The Minister for Universities, in consultation with the Minister for Vocational Education, invites submissions on proposed fee regulation settings for tertiary education providers in 2026.

This includes a proposed Annual Maximum Fee Movement of 6.0%, as well as other minor and technical changes to the fee regulation settings intended to improve the clarity of the regulations.

The Annual Maximum Fee Movement#

The Government regulates the fees tertiary providers can charge domestic students each year through the Annual Maximum Fee Movement (AMFM) and the micro-credential fee cap. The AMFM sets the maximum percentage increase allowed on fees for existing provider-based courses at Level 3 or above on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF).

The Minister for Universities has proposed an AMFM rate of 6.0% for 2026. This would permit up to a 6.0% increase on the fees (GST exclusive) charged in 2025 to domestic students. The proposed increase aims to strike a balance between supporting providers to manage cost pressures and supporting the affordability of tertiary education for students and their whānau.

The micro-credential fee cap#

The micro-credential fee cap sets a per-credit cap on the fees that providers can charge domestic students enrolled in micro-credentials. The Ministers have proposed to keep the micro-credential fee cap at $64 per-credit for the 2026 calendar year.

Fee regulation policy changes#

Other technical changes to fee regulations have also been proposed to improve clarity of the settings for 2026, including minor amendments to student services fees settings.

Allow flexibility for polytechnics established from 2026#

It is proposed to retain settings from 2025 allowing providers to temporarily reduce the fees for a course across calendar years, while retaining the flexibility to subsequently return the previous fee.

A new clause is proposed to replace the previous clause 7 which exempted programmes that were part of Te Pūkenga’s fee unification process from the AMFM limits. The proposed replacement clause will enable polytechnics to set fees for programmes that went through the unification process at the level they were at prior to unification. The new clause will apply to courses offered by a polytechnic prior to their amalgamation into Te Pūkenga, where that polytechnic is re-established on or after 1 January 2026 and wishes to offer a substantively similar course. The new clause allows polytechnics to charge the fee that applied to the similar course plus any cumulative AMFM increases for each subsequent year.

Student services fees#

A minor change is proposed to the reporting guidelines for registered Private Training Establishments (PTEs) written reports to students. Currently the reports are posted to the Tertiary Education Commission. From 2026 they will also have the option to email a copy of the report.

Email: [email protected]

Consultation process#

The Minister for Universities, in consultation with the Minister for Vocational Education, invite submissions on proposed fee regulation settings for tertiary education providers in 2026. The proposed settings have been published in the New Zealand Gazette.

The Tertiary Education (2026 Fee Regulation Settings) Notice 2025 – New Zealand Gazette

Submissions close 7 July 2025.

Following consultation, the Minister for Universities will make a final decision on the fee regulation settings for 2026.

How to make a submission#

Submissions can be sent by email.

Email: [email protected]

Submissions can also be sent by post.

Fee Regulation Settings Submission
Tertiary Education Policy
Ministry of Education
PO Box 1666
Wellington 6140