The latest data puts the sector at 80 %of its pre-pandemic peak, with universities and schools driving growth as the country enhances its appeal in a significantly competitive international market.
ENZ acting president Linda Sissons stated the outcomes reflected consistent progress throughout the sector, supported by sustained efforts from companies and ENZ’s worldwide marketing activity.
A recent ENZ Worldwide Brand Health and Awareness Study found that 22% of potential trainees now put New Zealand amongst their top 3 study destinations and according to ENZ, “this enhancing preference follows the growth we are seeing in worldwide student enrolments”.
“In a highly competitive global market, New Zealand’s premium education suppliers, fantastic student experience and strong graduate outcomes are the aspects that most affect trainee choice,” included Sissons.
Universities recorded some of the strongest gains, with enrolments rising 14% to 38,025 students, while school enrolments increased 10% to 20,155.
ENZ stated worldwide enrolments across primary, intermediate and secondary schools stay a distinctive feature of New Zealand’s offering, helping create early paths into the country’s education system.
Recovery throughout other subsectors has been less consistent, with institutes of technology and polytechnics rebounding at various rates depending on market conditions.
China and India remain New Zealand’s 2 biggest source markets, accounting for 34% and 14% of enrolments respectively. They are followed by Japan (9%), South Korea (4%), Sri Lanka (4%), Germany (3%), the US (3%), Nepal and the Philippines (3% each).
Sissons indicated particularly strong growth from emerging markets consisting of Sri Lanka and Nepal, which she said would play a greater function in ENZ’s market method for 2026/27.
International students continue to study throughout all regions of New Zealand, although Auckland stays the dominant center, hosting around 55% of trainees. Canterbury, Auckland and Waikato published the fastest local growth, increasing by 10%, 14% and 19% respectively.
“Development throughout regions reflects a sector that is rebuilding at rate and adding to our regional communities and economy,” Sissons added.
In 2025, New Zealand’s International Education Opting For Growth strategy set out an ambitious vision of growth, planning to raise global enrolments by 35,000 and almost double the sector’s value to NZD $7.2 billion by 2034.
As part of its ambition to considerably expand the global education sector, the New Zealand government is presenting brand-new pathways to post-study work, announcing a brand-new short-term graduate work visa– accepting applications later on this year– and an extension to existing post-study work visa eligibility.
The most recent enrolment figures follow restored concentrate on New Zealand’s recruitment pipeline, with The PIE recently exploring the country’s top-performing student recruitment representatives.
< img src ="// www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%200%200'%3E%3C/svg%3E"/ > < img src="https://thepienews.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/TheStayClub-600x500-copy-1.jpg"/ >