South Korea Qualifications (Exempt from Assessment)

At a glance

Applicants with a bachelor's or master's degree from specified South Korean institutions may be exempt from NZQA assessment and claim points under the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) if the qualification meets listed conditions. [S-south-korea]

Definition

The Immigration New Zealand Operational Manual lists specific South Korean academic qualifications and awarding institutions whose qualifications are exempt from assessment by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) for the purpose of claiming points under the Skilled Migrant Category. [S-south-korea] The exemption applies only if:

• the qualification appears in the Academic Qualifications Table;
• the awarding institution appears in the Awarding Institutions Table;
• the qualification abbreviation matches the right‑hand column in the Awarding Institutions Table;
• the qualification was awarded from or within the year range in the Awarding Institutions Table; and
• the qualification is not excluded by notes in the Academic Qualifications Table. [S-south-korea]

Application in decisions

When an SMC applicant relies on a South Korean qualification, an immigration officer must verify the qualification against the tables in this section. Bachelor degrees (학사) listed are at NZQF Level 7 and worth 50 points; master degrees (석사) that show 논문 (thesis) or 논문심사 (thesis evaluation) on the award certificate are at NZQF Level 9 and worth 70 points, except certain Master of Divinity, Master of Ministry, and Master of Theology degrees which require NZQA assessment. [S-south-korea]

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

Interpretation & edge cases

Award certificates and translations – Award certificates must be provided in the original language, and official English translations should also be supplied. A university‑issued graduation certificate (졸업증명서) showing evidence that a degree was awarded is not the award certificate. [S-south-korea]

Referral to NZQA – The following must be referred to NZQA for an International Qualifications Assessment:

• all honorary degrees;
• any listed qualification where study was completed at an institution outside South Korea, including overseas campuses of listed awarding institutions;
• qualifications that contain cross‑credited courses or papers;
• all initial teacher training degrees;
• all qualifications awarded after 2018. [S-south-korea]

Institutional name variations – Some National Universities omit the word “National” on their award certificates. [S-south-korea] The Awarding Institutions Table records previous names and dates of change; the qualification must fall within the listed date range to be exempt. [S-south-korea]

Effective date – This list is effective from 27 August 2018. [S-south-korea]

Citations

• S-south-korea — South Korea