United States Qualifications Exempt from Assessment

At a glance

Applicants holding a United States academic qualification may be exempt from NZQA assessment and can claim points under the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) if their qualification meets specific criteria listed in Immigration New Zealand’s operational manual. [U-united-states-of-america]

The exemption applies when the qualification, awarding institution, abbreviation, and award year all match the published tables. [U-united-states-of-america]

Qualifications awarded after 2017, honorary degrees, and qualifications completed outside the United States generally require NZQA assessment. [U-united-states-of-america]

Definition

A United States qualification is exempt from assessment and qualifies for the indicated SMC 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 matches the right-hand column of the Awarding Institutions Table; and
4. the qualification was awarded from or within the year range listed; and
5. the qualification is not excluded by any notes under the Academic Qualifications Table. [U-united-states-of-america]

Application in decisions

Academic Qualifications Table

The table includes specific degree titles, their abbreviations, NZQF level equivalents, and SMC points. Selected examples:

Qualification	Abbreviation	NZQF Level	SMC Points
Bachelor of Arts (with or without honours)	BA	7	50
Bachelor of Business Administration	BBA	7	50
Bachelor of Engineering / BE	BE	7	50
Bachelor of Science	BS	7	50
Master of Arts	MA	8	50
Master of Science	MS	8	50
Doctor of Philosophy	PhD	10	70

Exceptions exist for certain specialisations (e.g. Education or Teaching degrees) which must be referred to NZQA for assessment. [U-united-states-of-america]

If an applicant believes their qualification may be at a higher level than stated in the table, they can apply to NZQA for an International Qualifications Assessment. [U-united-states-of-america]

Awarding Institutions Table

The full list of approved US institutions, previous names, and the qualifications awarded within specified date ranges is maintained in the INZ operational manual. [U-united-states-of-america] Only qualifications awarded by a listed institution within the stated period are exempt. [U-united-states-of-america] The raw source page should be consulted for the complete and current table. [U-united-states-of-america]

Interpretation & edge cases

Qualification titles must include the exact degree abbreviation listed. Award certificates must be provided in their original language; if a university awarded the degree in Latin, a translated copy from the university must also be presented. [U-united-states-of-america]

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

• all honorary degrees;
• all listed qualifications where study was completed at any institution outside the United States, including overseas campuses of a listed awarding institution;
• all listed qualifications that contain cross-credited courses or papers, except awards or credits from other US accredited junior colleges, colleges, or universities;
• all qualifications awarded after 2017. [U-united-states-of-america]

These exclusions are important: a qualification that otherwise matches the tables may still require NZQA assessment if any of these conditions apply. [U-united-states-of-america]

This exemption applies only under the Skilled Migrant Category. Other visa categories or assessments (e.g. for occupational registration) may have different requirements. [U-united-states-of-america]

Citations

• U-united-states-of-america — United States of America qualifications exemption list