ProVisas Immigration Advisers

Qualifications exempt from assessment

Denmark qualifications: do you need an NZQA assessment?

Immigration New Zealand lists 8 qualifications from Denmark that do not need an IQA at NZQF levels 7 to 10, awarded by 10 listed institutions. A further 3 are named specifically as still requiring assessment by NZQA.

If your qualification is on this list, was awarded by a listed institution within the listed years, and is not excluded by the notes, Immigration New Zealand accepts its level without an International Qualification Assessment (IQA) from NZQA.

All of the conditions below have to be met together. Meeting one of them is not enough, and this is where most people go wrong: the qualification and the awarding institution are two separate checks.

When is a qualification from Denmark exempt?

Immigration New Zealand exempts a qualification from assessment only when every one of these conditions is met. Meeting some of them is not enough.

  1. the qualification is listed in the Academic Qualifications Table
  2. the awarding institution is listed in the Awarding Institutions Table
  3. the qualification abbreviation is listed in the right-hand column in the Awarding Institutions Table
  4. the qualification was awarded from the year listed in the right-hand column in the Awarding Institutions Table
  5. the qualification is not excluded by the notes listed under the Academic Qualifications Table

If any condition fails, you need an International Qualification Assessment from NZQA before you claim points for the qualification. Our guide to the IQA and NZQA assessment explains that process, and the SMC points system explainer covers what a qualification is worth once its level is confirmed.

Qualifications from Denmark that still need an IQA

These appear on INZ's list specifically to say they are not exempt. They require assessment by NZQA even when the awarding institution is listed below.

  • diplomuddannelse
  • Mastergrad/en
  • masteruddannelse

Qualifications from Denmark on the list

The NZQF level is the New Zealand framework level Immigration New Zealand accepts for the qualification. It is not a points score.

Qualification Abbrev. NZQF level
Bachelor (BA) i (speciality) ** BA 7
Bachelor (BSc) i (speciality)** BS 7
Diplomingeniør i (speciality) Diplomingeniør – professionsbachelor i (specility) DI 7
diplomuddannelse — Requires NZQA assessment
Mastergrad/en — Requires NZQA assessment
masteruddannelse — Requires NZQA assessment
Candidatus/Candidata academic area Candidatus/Candidata academic area i (speciality). Cand academic area Cand academic area i (speciality) *** C 9
PhD/Ph.D/PhD graden/PhD grad (speciality) PhD 10

Notes on this table

  • *Abbreviations used are for the purpose of this list only.
  • **Can be awarded as Bachelor i (field of study) in some artistic specialities (eg. Bachelor i digitale medier og design).
  • *** The academic area will be stated in Latin and will be an abbreviation when following ‘cand’. Award certificate wording varies. Some examples are: Civilingeniør cand.polyt. (candidatus polytechnices); cand.mag. (candidata magisterii); cand.merc.; and Cand.it. i Softwareudvikling.
  • Note: Award certificates must be provided in their original language for all qualifications. Translations should not be used to determine the name of the awarded degree. The following must be referred to NZQA for an International Qualifications Assessment: - All honorary degrees - All listed qualifications where study was completed at any institution outside of the country, including any overseas campuses of any listed awarding institution - All listed qualifications that contain cross-credited courses or papers - All initial teacher training degrees - All qualifications awarded after 2018

Awarding institutions

Your qualification is only exempt if it was awarded by one of these institutions, the abbreviation appears against that institution, and the award year falls in the range shown.

Institution Qualifications and years
Aalborg Universitet / Aalborg University BA, BS and DI: 2006 C: 2008 PhD: 2000
Aarhus Universitet / Aarhus University BA and BS: 2006 C: 2008 PhD: 1996
Arkitektskolen i Åarhus / The Aarhus School of Architecture BA: 2006 C: 2008 PhD: 2006
Danmarks Tekniske Universitet / The Technical University of Denmark BS and DI: 2006 C: 2008 PhD: 1996
Handelshøjskolen i København / Copenhagen Business School BA and BS: 2006 C: 2008 PhD: 1996
IT-Universitetet i København / The IT University of Copenhagen BS, C and PhD: 2011
Københavns Universitet / University of Copenhagen BA: 2006 C: 2008 PhD: 1996
Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademis Skoler for Arkitektur, Design og Konservering / The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation BA, BS, C and PhD: 2011
Roskilde University (Roskilde Universitetscenter 1996-2008) C: 2008 PhD: 1996
Syddansk Universitet / University of Southern Denmark BA, BS and DI: 2006 C: 2008 PhD: 1998

Source: Immigration New Zealand Operational Manual . Synced 13 September 2026.

Not sure how yours reads?

Matching an award certificate against this list is fiddlier than it looks: institutions get renamed, award years narrow the exemption, and the notes can rule a qualification out. Talk it through with us and we will listen to your situation and match you with the right IAA-licensed adviser.

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This page reproduces Immigration New Zealand's published List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment and is general information, not immigration advice. INZ revises the list, so check the linked source page before you rely on it. ProVisas is a licensed New Zealand immigration advisory firm (IAA Licence 201301110).