Changes to student support 2010-2013:

2010

Recipients of superannuation and veteran’s pension eligibility for allowances removed.

Student loan establishment fee increased.

Annual IRD admin fee introduced.

Two-year stand-down introduced for Australians and permanent residents.

Loan eligibility removed for those who didn’t pass ½ their papers the previous year.

7-EFTS life-time limit introduced to borrowing entitlement.

2011

Students aged over 55’s eligibility for loans for living costs or course-related costs removed.

Part-time full-year students’ eligibility for course-related costs removed.

2012

Post-graduate students’ entitlement to allowances removed.

All exceptions (such as national significance or recognised long course) to 200-week limit on allowances removed.

Parental income limit frozen. No longer adjusts with inflation, making fewer students eligible.

Restrictions on borrowing – below the course fees charged – for pilots. Students need to find money from some other source.

Repayment rate increases from 10% to 12% and repayment threshold frozen.

New matching agreement introduced between Customs and Inland Revenue to restrict the movement from New Zealand of some student loan borrowers.

2013

Stand-down increased to three-years for non-citizens and extended to refugees.

Students aged over 40 restricted to 120 weeks of allowances, including any they used before they were 40.

Students aged over 65 all eligibility to allowances removed.

Students aged under-18 doing fee free level one or two courses will not qualify for any component of the student loan.