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To be admitted to the Foundation Studies Certificate programme, you need to meet:

  • Academic requirements
  • English language requirements

Academic requirements for Foundation Studies Certificate

The table below shows the minimum qualifications you need to be eligible to apply for a place in the Foundation Studies Certificate programme.

CountryQualificationMinimum Standard
International QualificationsGCE O-Levels20 Points and below in 5 subjects
 International Baccalaureate18 Points in 6 subjects (on a scale of 0-7)
AustraliaYear 12 Certificate (ACT )Grade C or scale 3 out of 5 or 50%
 Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE)Scale 3 out of 4
 Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)Scale 5 out of 7
 Higher School Certificate (HSC)65% Average
 Northern Territory Certificate of Education (NTCE)Grade C or scale 3 out of 5 or 11 out of 20
 South Australia Certificate of Education (SACE)Grade C or scale 5 out of 7 or 65%
 Victoria Certificate of Education (VCE)Grade D
 Victoria Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL)Grade D
 Western Australia Certificate of Education (WACE)Grade C or scale 3 out of 5 or 60%
 Year 11 or equivalentSuperior pass
BrazilCertificado de Conclusao de 2 GrauSuperior pass
CambodiaYear 1270% average
ChileLicencia de Educacion MediaGood pass
ChinaSenior Year 370% Average
 Senior Year 280% Average
FijiSchool Leaving Certificate Examination65% Average over 4 subjects
Hong KongHKDSEPass 3 relevant subjects with Level 2 grades
 Form 5Pass 4 relevant subjects with 50% minimum
IndiaIndia Senior School Certificate (CBSE)Grade C2 in 4 subjects
 Indian School Certificate (ISC)2nd Division Pass or 45% average
 Higher Secondary School ExaminationGood 2nd Division Pass or 55% average
IndonesiaSMA 37.0 Average in 4 relevant subjects
 SMA 27.5 Average in 4 relevant subjects
JapanSenior Year 3Grade 3 or 70% Average
KiribatiNational Certificate70% Average
KoreaSenior Year 370% Average
 Senior Year 275% Average
KuwaitGeneral Secondary School Certificate80% Average
Lao People's Democratic RepublicYear 1270% Average
MalaysiaSPMGrade B average in 5 subjects
 UECGrade B4 average in 5 subjects
NauruPacific Senior Secondary Certificate (PSSC)70% Average
New ZealandNCEA Level 2Applications assessed on a case-by-case basis
OmanSecondary School Leaving Certificate70% Average
Papua New GuineaHigher School CertificateGrade B average in 5 subjects
PhilippinesSecondary School Year 4Grade B average
SamoaSchool Certificate or SPFSC70% Average
Saudi ArabiaGeneral Secondary Education Certificate70% Average
Solomon IslandsPacific Senior Secondary Certificate (PSSC)70% Average
TaiwanSenior Year 3Grade B or 70% average
 Senior Year 2Superior grades
ThailandMatayom 6 or Year 12Grade 2.5
 Matayom 5 or Year 11Grade 3.0
TongaPacific Senior Secondary Certificate (PSSC)70% Average
TuvaluPacific Senior Secondary Certificate (PSSC)70% Average
United Arab EmiratesSecondary School Certificate2 B's and 2 C's or 70% Average
VietnamBang Tu Tai or Year 127.0 Average

English Language requirements for Foundation Studies Certificate

The table below shows the minimum English Language results you need to be eligible to apply for a place in the Foundation Studies Certificate programme.

TestRequired result
IELTS5.5 (without any band below 5.0)
IELTS Online5.5 (without any band below 5.0)
iBT TOEFL70 (with a writing score of 15)
TOEFL (Paper-Based)525
TOEFL (Computer-Based)196
Cambridge FCEGrade B
Cambridge CAEGrade C
Cambridge CPEGrade C
GCE O-Level EnglishC6
GCE A-Level EnglishD7
HK CEE (English Syllabus B)3
HK ALE (Use of English)D7
LanguageCertB2
SPM Bahasa InggerisB+
Pearson Test of English (Academic)PTE (Academic) score of 42 with no band score lower than 36
English New Zealand Accredited Pathway AssessmentLevel 1
NZCELNZCEL 3 Academic endorsement

Additional English tuition

If you need additional English tuition before starting the Foundation Studies Certificate programme, or wish to sit an IELTS test in Dunedin, the University of Otago English Language Centre is situated in the same building as the pathway programmes, and offers English courses and IELTS testing.

University of Otago English Language Centre

Other important information for your application

Our Admissions team will assess your application based on several factors.

First of all, the application form must be completed correctly.

Achieving the required level

Depending on the stream you intend to study, we will check the academic transcripts you have sent us to determine if you have achieved the required level to participate in the programme.

For example, if you intend to study a science stream, your high school maths grades must be high enough to fit in with the programme.

Bridging and General English programmes

If you are very close to making the grade, but not quite there, we will offer you a conditional offer which would require you to go through our Bridging programme.

If your English isn't quite good enough then you can join our General English programme and follow that route to the Foundation Studies Certificate programme.

We run International English examinations too – you can take the IELTS test right here to meet the English entry requirement.

Cover letter written by you

Along with your application we also suggest sending us a cover letter, written by yourself, outlining why you want to study with us and how you can apply yourself to the academic challenges ahead.

Letter of recommendation

A letter of recommendation from a previous teacher or employer would improve your case too.

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