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University Entrance Literacy

Elliott Campbell —

As the school’s NZQA liaison officer, I have been receiving a number of queries from pupils, and a couple from parents, asking about University Entrance Literacy.

The points below clarify what the requirements are for University Entrance (UE) literacy:

  1. UE Literacy is comprised of five reading credits and five writing credits.
  2. These credits are earned from qualifying literacy standards at Levels 2 and 3. A list of these standards can be found here.
  3. The Literacy credits can be awarded from a range of subjects. They do not all have to come from a single defined subject. In other words, if credits are earned from qualifying standards, they count wherever they appear.
  4. UE Literacy credits can be accumulated over more than one year, that is, over Years 12 and 13.
  5. UE Literacy is part of the University Entrance qualification, which is only awarded once all aspects have been completed, namely NCEA Level 3 plus the Numeracy and Literacy requirements plus sufficient credits (usually 14) in at least three approved subjects. This emphasises the Year 12 and 13 pathway to attain UE literacy.

Thus, the key message is that UE literacy is potentially a two-year process, and for pupils with ambitions to attend university, they should have a pathway across their Year 12 and 13 years towards University Entrance that encompasses the requirements of that qualification.

Mr E. Campbell,
NZQA Principal’s Nominee.