People taking out a new student loan in New Zealand
1992–2024, number of people
| Year | Number of people |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 31,473 |
| 2023 | 27,879 |
| 2022 | 28,128 |
| 2021 | 34,152 |
| 2020 | 35,232 |
| 2019 | 34,212 |
| 2018 | 30,613 |
| 2017 | 42,136 |
| 2016 | 44,566 |
| 2015 | 46,721 |
| 2014 | 49,038 |
| 2013 | 51,732 |
| 2012 | 54,836 |
| 2011 | 57,024 |
| 2010 | 63,535 |
| 2009 | 61,266 |
| 2008 | 54,330 |
| 2007 | 54,309 |
| 2006 | 56,007 |
| 2005 | 46,920 |
| 2004 | 49,575 |
| 2003 | 52,593 |
| 2002 | 53,046 |
| 2001 | 59,031 |
| 2000 | 56,160 |
| 1999 | 44,844 |
| 1998 | 46,884 |
| 1997 | 44,931 |
| 1996 | 42,015 |
| 1995 | 42,735 |
| 1994 | 38,415 |
| 1993 | 43,965 |
| 1992 | 44,259 |
Notes
Source: Ministry of Social Development and Stats NZ IDI.
Changes to student support policy since 2010 that reduced access to student support have had an impact on the number of students using the loan scheme.
Definitions
Equivalent full-time student (EFTS): A measure used to count tertiary student numbers. A student taking a normal year’s full-time study generates one ‘equivalent full-time student’ unit. Part-time or part-year students are fractions of a unit.
Borrower: Any person who has drawn from the Student Loan Scheme and not yet repaid in full.
Active borrower: Someone who is currently borrowing from the scheme. Active borrowers will be either studying for the first time or continuing with their study.
For more information
Changes to data collection/processing
For a full account of policy changes in relation to student support, select the 'Student support changes' PDF file from the right-hand section.
Data provided by
Dataset name
Student Loan Scheme Annual Report 2025
Webpage:
https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/80898/2555/student-loan-scheme-annual-report-2025
How to find the data
At URL provided, select 'SLS 24/25 All data tables (XLS, 260.2 KB)' from the right-hand section.
Import & extraction details
File as imported: Student Loan Scheme Annual Report 2025
From the dataset Student Loan Scheme Annual Report 2025, this data was extracted:
- Sheet: F8.1
- Range:
C5:D37 - Provided: 66 data points
This data forms the table Tertiary Education - Total active borrowers and new active borrowers 1992–2024.
Dataset originally released on:
December 2025
About this dataset
This dataset relates to the Student Loan Scheme, including loan uptake, amount borrowed, loan balance, and repayment.
Purpose of collection
The Student Loan Scheme Annual Report provides key information about the scheme for students, tertiary providers and the general public.
The report includes detailed audited financial schedules, an analysis of costs and the valuation of the scheme.
The report describes how the loan scheme operates in the context of the New Zealand tertiary education system and the goals of the Tertiary Education Strategy; the contribution it makes in enabling greater access to, and participation in, tertiary education; and developments to the loan scheme and student support policy over time.
It also looks at the outcomes of the scheme and provides detailed information about borrowers and their lending and repayment patterns. Finally, the report gives a detailed financial analysis of costs and the valuation of the loan scheme.
Method of collection/Data provider
The information on active borrowers and borrowers in study is largely drawn from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). Inland Revenue has supplied data on the repayments, loan balances and borrower segments. Tertiary education data and information on borrowing in the years before 2000 were supplied by the Ministry of Education.
Other data has come from Stats NZ’s Integrated Data Infrastructure. Data from these sources is complemented by information drawn from the Census, the Household Labour Force Survey and other published data sources.