most
Students were most positive about the people and connections they made in New Zealand (92%), the quality of their education (90%), their arrival and orientation experience (89%), the ease of making study arrangements (87%), and their overall living experience (87%).
International students’ experiences of making study arrangements have notably improved, with 80 percent of students rating their experience with the visa application process positively (up from 78% in 2024), and 74% positively rating the time taken to get their visa (up from 64%).
Education New Zealand and Immigration New Zealand will continue to collaborate on provision of information to students to ensure an enhanced student experience.
The survey also shows an increasing proportion of international students regard New Zealand as offering good value for money, with positive perceptions rising from 65% to 76%.
Education New Zealand's Chief Executive, Amanda Malu, said the results reflect New Zealand’s ability to provide a high-quality education within an environment that fosters meaningful connections and relationships.
“This is encouraging news for New Zealand. The fact that students continue to rate their experience here as excellent is a credit to our education providers and speaks to the warmth of the welcome our communities extend to international students,” she said.
“We’re seeing a steady and encouraging recovery in international education. It’s not a boom, but a sign that our collective efforts are making a difference. What matters most is that students are not just coming to New Zealand, they’re having a high-quality experience that supports wellbeing and a sense of belonging.”
“Under the International Education Going for Growth Plan, we’re focused on thoughtful, sustainable growth. These insights help us ensure that our progress is not just about numbers, but about delivering long-term value to students, communities, and the wider economy.”
Education New Zealand’s Director Insights and Performance, Marie Clark, said the survey continues to be a key piece of work for ENZ and a useful tool for the international education sector.
“It remains the only national survey focused on international student experience in all subsectors in New Zealand. With several years of data now collected, we’re building a meaningful picture of student experience over time,” she said.
“The ability to break down insights by variables like country, sector, and gender makes the dataset especially useful. We expect the report and Tableau dashboards will be very practical resources for anyone working in the sector,” Clark added.
For further information:
- Visit Tableau Public to access the data sets: International Student Experience Survey 2025 | Tableau Public
- Sai Raje | Senior Communications Advisor, Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao
sai.raje@enz.govt.nz | +64 21 479 649
Notes to Editors:
About the New Zealand International Student Experience Survey 2025
The survey aims to better understand the overall experience of international students enrolled with New Zealand education providers, as well as recent graduates. It also identifies areas for improvement to enhance the student journey.
Fieldwork was conducted from 28 April to 19 May 2025 with 5,420 respondents across all education subsectors and stages of study.
About Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao
Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) is the government agency dedicated to helping New Zealand realise the social, cultural, and economic benefits of international education. Our role is to promote New Zealand as a high-quality education destination offering excellent education and student experiences.
With approximately 85 staff in 13 locations around the world, ENZ works closely with New Zealand’s diverse education sector which includes schools, English language providers, Private Training Establishments, Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology Te Pūkenga), and universities.
Internationally, we work with a range of education stakeholders, including government agencies and education providers to identify and encourage sustainable growth opportunities for New Zealand’s education sector.
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- Tony Gray Board member
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High numbers of student and visitor visa applications
Jeannie Melville, INZ’s Assistant General Manager, Visa Services says this is typical for this time of year and will likely continue until March 2019.
“Due to the high application volumes currently being received, we strongly recommend that visitor and student visa applications are submitted as early as possible.
“Student visas should be submitted at least eight weeks ahead of their intended travel date, while visitor visas should be submitted as soon as possible in advance of travel. This gives INZ time to assess the application and gather more information from the applicant if needed.”
The fastest and easiest way to apply for a visa is to use the Immigration Online system via the INZ website, where applicants can upload supporting documents, photographs and pay for their application.
While INZ makes every effort to streamline assessment of applications, applicants may experience longer timeframes if they do not supply all required information (including translations) when they submit their application. If they do not supply the correct information this could hold up the processing of their visa.
INZ does not advise purchase of travel before an application is completed as the grant of a visa is not guaranteed. In particular, assessment of visitor visa applications will not be prioritised if the sole reason is that the applicant has pre-purchased travel.
Education providers can refer students to the INZ website for visa processing timeframes, which applicants should take into account when applying for their visa and planning their travel.
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New Zealand to host APAIE 2021 conference
Education Minister Chris Hipkins today announced that New Zealand has been successful in its bid to host the APAIE conference in March 2021.
The conference theme is “innovation for sustainable futures” and will focus on building links between APAIE and universities in the South Pacific region.
The conference will use the new Auckland Convention Centre after it is completed in 2019 and is expected to attract some 2000 delegates. University of Auckland will host the event and the other seven universities will co-host.
“I want to congratulate the universities who worked together to put forward this successful bid. This is great news for our international education sector as international education adds considerable richness to New Zealand,” said Minister Hipkins.
“We know that international education offers opportunities for young people to study here and for our young people to study abroad. That’s why we want our international education sector to have a strong future.”
Grant McPherson, ENZ Chief Executive, said New Zealand’s selection to host APAIE 2021 was wonderful news. It was also a significant achievement.
“The selection reinforces New Zealand’s reputation for having a world-class education sector and for leadership in international education thinking across the Asia-Pacific region.
“The APAIE conference is a valuable platform for engaging with education organisations across the Asia-Pacific region, providing a one-stop shop for 2,000 delegates to establish partnerships with quality institutions,” said Grant.
“Over the next couple of years, ENZ will work with the New Zealand industry to build our presence at APAIE conferences in Kuala Lumpur in 2019 and British Columbia in 2020, so that the 2021 conference delivers for our industry and showcases the best of our international education sector to the world.”
“The bid has been a true NZ-Inc effort,” Grant emphasised.
“The University of Auckland played a central leadership role, with the strong support of all of our universities. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) and Tourism NZ’s Major Events team have also provided invaluable support in making the bid a success,” he said.
Read Minister Hipkins' announcement here.
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ENZ staffing changes in Washington, D.C
On Friday 27 September Amy Rutherford, our Regional Director – Americas, the Middle East, and Europe and Counsellor (Education), will be finishing after eleven and a half years at ENZ.
Amy started at ENZ in 2013 as an International Market Manager for China. She has been in Washington, D.C. since 2018, having been in Los Angeles prior to that as ENZ’s Director of Education, North America. Prior to working for ENZ, Amy studied in the United States as an undergraduate student and worked for the University of Otago in the North American and European markets, as well as the New Zealand Resident Director for a US study abroad provider, the Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA).
“As a colleague of Amy’s in the International team, I’ve greatly appreciated Amy’s knowledge and expertise and I know she has built of wide network of trusted colleagues across New Zealand’s international education sector,” Acting General Manager Ben Burrowes said.
Ben added, “on behalf of ENZ, it is my privilege to congratulate Amy on an outstanding tenure at our organisation and we wish her well for the next step in her professional career”.
ENZ’s Regional Director - Americas, Middle East and Europe, Amy Rutherford (centre) will be finishing with ENZ on Friday 27 September. Associate Director of Engagement – North America, Natalie Lulia (left), will be acting in the role from Monday 30 November.
We are delighted that Natalie Lulia, currently Associate Director of Engagement – North America, will step into the role of Acting Regional Director - Americas, Middle East and Europe on Monday 30 September.
"Natalie has been a fantastic addition to ENZ and steps into the role at a particularly important time as we implement our 2024 – 2027 business strategy,” Mr Burrowes said.
Natalie first joined ENZ in October 2023. Prior to ENZ, she was Director – Māori for the Centres of Asia-Pacific Excellence (CAPE) and Strategic Advisor, International Indigenous Development at Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato - University of Waikato. There, she led a team passionate about Māori business capability, Global Citizenship Education and raising awareness to establish meaningful relationships in the Asia-Pacific, particularly with indigenous communities.
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NZIEC challenge speaker urges educators to embrace global citizenship
Scarlett said global citizenship is thinking more widely than just the context of your immediate community, city or country and being a person who understands the rights and responsibilities as a true citizen of the world.
Last year, Scarlett was funded by the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO to travel to Canada with other young people to write the International Youth White Paper on Global Citizenship and present it at the Third UNESCO Forum for Global Citizenship Education.
The experience made her think through more complex global issues and work with young people coming from different places and perspectives.
“I care so much about this because I believe it is the best way to make the world a better place,” Scarlett said.
While it is not simple for people to become global citizens, as there is no quick fix to complex world problems, students often feel helpless and become disengaged.
This is where educators can help by being the bridge between students and global citizenship, by teaching students to understand diversity and think critically, she said.
“Your global citizenship can’t just live through young people, you need to put it into action in your own lives."
Scarlett said not only do today’s educators need to actively engage young people from a variety of backgrounds and empower and upskill students to be prepared for the world’s complexity, educators also need to hold themselves accountable and take action on global citizenship now, to shape the future for the next generation.
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- Nadja
