NZQA International Qualification Assessment - Level 7?

NZQA International Qualification Assessment: Why Your Overseas Bachelor's Degree May Not Count as Level 8 Here's something that surprises a lot of applicants: holding a Bachelor's degree from your home country doesn't automatically mean New Zealand treats it as a full Bachelor's degree. It depends entirely on how New Zealand's own qualification recognition body assesses it, and for many overseas degrees, that assessment lands one level lower than expected. This matters far beyond paperwork. If you're planning a New Zealand study visa, a skilled work visa, or a residence application under the Skilled Migrant Category, the exact level at which your qualification is assessed can directly affect how many points you qualify for, or whether you qualify at all. What Is an NZQA International Qualification Assessment? The International Qualification Assessment, or IQA, is conducted by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). It evaluates an overseas qualification and maps it onto the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF), a scale running from Level 1 through Level 10. The IQA exists so that individuals, employers, and immigration authorities can see exactly how a foreign qualification compares to New Zealand's own qualification structure, for both work and immigration purposes. Importantly, an IQA from another country isn't accepted as a substitute. NZQA only evaluates qualifications directly against the NZQCF, so a qualification assessment carried out by another country's authority won't be recognized here. What NZQA Can and Cannot Evaluate Not every certificate or qualification is eligible for assessment. Understanding this before applying saves both time and the assessment fee. NZQA can evaluate: A tertiary or vocational upper-secondary qualification Qualifications awarded by a provider that is nationally recognized and accredited by the relevant government authority in both the country of award and the country of delivery Qualifications representing a minimum of 400 notional learning hours, roughly 10 weeks of full-time academic study NZQA cannot evaluate: Secondary school qualifications Incomplete programmes of study Programmes not leading to an actual qualification Certificates of attendance or proficiency without a formal learning programme behind them Letters or certificates of work experience Apprenticeships without formal training programmes Professional or specialist training certificates (for example, Cisco or Microsoft ce