Massey’s on-campus students have the highest pass rates in Aotearoa

Students studying on campus at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University have the highest pass rates in the country, according to the latest data from the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC).

The TEC provides data on a range of educational performance indicators (EPIs) for each university. These indicators include successful course competition, first-year retention, student progression and cohort-based qualification completion. The latest data was released Friday 5 July and is based on results as of April 15 2024.

Highlights of the latest results indicate that for the second consecutive year, Massey is ranked first for successful course completion for:

• On-campus students with a successful course completion rate of 92 per cent, an increase of 2.1 per cent from 2022.
• On-campus TEC-funded domestic students with a successful course completion rate of 91.1 per cent, an increase of 1.7 per cent from 2022.
• Māori TEC-funded on-campus students with a course completion rate of 88.3 per cent, up 3.3 per cent compared to 2022.
• Pacific on-campus TEC-funded students with a course completion rate of 79.5 per cent, improving by 0.5 per cent compared to 2022.
• Non-Māori, Non-Pacific on-campus TEC-funded students with a course completion rate of 91.9 per cent, up by 1.5 per cent compared to 2022.

Provost Professor Giselle Byrnes and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Students and Global Engagement Dr Tere McGonagle-Daly co-chair Pūrehuroatanga, a university-wide coordinated and centralised body of work aimed at removing institutional barriers to student success, as well as providing targeted, proactive and data-driven support for learners who need it.

Professor Byrnes says the positive results for TEC-funded students – the focus of the university’s Investment Plan and Pūrehuroatanga – shows the real progress that is being made to ensure all students are successful.

“We are delighted that a series of initiatives designed to help students succeed at university is paying dividends for them. It is also heartening to see the combined efforts of our academic and professional staff from across the university having a real impact, which we can see through these improved results. I want to congratulate everyone involved.”

Course completion rates for Massey’s distance students are also increasing across the board. In particular, rates for Māori distance students have increased by 2.4 per cent since 2022. This is particularly encouraging given that Māori learner participation rates at Massey are the second highest in the New Zealand university sector and are increasing. In 2023, 14.5 per cent of SAC-funded Massey students were Māori compared to 14.1 per cent in 2022. First year retention rates for Māori students have also increased by 5.8 per cent between 2022 and 2023 reflecting the positive impact the Pūrehuroatanga programme is having for Massey’s students.

“We know there is not a single approach or a so-called ‘silver bullet’ to remove barriers to learner success. Our efforts range from providing targeted proactive support such as mentoring in culturally appropriate ways through to ensuring our systems are easy to navigate and can connect students to whatever support they need, quickly,” Professor Byrnes adds.

Pūrehuroatanga, Massey’s learner success programme of work, is made up of initiatives centred around seven key areas including:

• Te kawa angitū - Ākonga Māori success
• Pacific learner success
• Disabled students
• Curriculum and pedagogy
• Skills and readiness
• Systems and processes
• Proactive support and data.

Read more about the Pūrehuroatanga initiatives and the differences they are making.