New Zealand students enrolled in Bachelor degrees in the first year after leaving school
By territorial authority, 2025, %
| Territorial authority | % of people |
|---|---|
| Ashburton | 23.3% |
| Auckland | 40.8% |
| Buller | 23.9% |
| Carterton | 25% |
| Central Hawke's Bay | 22.5% |
| Central Otago | 23.9% |
| Christchurch | 37.4% |
| Clutha | 21.2% |
| Dunedin | 43.8% |
| Far North | 15.3% |
| Gisborne | 21.9% |
| Gore | 35.4% |
| Grey | 16.1% |
| Hamilton | 33.3% |
| Hastings | 33.4% |
| Hauraki | 17.5% |
| Horowhenua | 12.5% |
| Hurunui | 29.2% |
| Invercargill | 24% |
| Kaikōura | 14.8% |
| Kaipara | 15.7% |
| Kāpiti Coast | 31.3% |
| Kawerau | 0% |
| Lower Hutt | 32.6% |
| Mackenzie | 16.1% |
| Manawatū | 19.4% |
| Marlborough | 19.2% |
| Masterton | 32% |
| Matamata-Piako | 24.5% |
| Napier | 32.3% |
| Nelson | 31.6% |
| New Plymouth | 28.7% |
| Ōpōtiki | 6.8% |
| Ōtorohanga | 14.1% |
| Palmerston North | 25.6% |
| Porirua | 24% |
| Queenstown-Lakes | 43.6% |
| Rangitīkei | 20.6% |
| Rotorua | 22.1% |
| Ruapehu | 8.4% |
| Selwyn | 30.1% |
| Southland | 18.3% |
| South Taranaki | 10.5% |
| South Waikato | 12.7% |
| South Wairarapa | 20.3% |
| Stratford | 11.3% |
| Tararua | 12.3% |
| Tasman | 23.5% |
| Taupō | 20.4% |
| Tauranga | 32.7% |
| Thames-Coromandel | 15.3% |
| Timaru | 27.8% |
| Upper Hutt | 30.4% |
| Waikato | 15.9% |
| Waimakariri | 19% |
| Waimate | 32.7% |
| Waipā | 34.2% |
| Wairoa | 2.6% |
| Waitaki | 23.9% |
| Waitomo | 6.4% |
| Whanganui | 20.2% |
| Wellington | 53.8% |
| Western Bay of Plenty | 17.7% |
| Westland | 11.5% |
| Whakatāne | 17.1% |
| Whangārei | 20.8% |
Notes
Not Applicable includes students attending Te Kura (Correspondance School), homeschooling, students whose school campus covers more than one region and students with no regional information available.
Definitions
School leavers: People who have left secondary school. Data is captured in the first year after leaving school.
Youth Guarantee: Youth Guarantee fees free tertiary programmes provide 16-19-year-olds who have left school with opportunities to study towards NCEA or equivalent qualifications at tertiary providers free-of-charge.
Data calculation/treatment
Tertiary information is based on tertiary enrolments in formal provider-based study, industry training and targeted training programmes.
Data for formal tertiary enrolments at a tertiary education provider relates to students enrolled at any time during the year with a tertiary education provider in formal qualifications of greater than 0.03 EFTS.
The highest tertiary qualification level is used, if the student has enrolled in two different tertiary qualification levels the highest is taken.
Students who identified in more than one ethnic group have been counted in each ethnic group.
For more information
Exclusions
- Students who did not attend a New Zealand school.
- Private Training Establishments (PTEs) which neither received tuition subsidies/targeted training funding nor were approved for student loans or allowances.
Data provided by
Dataset name
School Leavers: Time Series Data School Leavers Destinations 2025
Webpage:
https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/school-leavers
How to find the data
At URL provided, select 'Time series: School leaver destinations (2015-2025)' from the 'Time Series: School leaver destinations' section.
Figure.NZ edited the file for processing purposes.
Import & extraction details
File as imported: School Leavers: Time Series Data School Leavers Destinations 2025
From the dataset School Leavers: Time Series Data School Leavers Destinations 2025, this data was extracted:
- Sheet: 19. TLA by Qual Level
- Range:
D5:L972 - Provided: 6,732 data points
This data forms the table Education - School leavers in their first year after leaving, by qualification level and territorial authority 2015–2025.
Dataset originally released on:
July 2026
About this dataset
This dataset is about the destination of school leavers after leaving secondary school.
Purpose of collection
The tertiary education sector is a diverse sector. Its scope ranges from informal non-assessed community courses in schools through to undergraduate degrees and advanced research-based postgraduate degrees. It provides pathways for a diverse range of learners, from school leavers to workers, the unemployed to students from overseas, and to those pursuing an interest, hobby or more social interaction. This indicator focuses on recent school leavers.
New enrolments in tertiary education are indicators of the extent to which New Zealanders are developing the skills needed for a modern knowledge economy. To achieve this goal, clear pathways to assist young people making the direct transition from school to tertiary level study must be developed and maintained.