International applicants to the University of Otago may be required to submit an Educational Credential Evaluators report ( ECE). If this applies to you, your application will not be assessed until your official ECE report has been received by the University.
An ECE report is required if your qualifications are not from a country on the ECE exemption list and are not from an institution with which the University of Otago has a formal Student Exchange agreement.
In addition to the ECE report, you must also provide certified or original transcripts for all previous university-level study.
To apply for a credentials evaluation, go to the Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) website.
Request and pay for a course-by-course evaluation and ensure that one copy of the evaluation is sent to the University of Otago, and one copy is sent to you. You can do this by selecting University of Otago as your institution when applying.
Your application for admission to the University cannot be processed until the ECE report has been received. The ECE report will be delivered electronically to International Admissions when you select the University of Otago as your institution during the ECE application process.
You do not need to provide a credentials evaluation if:
- You are applying through an officially approved agent of the University of Otago
- You are from an institution with which the University of Otago has a Student Exchange agreement
- Your qualifications are from one of the ECE exempt countries
ECE-exempt countries include all member countries of the European Union:
- Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
Other ECE-exempt countries are:
- Australia, Canada, China, Fiji, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, USA, and Vietnam.
If your qualifications are from more than one country, an ECE report is not usually required where your highest (and most recent) qualification was completed in an exempt country.
Students who apply through a University of Otago approved education agent may also be eligible for an exemption from the ECE requirement.
The ECE report is a key part of the admission process and helps ensure that applicants meet the University's academic entry requirements.
If the academic information provided is insufficient for admission assessment, the University reserves the right to request an ECE report even if an exemption would normally apply.
Contact ECE directly with any enquiries regarding the application process:
Further information
Future international students
Future Students – documents required to apply
Reports are delivered electronically to the International Admissions inbox when the applicant selects the University of Otago as their institution.