Launched in 2001, the scheme was under a cloud following the merger of the country’s 16 institutes of technology and polytechs into a new organisation, Te Pūkenga.
Concerned students launched a petition last month seeking a continuation of the free tuition regime.
Te Pūkenga announced today the SIT Zero Fees Scheme would continue in 2024 for students living in the Southern region, and those studying at SIT’s Invercargill, Gore, Queenstown and Telford (Balclutha) campuses.
It would not apply for SIT2LRN students with residential addresses outside of the Southern region, or those at SIT’s Christchurch campus.
Students enrolled in multi-year programmes would continue to have free fees while they completed their course.
Those enrolling for multi-year programmes in 2024 would also continue to be eligible for free tuition while studying at the SIT Southern region campuses.
Deputy Chief Executive of ako delivery Gus Gilmore said a decision on whether the scheme would continue in 2025 had yet to be made.
"All local fee strategies will need to be financially viable," he said.
