Each table comes from a page GradeCat's research opened on 4 November 2026, and says where it comes from and its status.
NCEA grades
From NZQA's About NCEA page. Status: Confirmed on 4 November 2026.
| Grade | Letter on your results | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Not Achieved | N | Not gained |
| Achieved | A | Gained |
| Merit | M | Gained |
| Excellence | E | Gained |
When you achieve a standard, you gain its credits. Merit and Excellence earn no extra credits, but they count toward endorsements.
Credits each NCEA certificate needs
From NZQA's NCEA levels and certificates page. Status: Confirmed on 4 November 2026.
| Certificate | Credits at the level or above | Which credits count | Literacy or Te Reo Matatini | Numeracy or Te Pāngarau | Credits in all |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCEA Level 1 | 60 | Any level | 10 | 10 | 80 |
| NCEA Level 2 | 60 | Level 2 or above | 10 | 10 | 80 |
| NCEA Level 3 | 60 | Level 3 or above | 10 | 10 | 80 |
The literacy and numeracy co-requisite is met once, and it then counts for every level.
NCEA endorsements
From NZQA's endorsement page and its About NCEA page. Status: Confirmed on 4 November 2026, except the Merit course endorsement threshold, which neither page states.
| Endorsement | What it needs |
|---|---|
| Certificate with Merit | 50 credits at Merit or Excellence, at the certificate's level or above |
| Certificate with Excellence | 50 credits at Excellence, at the certificate's level or above |
| Course endorsement | 14 or more credits in one course in one school year, with at least 3 internal and 3 external, unless the course is exempt |
| Course endorsement with Excellence | 14 credits at Excellence in the course |
| Course endorsement with Merit | Not verified: no page opened states it |
Exempt from the internal and external part: Levels 2 and 3 Physical Education, Religious Studies and New Zealand Sign Language; Level 3 Visual Arts; Level 2 Psychology; and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa domains without externally assessed standards.
University Entrance
From NZQA's University Entrance page. Status: Confirmed on 4 November 2026.
| Part | What it needs |
|---|---|
| NCEA | NCEA Level 3 |
| Approved subjects | 14 Level 3 credits in each of 3 |
| Literacy | 10 credits at Level 2 or above: 5 in reading and 5 in writing |
| Numeracy | 10 credits at Level 1 or above |
NZQA says the numeracy rules have changed and University Entrance is being reviewed.
Victoria University of Wellington grades
From VUW's Grades page. Status: Confirmed on 4 November 2026.
| Grade | Marks | Grade points |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 90 to 100 | 9 |
| A | 85 to 89 | 8 |
| A- | 80 to 84 | 7 |
| B+ | 75 to 79 | 6 |
| B | 70 to 74 | 5 |
| B- | 65 to 69 | 4 |
| C+ | 60 to 64 | 3 |
| C | 55 to 59 | 2 |
| C- | 50 to 54 | 1 |
| D | 40 to 49 | 0 |
| E | 0 to 39 | 0 |
K and L also count as 0 grade points. VUW prints whole marks, and states no rounding rule.
University of Auckland honours classes
From Auckland's General Regulations for bachelors honours and postgraduate degrees. Status: Confirmed on 4 November 2026. The class goes by the GPA rounded to 1 decimal.
| Class | GPA, rounded to 1 decimal |
|---|---|
| First Class Honours | 7.0 or above |
| Second Class Honours, First Division | 5.5 to 6.9 |
| Second Class Honours, Second Division | 4.0 to 5.4 |
| Third Class Honours | 3.9 or below |
Fail, Did Not Sit and Did Not Complete count as zero, and only Auckland courses count.
University of Auckland grades
From Auckland's Examination Regulations. Status: Confirmed on 4 November 2026, for the grade names and the pass mark only.
- Passing grades: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, Pass, Ungraded pass and Conceded pass.
- Failing grades: D+, D, D- and Fail.
- Pass mark: 50%.
Status of each rule
| Rules | As of | Status |
|---|---|---|
| NCEA grades, certificates, endorsements and University Entrance | NZQA's NCEA and University Entrance pages, as opened 4 November 2026 | Confirmed |
| Merit course endorsement threshold | Not known | Not verified: no page opened states it |
| Victoria University of Wellington grades and GPA | VUW's Grades page, as opened 4 November 2026 | Confirmed |
| University of Auckland honours classes, grade names and pass mark | the University of Auckland's current Calendar, as opened 4 November 2026 | Confirmed |
| University of Auckland grade points and percentage bands | Not known | Not verified: no page opened gives them |