The cost of gaining a tertiary qualification in New Zealand continues to climb, with students now facing expenses nearly 19 percent higher than they were just two years ago, prompting fresh concerns about affordability, student debt and equitable access to higher education.
The warning comes as education advocates argue that rising tuition fees, accommodation costs, transport, food and course-related expenses are placing increasing pressure on learners already navigating a challenging cost-of-living environment.
While universities and polytechnics remain an important pathway to skilled employment, many prospective students are questioning whether they can afford to study, particularly if it means taking on significant debt or balancing full-time education with paid work.
The increase comes at a time when many households are already dealing with higher mortgage repayments, rising rents and persistent inflation, making it harder for whānau to support children entering tertiary education.
For Māori students, the challenge can be even greater.
Māori continue to experience lower average household wealth and home ownership rates than the national average, meaning many learners rely more heavily on student loans, allowances and part-time employment to complete their studies.
Education advocates warn that increasing financial barriers risk widening existing inequalities in participation and completion rates unless additional support is made available.
The rising cost of tertiary education also coincides with significant changes across the sector.
The Government has begun dismantling Te Pūkenga, returning many polytechnics to independent governance while introducing wider reforms to vocational education and training. At the same time, the long-running Fees Free policy has been phased out, removing another source of financial support for students.
Student organisations say the cumulative effect of these changes is creating uncertainty for learners, particularly those from lower-income families who may already view tertiary study as financially out of reach.
The financial burden extends well beyond tuition fees.
Accommodation has become one of the largest expenses facing students, particularly in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, where rental prices remain high despite a relatively flat housing market.
Food, transport, digital technology, textbooks and compulsory course materials have also become more expensive, adding thousands of dollars to the annual cost of study.
Many students now combine full-time study with employment simply to meet everyday living costs.
However, balancing work and education can affect academic performance, extend the time required to complete qualifications and increase stress levels.
Despite these challenges, tertiary education continues to deliver substantial long-term benefits.
Graduates generally experience higher lifetime earnings, lower unemployment rates and greater employment opportunities than those without post-school qualifications.
The question facing policymakers is how to ensure those opportunities remain accessible.
Many education leaders argue that investing in tertiary education should be viewed not simply as supporting individual students but as strengthening New Zealand’s future workforce, productivity and economic resilience.
For Māori, improved participation in higher education is also seen as critical to growing leadership across sectors including health, education, engineering, science, business and public service.
As living costs continue to rise, the debate is increasingly shifting beyond tuition fees alone.
The broader question is whether New Zealand’s tertiary education system remains genuinely accessible, or whether financial pressures are placing higher education beyond the reach of too many young people.
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