Recognising Prior Knowledge and Skills

Credit Transfer applies in situations where the paper(s) or the unit standard(s) of the qualification into which you will enrol at SIT and the paper(s) or the unit standard(s) from a previous qualification you have successfully completed are exactly the same.

Evidence

If you completed your paper with another provider, you must supply an official copy of your academic transcript with your application.

Fees

There is no charge for a Credit Transfer.

Limits

There are no limits on the number of credits that may be granted towards a qualification or programme through Credit Transfer unless otherwise stated in the programme documentation.

Application Process

To apply for a Credit Transfer, complete the Cross Credit/Credit Transfer Application Form and submit it together with your evidence when you apply to enrol in the SIT programme.

Cross Credit applies in situations where the paper(s) in the qualification into which you will enrol at SIT and the paper(s) which you have completed previously at SIT or another education provider are not identical but the material covered is equivalent. You must have completed the paper(s) within the last five years however some programmes have regulations that specify a different period.

If the date that you completed your paper(s) is more than five years ago, but you have been using that knowledge recently, you should apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) based on your recent demonstration of skills.

Evidence

If you completed your paper(s) with another provider, you must provide the following evidence to show that you have achieved the relevant result.

• Official copies of academic transcripts and certificates
• Official paper descriptors from the previous education/training institution you had completed the paper at. You should contact your previous provider for this information.
• Completed Cross Credit Mapping Exercise - Please contact the RPL team to get the Cross Credit Mapping Template.

Fees

If the application is from an SIT programme to another SIT programme or the application is from an ITP in the Te Pūkenga network there is no charge.

If the application is from another provider’s programme to an SIT programme, there is a $50 fee for each application. This fee is effective from 1 March 2023. Fee must be paid regardless of the outcome and is non-refundable.

Limits

There are no limits on the number of credits that may be granted towards a qualification or programme through Cross Credit unless otherwise stated in the programme documentation.

Application Process

To apply for a Cross Credit, complete the Cross Credit/Credit Transfer Application Form and submit it together with your evidence when you apply to enrol in the SIT programme. Contact the SIT RPL Facilitator for a copy of the learning outcomes for the relevant SIT papers before you start completing the form.

Each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis by a qualified subject matter expert(s). There are no guarantees that you will be successful – either partially or fully – with your application. Should the assessor(s) deem your submitted evidence insufficient to be awarded a Cross Credit for a paper(s) or unit/skill standard(s), you can request to have your application reconsidered. Contact the RPL Facilitator if you would like to request a reconsideration.

RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) is when credits are granted towards your current programme of study at SIT for existing skills, knowledge, and attributes acquired without regard for the length, place or method of learning (e.g., workplace, life experience, hobbies, self-directed study).

To decide whether your training or work/life experience is relevant:

1. Start by looking at the paper descriptors of the SIT papers you want to apply RPL for. You may obtain these from the RPL facilitator. If the paper is a unit standard (papers with codes beginning with ‘US’), you can get a copy of the unit standard from the NZQA website. 
2. For each paper:
   • Identify the knowledge and skill you have learned that reasonably match the learning outcomes for the paper.
   • Ensure that you have obtained or can obtain necessary evidence to prove that you have the skills and knowledge (see Evidence below).
   • Repeat the above steps for each paper you are applying RPL for.

Evidence

You need to prepare your evidence that clearly shows the assessor how you meet each learning outcome. This may mean contacting an institute that you studied with to obtain academic transcripts and course descriptors. It is your responsibility to obtain these documents and have transcripts verified.

> Fee & Evidence Information

> RPL Mapping Template

Please contact the RPL team

Fees

There is a $50 admin fee and $80 per hour assessment fee for each RPL application¹. Fees must be paid regardless of the outcome and are non-refundable.

Limits

Maximum of one third of a programme's total credit may be RPL’d i.e., 120 credits in a 360-credit programme unless otherwise stated in the programme documentation.

Application Process

To apply for an RPL, complete the RPL Application Form and submit it together with your evidence when you apply to enrol in the SIT programme. Contact the SIT RPL Facilitator for a copy of the learning outcomes for the relevant SIT papers before you start completing the form.

Each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis by a qualified subject matter expert(s). There are no guarantees that you will be successful – either partially or fully – with your application. Should the assessor(s) deem your submitted evidence insufficient to be awarded an RPL for a paper(s) or unit/skill standard(s), you can request to have your application reconsidered. Contact the RPL Facilitator if you would like to request a reconsideration.

^{1 These fees were recently revised and are effective from 1 March 2023. Applications received before 1 March 2023 will still be charged a $40 admin fee and $75 per hour assessment fee.}