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For parents and guardians

Plan the cost and the choices together

Start a family plan or open a report your child has chosen to share. Then check entry channels, total costs and graduate outcomes together before agreeing on a preferred route and a backup.

Or start one on their behalf

You can build a plan yourself if you have their results to hand. Worth agreeing with them first. It's their application; anything recorded here should be something they can see and change.

Build a plan Already have your child's plan?
What it will actually costPublic universities admit through two channels, and only one is subsidised. The same degree at the same university can cost several times more depending on which one takes your child.What graduates in that field really doEmployment, further study and skills upgrading by field and by qualification level, from the Ministry of Higher Education's own tracer study of 304,466 graduates.Why you should believe any of thisHow a recommendation is scored, where every figure comes from, what we can't tell you, and how we're funded.

Already have your child's plan?

Ask your child to open their DegreeMate plan, choose Create parent report, then send you its link. Paste that DegreeMate link here. A document or other website link will not work.

A link looks like this: /report/AbC123xyz9

Parent survey

What it's really like to guide a child through this decision: the costs, deadlines and advice you couldn't verify.

Take the survey About 19 minutes

Summaries to share

Quick answers

Is a public university always cheaper for my child?

Not necessarily. Public universities admit through two channels, and only one is subsidised. The same degree at the same university can cost several times more depending on which one takes your child.

How can I check what graduates in a field actually go on to do?

See the graduate outcomes page: employment, further study and skills upgrading by field and by qualification level, from the Ministry of Higher Education's own tracer study of 304,466 graduates. Source: MOHE Graduate Tracer Study, Higher Education Statistics 2023 (Ch. 7).

How can I see my child's university plan?

Ask your child to open their DegreeMate plan, choose Create parent report, then send you its link. Paste that DegreeMate link here. A document or other website link will not work.

Can I build a plan on my child's behalf?

Yes. You can build a plan yourself if you have their results to hand. Worth agreeing with them first. It's their application; anything recorded here should be something they can see and change.