Country guide · New Zealand
US sports scholarships for athletes from New Zealand.
Grade conversion, NCAA eligibility, English requirements and the visa route, for student-athletes applying from New Zealand.
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01The short version
Five steps from New Zealand.
What to do, in order. The last one is where most athletes stall.
- 01
Keep your NCEA Level 3 grades up
Standards are graded Not Achieved, Achieved, Merit, Excellence.
- 02
Check the English waiver
Many programs waive the English test for applicants from New Zealand. Check each school on your list.
- 03
Register for eligibility
With the NCAA Eligibility Center, or the NAIA or NJCAA centre if that is your route.
- 04
Build a highlight video
Open with your best 20 seconds: a coach decides in the first clip.
- 05
Email coaches directly
The step almost everyone skips, and the one that decides the outcome.
02Grade conversion
NCEA Level 3 to US GPA.
Standards are graded Not Achieved, Achieved, Merit, Excellence. This mapping is indicative: the NCAA Eligibility Center uses approved credential evaluators, and their conversion is the official one.
| New Zealand grade | Indicative US equivalent |
|---|---|
| Excellence | A |
| Merit | B |
| Achieved | C |
| Not Achieved | F |
03What to get right
The four things that decide it.
Transcripts, English, amateur status and the visa: what athletes applying from New Zealand need to have in order.
- 01
NCEA Level 3
US colleges recognise the NCEA Level 3. Send certified transcripts for every year of secondary school, not only the final one.
- 02
English requirement
Usually waived.
- 03
Amateur status
Playing in a club academy is usually fine. Prize money, a professional contract or a signing fee can affect NCAA amateur status, so declare anything you have received rather than leaving it out.
- 04
F-1 student visa
Your college issues a Form I-20 once you are admitted. You then pay the SEVIS fee and book an interview at the nearest US embassy or consulate. Start as soon as the I-20 arrives, since interview waits vary widely by post.
04By sport
An established pathway from New Zealand.
Each one opens the coaches recruiting that sport from New Zealand.
05Questions
Questions from New Zealand.
Can athletes from New Zealand get US college sports scholarships?
Yes. US colleges recruit internationally across all three NCAA divisions as well as the NAIA and NJCAA. You need to meet the academic standard of the division you are targeting, register with the relevant eligibility centre, and make direct contact with coaches. Nothing about being based in New Zealand disqualifies you.
How is the NCEA Level 3 converted to a US GPA?
Standards are graded Not Achieved, Achieved, Merit, Excellence. The table on this page shows the indicative mapping to US letter grades. The official conversion is not done by the college: the NCAA Eligibility Center uses approved credential evaluation services, and their result is the one that counts.
Do I need TOEFL or IELTS?
Usually waived.
Do I need the SAT or ACT?
For NCAA Division I and II the SAT and ACT are no longer required for initial eligibility. Individual colleges still set their own admissions policy, so some will ask for a score and some will not. Check the specific programs on your list rather than assuming.
When should I start if I am studying in New Zealand?
Two academic years before you intend to enrol is a comfortable runway. That leaves time for eligibility registration, transcript evaluation, any English test, a highlight video, and the coach outreach itself, which is the part that takes longest.
06Start
Start contacting coaches.
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