# New Zealand Student Visa Rejection Rate for Indians: 2025 Data > INZ declined 39% of decided student visa applications from Indians applying offshore in 2025, down from 50% in 2024. What the data covers and what INZ checks. _Published: 2026-10-24 · Reading time: 5 min · Words: 1056_ ## TL;DR Immigration New Zealand declined 39% of decided student visa applications from Indian nationals applying outside New Zealand in 2025 (2,838 of 7,235), against 15% for all nationalities. The Indian rate was 50% in 2024. INZ's requirements on offer of place, funds, sponsors and genuine intention are where files are won or lost. ## Key takeaways - 2025: 39% of decided offshore student visa applications from Indian nationals were declined (2,838 of 7,235); 59% approved (4,276). - All nationalities, 2025: 83% approved, 15% declined. - 2024: 50% of Indian applications declined (5,698 of 11,338); 48% approved. - The data covers fee paying, pathway, English language, scholarship and exchange student visas. - A decline in India cannot be reconsidered; you must lodge a new application. **According to Immigration New Zealand data, 39% of decided student visa applications from Indian nationals applying outside New Zealand were declined in calendar year 2025: 2,838 of 7,235, with 59% (4,276) approved. All nationalities together saw 15% declined. In 2024 the Indian decline rate was 50%.** ## Article These are counts of past decisions, not a forecast for your file. A well-documented application is assessed on its own evidence whatever the national average says. This page sets out exactly what the INZ figures measure and what INZ checks before it approves an Indian student. Data and requirements are as published on the official sources, checked on 15 October 2026. For fees and other visa types, see our New Zealand visa page for Indian applicants. ### What share of Indian student visa applications did INZ decline in 2025? INZ's page on overseas student visa application decisions for 2025 (data as of 16 February 2026) reports these figures for Indian nationals: - Decided applications: 7,235 - Declined: 2,838, which is 39% - Approved: 4,276, which is 59% The figures cover applications made from outside New Zealand for fee paying, pathway, English language, scholarship and exchange student visas. They do not cover visitor or work visas; INZ publishes decision data by nationality only for offshore student visas, and no comparable visitor or work visa rates for Indian applicants were found. ### How do Indian applicants compare with all nationalities? Group and yearApprovedDeclinedDecided applicationsIndian nationals, 202559% (4,276)39% (2,838)7,235All nationalities, 202583%15%Not capturedIndian nationals, 202448% (5,452)50% (5,698)11,338All nationalities, 202475%24%Not capturedSource: Immigration New Zealand, overseas student visa application decisions for 2024 and 2025. The 2024 figures exclude withdrawals. Indian applicants were declined at a markedly higher rate than the overall pool in both years. ### What changed between 2024 and 2025? Two things moved at once. The number of decided Indian applications fell from 11,338 in 2024 to 7,235 in 2025, and the decline rate fell from 50% to 39%. The approval rate rose from 48% to 59%. INZ's tables report outcomes, not causes, so they do not say why the numbers moved. What you can take from them is practical: 39% of decided Indian applications in 2025 still ended in a decline, which is why the requirements below deserve close attention. ### What does INZ check before approving a student visa? The Fee Paying Student Visa requirements set the test. INZ looks for: - An offer of place from an approved education provider that has signed the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021. A conditional offer is enough to get approval in principle. - Tuition paid for 1 course or 1 year of study, whichever is shorter, or evidence of an exemption or scholarship. - Living funds or an acceptable sponsor (detailed in the next section). - Insurance acceptable to the provider for travel and health care for the whole visa. - Good health: a chest X-ray if staying more than 6 months, as India is not a low-TB country. - Good character: police certificates if aged 17 or older and the total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer. - A genuine intention to study. English test results such as IELTS are not mandatory but can help. ### Why does money evidence need the most care? For Indian applicants, the funding rules are the most detailed part of the requirements, and they are specific to South Asia in one important way. Funding elementINZ requirementLiving funds, study of 1 year or moreNZD 20,000 for each yearLiving funds, shorter studyNZD 1,667 a monthSponsor or financial undertaking (INZ 1014)Applying in South Asia: only immediate family (partner, parents, siblings, grandparents, parents-in-law)Access to fundsIndian citizens may be able to use the Funds Transfer SchemeEducation loanLoan sanction letter plus how the loan will be repaidA sponsor outside the immediate-family list, or a loan shown without its sanction letter, does not meet the stated rules. The same applies to funds you cannot show you can access. ### What can you do after a decline from India? Reconsideration of a declined temporary visa (NZD 220) is available only if you applied while in New Zealand, are still there on a valid or interim visa and ask within 14 calendar days. Applicants declined while in India must make a new application, which means paying the NZD 850 Fee Paying Student Visa fee again and waiting again: INZ's headline timeframe is 80% of applications decided within 8 weeks. Before reapplying, compare INZ's decision with the requirements above and fix the specific gap. Resubmitting the same file with the same evidence gives INZ the same picture. ### A self-check before you lodge - Is your provider a signatory to the 2021 Code of Practice, and do you have the offer in writing? - Can you show NZD 20,000 for each year of study, or an immediate-family sponsor with their own evidence? - If a loan is involved, is the sanction letter attached with a repayment explanation? - Is your chest X-ray under 3 months old if you will stay more than 6 months? - Does your evidence show a genuine intention to study this course in New Zealand? - Are you lodging at least 3 months before travel? Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram prepares flight reservations, hotel bookings, itineraries and cover letters for visa files. Packages run from INR 1,000 (flight reservation) to INR 3,000 (reservation, hotel, itinerary and cover letter). Contact us on WhatsApp at +91 95230 91018 or through our contact page. ### Frequently asked questions #### Is the 39% decline rate my chance of being refused? No. It is the share of decided offshore student visa applications from Indian nationals that INZ declined in 2025. Each application is assessed on its own evidence, and the figure says nothing about an individual file. #### Does INZ publish visitor visa rejection rates for Indians? INZ publishes decision data by nationality only for offshore student visas. No visitor or work visa approval or decline rates for Indian applicants were found in its published data. #### Do I need IELTS for a New Zealand student visa? English test results such as IELTS are not mandatory for the Fee Paying Student Visa, according to INZ, but they can help your application. INZ does assess whether you have a genuine intention to study. #### Can a family friend sponsor my New Zealand student visa from India? No. When the application is made in South Asia, only immediate family can sponsor you or sign a Financial Undertaking for a Student: a partner, parents, siblings, grandparents or parents-in-law. ## FAQ ### Is the 39% decline rate my chance of being refused? No. It is the share of decided offshore student visa applications from Indian nationals that INZ declined in 2025. Each application is assessed on its own evidence, and the figure says nothing about an individual file. ### Does INZ publish visitor visa rejection rates for Indians? INZ publishes decision data by nationality only for offshore student visas. No visitor or work visa approval or decline rates for Indian applicants were found in its published data. ### Do I need IELTS for a New Zealand student visa? English test results such as IELTS are not mandatory for the Fee Paying Student Visa, according to INZ, but they can help your application. INZ does assess whether you have a genuine intention to study. ### Can a family friend sponsor my New Zealand student visa from India? No. When the application is made in South Asia, only immediate family can sponsor you or sign a Financial Undertaking for a Student: a partner, parents, siblings, grandparents or parents-in-law. ## Sources 1. [Immigration New Zealand - Overseas student visa application decisions for 2025](https://www.immigration.govt.nz/study/for-education-providers/data-and-processing-times-for-international-student-visas/offshore-student-visa-application-decision-data/overseas-student-visa-application-decisions-for-2025/) — Immigration New Zealand 2. [Immigration New Zealand - Overseas student visa application decisions for 2024](https://www.immigration.govt.nz/study/for-education-providers/data-and-processing-times-for-international-student-visas/offshore-student-visa-application-decision-data/overseas-student-visa-application-decisions-for-2024/) — Immigration New Zealand 3. [Immigration New Zealand - Fee Paying Student Visa](https://www.immigration.govt.nz/visas/fee-paying-student-visa/) — Immigration New Zealand