NZ universities face funding shortfall, vice-chancellors warn

Group says changes to domestic student funding will force difficult choices on institutions

New Zealand’s universities are facing shortfalls in their funding for domestic student places, the head of a vice-chancellors’ group has warned.

Guidelines published last month by the Tertiary Education Commission indicate that universities whose domestic student numbers increase in 2025 will not be fully funded for the places, while those whose numbers decrease will have their total funding cut accordingly. In previous years, per-student funding has been demand-driven.