Youth Guarantee Eligibility and How to Apply
Who's Eligible for Youth Guarantee?
To qualify to study under the Youth Guarantee scheme, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
- Be 16 to 24 years old before the start of the course. 15-year-olds who hold Ministry approved early exemption from their school may also be eligible. This exemption must be in place before the course starts.
- Priority places will be given to students who have not yet achieved NCEA Level 1 or NCEA Level 2
- Priority places will be given to students who:
o have not yet achieved NCEA Level 1 or NCEA Level 2
o have completed a Level 1 or Level 2 qualification through a Youth Guarantee provision programme
How to Apply for Youth Guarantee
There are two steps in the process and they must be completed in the correct order.
- Apply online for a Youth Guarantee-funded course (note that the list shown on that page will change as courses are added and removed, or reach capacity).
- Submit your Expression of Interest (EOI) by emailing [email protected]. Please use 'Expression of interest’ in the subject field. You'll be contacted by our Youth Guarantee Coordinator within 7 working days.
Please note: As there are no guarantees you'll be entitled or eligible for Youth Guarantee, we encourage you to explore other funding options as well e.g. scholarships.
Student Loan Scheme/Allowances
- An applicant MUST have reached 16 years of age and be under the age of 25 years by the first day of their chosen programme.
- Youth Guarantee students are not eligible for any kind of loans or allowances from Studylink if you are 16-17 years old. (18-19 year olds may be able to access the Student Loan Scheme for living costs and Student Allowance, on a case-by-case basis) or allowances from Studylink if you are 16-17 years old. (18-19 year olds may be able to access the Student Loan Scheme for living costs and Student Allowance, on a case-by-case basis).
For information about whether you can get access to student loans (for costs other than the fees), please contact StudyLink.