Important information about Fees Free in 2025

Changes are coming to Fees Free in 2025.

As of 2025, Fees Free will no longer be offered in first year of study. It will instead be provided to eligible students in their final year of study.

We know you might have questions about what that means for you.
As you are already in study, here are the different ways the changes might apply:

• If you already have your Fees Free sorted for 2024, your first-year Fees Free entitlement will remain the same in 2025 as long as you continue in the same programme of study and have funds remaining.
• If you have your Fees Free for 2024, but change your programme in 2025, you won’t be able to access the remainder of your funding.
• If your Fees Free status is unknown, you might lose your entitlement if you don’t get this sorted. You have 12 calendar months from your start date to declare your eligibility, or you will lose your ability to access Fees Free for your current study and you will not be able to access Fees Free in the future. You can declare your eligibility on the Fees Free website. We recommend you do this as soon as possible.

Please note that if you have used first-year Fees Free, you will not be eligible for Fees Free for your final year, even if you have not used your full first-year Fees Free entitlement, for example if you used Fees Free for a short programme which completed in 2024.

Click here for more information about the upcoming changes to the Fees Free policy. 

If you have any questions, or are uncertain how these changes apply to your situation, Customer Services is happy to help. 

You can pop by the front desk Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm
Phone 0800 762 786 during business hours or email customerservices@op.ac.nz