Health Bridging Certificate (Level 3 and 4)

Entry criteria

Open entry.

International students will be individually assessed to ensure they are ready for this study.

International requirements and equivalence

To enter Otago Polytechnic's undergraduate certificates, diplomas and degrees, you need to have achieved a secondary school qualification that is equivalent to New Zealand's NCEA levels (National Certificate of Educational Achievement).

This information is available by country on our Equivalent academic entry requirements page.

English Language requirements

If English is not your first language, you must provide: New Zealand University Entrance OR Overall Academic IELTS 5.0 with no individual band score lower than 5.0 (achieved in one test completed in the last two years), OR Acceptable alternative evidence of the required IELTS (see here for internationally recognised proficiency tests and proficiency outcomes for international students).

If you need to improve your English Language skills, we offer a wide range of English programmes.

Please note: You must have access to the internet to be able to complete this programme.

Entry straight to Level 4 If you meet the below requirements, you will be able to apply for entry straight into Level 4.

This six-month certificate starts in July every year.

Click here for the Level 4 only programme.

New Zealand Certificate in Study and Career Preparation (Level 3), or equivalent.

If English is not your first language, you must provide: New Zealand University Entrance OR Overall Academic IELTS 5.5 with no individual band score lower than 5.0 (achieved in one test completed in the last two years), OR Acceptable alternative evidence of the required IELTS (see here for NZQA proficiency table and here for list of recognised proficiency tests).

Please note: You must have access to the internet to be able to complete this programme.

Health and vaccination information Please note that while you don't need to provide evidence of your vaccination status to apply for this Level 3 or Level 4 health bridging programme, you may need to provide evidence of your vaccination status as part of your enrolment in one of our health diplomas or degrees when you successfully complete this programme.

Please check the relevant programme page for further information.

Moving into our health-related diplomas or degrees Due to the high demand for places, successful completion of the this programme will not automatically guarantee you entry to our health-related diplomas or degrees.

These programmes often have non-academic entry requirements too, so make sure you plan ahead.

Please contact us to chat about your pathway to a health-related diploma or degree if you have any questions.

Email info@op.ac.nz or phone 0800 762 786.

Want your existing skills recognised?

If you have extensive knowledge and skills due to practical experience in this area, please ask us about our recognition of prior learning process.

You may have already gained credits towards this qualification and could achieve it in a shorter timeframe.

Please email info@op.ac.nz or call 0800 762 786 and your message will be sent to the appropriate department.