Student Allowances January – December 2021
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For this report, a student is defined as a person who received at least one payment from StudyLink in the calendar year, up to the end of the specified reporting month.
The data in this report are cumulative calendar year-to-date figures. All percentages are computed using actual data and rounded to the nearest one decimal point. Total percentages may not add up to exactly 100 percent because of rounding effects. The last three years of data and annual comparisons are presented in summary tables. Earlier figures are included in the downloadable Excel files.
Education providers attended
The number of Student Allowance recipients enrolled in university had the highest year-on-year increase
From January to December 2021, 33,477 students received Student Allowance for study at university only. This was an increase of 1,437 students (4.5 percent more) when compared with the same period in 2020. A number of students received SA for study at university and other education provider/s during the year.
The number of students who received SA for study at Te Pūkenga only (New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, formerly Polytechnics and Institutes of Technology) increased by 207 (up 1.2 percent). The table below provides a summary of the number of SA recipients by type of provider they were enrolled in. A number of students received SA for study at Te Pūkenga and other education provider/s during the year.
The downloadable Excel file includes breakdowns for students who received SA for more than one provider type during the year.
Proportionately, students attending only university accounted for 53.3 percent of SA recipients, followed by students only attending Te Pūkenga at 28.2 percent.
Number of recipients by types of education provider
| Types of providers | January to December | Annual change | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | |
| University | 31,566 | 32,040 | 33,477 | 1.5% | 4.5% |
| Te Pūkenga | 17,955 | 17,511 | 17,718 | -2.5% | 1.2% |
| Private training establishment (PTE) | 8,937 | 8,508 | 8,418 | -4.8% | -1.1% |
| Wānanga | 2,508 | 2,109 | 1,821 | -15.9% | -13.7% |
| Multiple and Other providers | 1,527 | 1,557 | 1,380 | 2.0% | -11.4% |
| Total number of recipients | 62,499 | 61,722 | 62,814 | -1.2% | 1.8% |
Note 1: From April 2020 Te Pūkenga brought together the existing 16 Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) into one organisation
Note 2: "Multiple and Other providers" includes combination/s of providers (e.g. university and Te Pūkenga, PTE and university) that some students attended during the specified reporting period, as well ‘other’ types of education providers such as high schools.
Student Allowance paid to students by types of education provider
| Types of providers | January to December | Annual change | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | |
| University | $249,794,585 | $254,684,791 | $270,449,048 | 2.0% | 6.2% |
| Te Pūkenga | $150,430,826 | $145,373,585 | $149,960,085 | -3.4% | 3.2% |
| Private training establishment (PTE) | $64,572,677 | $62,746,767 | $63,859,404 | -2.8% | 1.8% |
| Wānanga | $27,658,322 | $24,231,708 | $20,007,352 | -12.4% | -17.4% |
| Multiple and Other providers | $16,564,849 | $16,865,129 | $15,010,853 | 1.8% | -11.0% |
| Total amount paid for Student Allowance | $509,021,259 | $503,901,980 | $519,286,742 | -1.0% | 3.1% |
Note 1: Data does not include payments for Accommodation Benefit.
Note 2: From April 2020 Te Pūkenga brought together the existing 16 Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) into one organisation
Note 3: "Multiple and Other providers" includes combination/s of providers (e.g. university and Te Pūkenga, PTE and university) that some students attended during the specified reporting period, as well ‘other’ types of education providers such as high schools.
Note 4: Amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar and first decimal place for percentages.
