South Africa – Academic Qualifications Exempt from Assessment

At a glance

A South African academic qualification is exempt from NZQA assessment and qualifies for SMC points if it appears in both the Academic Qualifications Table and the Awarding Institutions Table, matches the abbreviation and date range, and is not excluded by the notes. [S-south-africa-academic-qualifications]

Definition

A qualification is exempt from assessment and qualifies for the indicated points if:

1. the qualification is listed in the Academic Qualifications Table; and
2. the awarding institution is listed in the Awarding Institutions Table; and
3. the qualification abbreviation is listed in the right-hand column in the Awarding Institutions Table; and
4. the qualification was awarded from or within the year range listed in the right-hand column in the Awarding Institutions Table; and
5. the qualification is not excluded by the notes listed under the Academic Qualifications Table. [S-south-africa-academic-qualifications]

The Academic Qualifications Table sets out the qualification name, abbreviation, level in NZQF terms, and the points awarded under the Skilled Migrant Category. Typical undergraduate (Level 7) qualifications receive 50 points; Master’s degrees (Level 9) receive 70 points. [S-south-africa-academic-qualifications]

Application in decisions

INZ must accept a listed qualification from a listed institution as equivalent to the NZQF level and award the specified points without a separate NZQA assessment. The officer checks all five conditions; if any condition is not met, the applicant must provide an International Qualification Assessment from NZQA. [S-south-africa-academic-qualifications]

If an applicant believes their qualification may be higher than the level stated, they should apply to NZQA for an International Qualification Assessment. [S-south-africa-academic-qualifications]

Interpretation & edge cases

Honours degrees: Bachelor degrees with Honours may appear on the award certificate as ‘(Honours)’, ‘with Honours’, or with ‘Honours’ preceding the qualification name (e.g. ‘Honores Baccalaureus’). [S-south-africa-academic-qualifications]

Mandatory referrals to NZQA: The following must be referred to NZQA for an International Qualifications Assessment, and are not exempt:

• All honorary degrees
• All listed qualifications where study was completed at any institution outside South Africa, including any overseas campuses of a listed awarding institution
• All listed qualifications that contain cross-credited courses or papers
• All qualifications awarded after 2017 [S-south-africa-academic-qualifications]

Award certificates: Certificates must be provided in the original language (English, Afrikaans, or Latin). If not in English, an English translation issued by the university should always be provided together with the original. [S-south-africa-academic-qualifications]

Abbreviations: The abbreviations in the tables are for the purposes of this list only. [S-south-africa-academic-qualifications]

Citations

• S south-africa-academic-qualifications