Bachelor of Accounting in New Zealand
A professional accounting qualification recognised across NZ.
What you study
A Bachelor of Accounting covers financial and management accounting, audit, taxation, business law, finance and accounting information systems. New Zealand tax and company law is taught in its own right, which is what makes the degree locally useful. Most programmes are structured to meet the academic requirements of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, so graduates can progress towards the CA qualification. Final-year papers usually include an audit or advanced taxation strand.
The Bachelor of Accounting is a Level 7 Business qualification we help international students apply for at accredited New Zealand institutions.
Does the Bachelor of Accounting lead to residence in New Zealand?
Working here after you graduate
This is a degree at Level 7, so graduates can apply for a post-study work visa of up to three years and work in any job, anywhere in New Zealand. Immigration New Zealand only restricts what you may work in for non-degree qualifications at Level 7 and below, which does not apply here.
Points towards residence
The Skilled Migrant Category is a threshold of six points, not a score to maximise: once you reach six, more points earn nothing. A New Zealand bachelor's degree is worth 5 points, so one year of skilled work in New Zealand takes you to the 6 needed.
A qualification earned in New Zealand is worth more than the same level earned overseas, which is one of the few concrete advantages of studying here rather than at home.
The Green List
Accountant does not appear on the Green List in either tier. Residence for accounting graduates runs through the Skilled Migrant Category instead, which is a real route but a slower one, and any adviser telling you accounting is a Green List career is wrong.
Our study to residence pathways page sets out how the post-study work visa, the Green List and the Skilled Migrant Category fit together.
Who can advise you on this. Student NZ is an education advisory service. Joy helps you choose the course and the institution, and helps you prepare a student visa application. Advice about your own residence prospects has to come from a licensed immigration adviser, so we connect you to ProVisas' IAA-licensed advisers (Licence 201301110) for that part.
Green List roles are from Immigration New Zealand's list effective 23 March 2026; points are from its Skilled Migrant Category rules. Checked 17 September 2026. Immigration rules change, so confirm against the Green List and the Skilled Migrant Category before making a decision.
Where graduates work
Graduates go into audit, tax, financial accounting and management accounting roles, in practices and in business across New Zealand. Accountant does not appear on the Green List in either tier, so residence for accounting graduates runs through the Skilled Migrant Category. Professional progress usually runs through membership of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, which is a career requirement rather than an immigration one.
Questions about the Bachelor of Accounting
Is accounting on the Green List in New Zealand?
No. Accountant does not appear on Immigration New Zealand's Green List in either tier. Any adviser who tells you accounting is a Green List career is wrong. Residence for accounting graduates runs through the Skilled Migrant Category, which is a real route and a slower one.
Which roles do accounting graduates start in?
Usually audit, tax or financial accounting in a practice, or an assistant accountant role inside a business. Practices recruit graduates in cohorts and often fund the CA programme alongside the job. Those entry roles are where the New Zealand tax and company law you studied first gets used.
Do I need to become a chartered accountant?
Not for immigration purposes. Membership of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand matters for your career and for the roles you can hold, not for the Skilled Migrant Category. Most New Zealand accounting degrees are structured so the academic requirements are met by the time you graduate.
Other qualifications to compare
The level a qualification sits at decides what you can apply for once you finish, so it is worth comparing a few before you enrol.
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