Latest Data Shows Continued Growth In International Enrolments

The latest full-year enrolment data confirms there were 92,580 international students enrolled with New Zealand education providers in 2025. This is an increase of 11 percent from the same period in 2024 and 80 percent of the pre-COVID peak.

ENZ’s Acting Chief Executive, Dr Linda Sissons, says the results reflect steady progress across the sector driven by the sustained effort of education providers and enabled by ENZ’s brand and promotional activity.

ENZ’s recent Global Brand Health and Awareness Survey found that 22 percent of prospective students place New Zealand in their top three study destinations. This strengthening preference is consistent with the growth we are seeing in international student enrolments.

“In a highly competitive global market, New Zealand’s high-quality education providers, great student experience and strong graduate outcomes are the factors that most influence student choice,” says Dr Sissons.

Universities have seen a 14 percent increase to 38,025, significantly exceeding 2024 levels. School enrolments grew by 10 percent to 20,155.

International enrolments in our primary, intermediate and secondary schools remain a key point of difference for New Zealand, offering an early pathway into our education system.

Outside of universities and schools, recovery across subsectors has been more uneven, with institutes of technology and polytechnics progressing at different rates. This reflects varied recovery across subsectors and markets.

“We are regularly assessing priority markets so we can understand where demand is growing and can direct our effort and resources toward markets with the greatest opportunity to support sustainable growth.”

China and India remain the top two countries for international student enrolment, at 34 percent and 14 percent respectively, followed by Japan (9 percent), South Korea (4 percent), Sri Lanka (4 percent), Germany (3 percent), the United States of America (3 percent), Nepal (3 percent), and the Philippines (3 percent).

“Strong growth was seen in a small number of new markets including Sri Lanka and Nepal. These markets have been factored into our market prioritisation and investment framework for 2026/27,” says Dr Sissons.

International students are studying across all regions of New Zealand. Auckland remains the largest centre, hosting around 55 percent of international students, followed by Canterbury and Waikato.

“Canterbury (10 percent), Auckland (14 percent) and Waikato (19 percent) experienced the strongest growth,” says Dr Sissons.

“Growth across regions reflects a sector that is rebuilding at pace and contributing to our local communities and economy.”

ENZ plays a key role in supporting the sector by providing market intelligence and insights to help providers understand trends in demand and make informed decisions in an increasingly competitive global market.

A webinar for interested stakeholders is being held at 12:30pm (NZT) on 19 May where ENZ’s Director of Insights and Performance, Marie Clark, will present the numbers and provide insights into each subsector and market.

Register for the webinar: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/db7275ad-de60-42ad-bb00-c0d46b7c2804@7fab8d82-1c85-4170-acbf-74e098fcca29.

Full enrolment data is available on ENZ’s Tableau public account as interactive dashboards and data tables.

© Scoop Media