Student services fee explained

What is the compulsory student services fee?

All universities in New Zealand charge a student services fee, sometimes known as a student services levy, as directed by the New Zealand Government’s Tertiary Education Commission. This gives you access to services that contribute to student life by supporting your study journey and enhancing your academic experience.

Services provided include student development, career and employment support, health and counselling services, representation, advocacy and advice, clubs, cultural groups, societies, sport and recreation, student to student communication, and pastoral care and wellbeing services.

How is the student services fee allocated?

The Tertiary Education Commission tells us that the money can only be spent on specific categories. At Massey the student services fee categories for 2023 are:

1. Representation, advocacy and advice – 10%

Elected student representatives' governance and executive committees remuneration
Class advocates working to address course delivery issues on behalf of the class
Resolving individual student problems by providing independent support
Financial advice including budgeting, welfare and minor hardship grants available.

2. Student to student communication – 3%

Producing online and hard copy media, including your student magazine Massive and printed promotion posters
Online communication portals, students association websites, Facebook, Instagram, Radio Control 99.4FM and media production.

3. Student development, career and employment support – 12%

Student Development offers programmes that enhance personal growth, build leadership skills, and find personal strengths through Strengths@Massey
Massey Career Centre offers targeted career development and employer recruitment events, as well as access to a wealth of career resources and tools through the ‘Massey Career Centre online’ portal
All students and recent graduates have access to NZUniTalent, a job board for all types of work during university and beyond.

4. Health and counselling services – 36%

Massey University has a range of student wellbeing support and advisory services available to its students, with services able to be tailored to the student being supported:

Subsidised confidential health care from medical professionals including doctors, nurses and staff focused on student care and wellbeing
Professionally trained and registered counsellors to help students find ways to work through and understand personal, social or psychological issues which may impact their academic achievement.

5. Clubs, cultural groups, societies, sport and recreation – 17%

Student clubs, cultural groups and societies, including activity grants for academic, cultural, social and sports clubs
Academy of Sport supporting elite level student athletes
Sport and recreation on each campus, including Recreation Centres, social sports leagues and support for the running of sports clubs.

6. Pastoral care and wellbeing services – 22%

The range of mental wellbeing services currently offered to students includes evidence informed therapeutic interventions, group therapy, health promotion / harm reduction education opportunities, wrap around care through case management, spiritual, culturally specific support advisors, peers support opportunities, disability support advisors, and subsidised primary health care.
The services are delivered by Massey staff who are part of the Student Wellbeing unit within the Student Experience Directorate.

All of these services are run by friendly people who will provide you with information and guidance – use them when you need to.

How can you make your voice heard?

There are a number of opportunities for you to have your say. Each year the university and students association meet to discuss priorities around access to particular student services. Feedback gathered from students association and the annual student experience survey is also taken into consideration.

Student services fee engagement plan for 2023

We're working with your students association, Te Tira Ahu Pae, to collaboratively plan and execute our services fee consultation for 2023. This will impact on 2024 – how and where funds are allocated, the fee amount, and the fee maximum.

We'll engage with you through a variety of channels, including:

through questionnaires and online to help you understand what the student services fee is and how it's spent.
campus popups designed to educate students on the student services fee.

In June 2023, we asked current students for their opinion about how the compulsory Student Services Fee supports their success, and how much the Student Services Fee charges should be for 2024. We ran the survey for two weeks and 1,325 students responded.

The survey asked you to rank the services that are funded by the Student Services Fee (SSF) in order of their value to you as a student and to student life more broadly and then asked your opinion on a proposed Student Services Fee for 2024.

This report summarises quantitative data, followed by qualitative data, and key findings from the Student Services Fee survey.

Student Services Fee - student survey results 2023 (PDF)

A newly formed Student Services Fee Advisory Group called for student nominations in July and 10 student representatives are about to be appointed.

Meetings and consultations with the newly formed students association Te Tira Ahu Pae began in April 2023 and are ongoing.

Infographic - Where does your student services fee go?

Infographic – How your student services fee is spent

Feedback through your students association leader

Feedback to the Director of Student Experience

Reporting and decision making

Student services fees requirements are included in funding conditions administered by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC). Changes to student services fees are outlined in The Tertiary Education (Requirements for Student Services Fees) Notice 2022. From 2023, a single compulsory student services fee is charged.

We place importance on encouraging a strong student voice. We achieve this by:

engaging directly with students to learn more about how the levy should be spent and what services are most important
meeting throughout the year with the students association as an important means of seeking input and feedback
each year we liaise with student leaders over the following year’s priorities for the student services fee budget. This involves a Service Level Agreement between Massey and your students association so that your association is funded appropriately to deliver particular services to all students, and ensures that the services delivered are important to student success at Massey.

The university reports the student services fee income and expenditure in its annual accounts, and the relevant section covering the student services fees is in Massey University's Annual Report (2022 pages 97-98 – PDF, 9.7 MB). Any student services fee surplus is carried forward to the following year to be used solely for providing student services.

Fees

The student services fee is a compulsory non-tuition fee. This includes a base fee plus a fee for each credit you are enrolled in. The maximum number of credits you can be charged for in an academic year is 120. The amount you need to pay will depend on how many credits you are enrolled in, your location and mode of study.

Find information on all fees including the current rates

If you have exceptional personal circumstances, such as an extended hospital stay affecting your ability to study, you may apply to have this compulsory fee reconsidered.

Student services fee reconsideration application form