How to gain University Entrance (UE)

​Entry into a Tertiary Course of Study

A rank score will be set each year by tertiary providers which will guarantee entry to a tertiary course of study. The required rank score for admission to courses generally increases each year.

Some students may feel that Cambridge International is ‘too difficult’ with which to gain tertiary entrance. Students who possess a strong work ethic select the appropriate subjects and positively engage with their courses, almost universally succeed at this level. It is important to note that a ‘D’ grade is the standard for tertiary entrance at AS/A Level, such is the rigour of the Cambridge pathway. Students must take a long term view of their academic journey – Cambridge International will establish an excellent foundation for students to succeed at tertiary level.

The great advantage of Cambridge International is that it is designed with the purpose of ensuring student success in their first year at tertiary level. The higher the level of performance in Cambridge at secondary school correlates very closely with the higher level of success attained in first-year tertiary studies. Students should not aim to attain the minimum tertiary entrance requirement but should always aim to maximise their rank score. This rank score is calculated from CI AS and A Level grade scores. For the purposes of tertiary entrance in New Zealand, universities only calculate the best six CI AS/A Level grades, which are then converted to an overall points total. It is also very important to check out entry requirements and prerequisite subjects for your chosen university degree (or for any degrees you are considering if you are still undecided). You can check the most up-to-date requirements via the university websites.

Each tertiary provider and each specific course will have its own entrance requirements. Students should not assume these are uniform as different universities can set different entry requirements for the same programme. Research clearly shows that students are better prepared for success in their first year at University by maximising their Year 13 results. Therefore, students must aim to reach their academic potential and not just settle for an ‘entry standard’ to gain University Entrance.

International Students

International students will be required to achieve higher rank scores than New Zealand students.

Any international students entering Huanui College at Year 12 or Year 13 will need to complete the Numeracy and Literacy requirements through either the Cambridge or NCEA pathways. Qualifications obtained overseas cannot be combined with qualifications earned through the Cambridge pathways to gain University Entrance.

First Year University

Some universities will guarantee entrance to a course of study if a student attains a minimum required number of points, calculated from their CI grades (Guaranteed Entry Score (GES)). Students entering university with a GES should note that their chosen university will be expecting them to attain a calculated Grade Point Average (GPA) or Grade Point Equivalent (GPE) in their first-year course of study. Therefore, it is important that students seek to attain the highest grade possible in their first year, and subsequent years, at tertiary level.