New Export Education Levy rates from 2019

In 2018 we consulted on raising the rate of the Export Education Levy (EEL). Submissions on the proposed rate increase closed on 15 October 2018.

New rates

The new EEL rates are:

  • 0.50% of international student tuition fees for universities, Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics, and private schools, and
  • 0.89% of international student tuition fees for Private Training Establishments.

State and state-integrated schools have their EEL contribution deducted from the International Student Levy they pay, which will not increase in 2019.

There will also be a reduction in annual expenditure commitments from the EEL of $300,000.

You can read a summary of the submissions received: EEL summary of submissions report 2018 [PDF, 760 KB].

Background to the changes to the EEL

The EEL is collected from international education providers. It helps fund a broad range of activities and projects relating to the export education industry, including:

  • promotion and marketing, and
  • quality assurance.

It also funds reimbursements for international students caught out by programme and provider closures.

Due to high reimbursement costs related to programme and provider closures ($4.1 million since January 2017, including $2.4 million since the beginning of 2018), the EEL account was almost empty.

We proposed two options to raise the EEL revenue in order to safeguard educational quality and New Zealand’s reputation as a study destination.

Options for raising the Export Education Levy rate [PDF, 612 KB]

EEL sector consultation presentation [PDF, 500 KB]

Export Education Levy – further information Q and A [PDF, 405 KB]

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