As an international student, you are required by law to hold a valid visa and comply with your visa conditions for the duration of your studies with Media Design School.  It is the students’ primary responsibility to maintain the lawful status to study and stay in New Zealand.  It is important to apply for your student visa as soon as possible, as in some cases the manual application process may take a minimum of one month.

All students must provide Media Design School with a copy of a valid student visa that shows that you are eligible to study with Media Design School.  If you do not hold a valid student visa or fail to provide one, your student account may be suspended, your programme of study may be withdrawn and enrolment may be cancelled.

How do I apply for a Student Visa?

You can submit your student visa application directly to Immigration New Zealand by making a paper application or applying through Immigration online. 

International student visas have been impacted by Covid-19 in New Zealand. For the most up-to-date information, visit the Immigration New Zealand website, or the Education New Zealand website.  

Medical and Travel Insurance​​​​​​

All our international students must have current medical and travel insurance to cover them for the duration of their planned period of study in New Zealand.

To ensure that you have appropriate insurance, Media Design School uses the well respected Australasian company Southern Cross as our preferred insurance provider. The Southern Cross StudentMax Plan offers you excellent Health and Travel Insurance benefits. These meet the requirements covered in the New Zealand Government's Ministry of Education's Code of Practice guidelines, (view more on the Code of Practice here) and it is the default insurance plan for all our new international students.

View the schedule of benefits for the StudentMax Plan.

Insurance Fees

Southern Cross have advised that effective February 1st 2019 the premium for International Student Travel insurance will increase. This means that a 12-month premium for the StudentMax Plan for a single student will increase to $633.

Having Health and Travel Insurance is a condition of enrolment at Media Design School, and this premium will automatically be added to your fees invoice. If you already have insurance with another provider, your insurance policy will be assessed by us prior to your travel to ensure the policy meets the requirements outlined by the Code of Practice. If your alternative insurance is deemed to meet the requirements, a waiver will be issued. To have your policy assessed and a waiver issued you must complete a waiver application form and provide a copy of your policy wording to the school (in English).

To assist you in completing the Waiver Application form, please use Media Design School's Insurance checklist to ensure your current policy meets the minimum requirements of the Code of Practice. 

Download the International Insurance Checklist here.

Eligibility for health services

As an international student, you're not entitled to publicly funded health services while in New Zealand. If you receive medical treatment during your time here, you may be liable for the full costs of that treatment. Full details on entitlements to publicly-funded health services are available through the Ministry of Health, and can be viewed on their website at http://www.moh.govt.nz.

Accident insurance

The Accident Compensation Corporation provides accident insurance for all New Zealand citizens, residents and temporary visitors to New Zealand, but you may still be liable for all other medical and related costs.

For all enquiries regarding insurance please contact our Registry team at registrars@mediadesignschool.com.

If you're keen to stay on and work in New Zealand after your time at Media Design School, you will need a work visa. If you're not successful in finding immediate employment upon graduation, you may be eligible for a Post-study work visa – open for a maximum of 12 months.

To be eligible for a Post work visa (open); You must have successfully completed the qualification you were enrolled at Media Design School; You must apply for this Visa within three months of the end date of the student visa for that qualification; You must provide evidence of a minimum of NZ$4,200 available to maintain yourself during your 12-month stay in New Zealand (traveller's cheques or bank documents in your name is also accepted). When you have found a job, you can apply for a further visa for up to two or three years under the Study to Work category.

Note: Full details of visa requirements, advice on rights to employment in New Zealand while studying, and reporting requirements are available through the New Zealand Immigration Service. This can be viewed at http://www.immigration.govt.nz

If you require assistance or have any queries regarding the student visa process please contact our Student Services Manager.

Language Requirements

If English is not your first language, you may be required to provide satisfactory evidence of your proficiency in English in the form of a recent IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score , TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score or a Pearson’s Test of English (PTE) from an accredited organisation.