EPUS (10 weeks) is for students: 

• who hold a conditional offer for undergraduate study at the University of Auckland or other New Zealand tertiary institutions¹, and, 

• who have narrowly missed the English language requirements 

Students who successfully complete this programme with the required grade, will meet the English language requirements for university study. 

This short intensive programme focuses on developing the language proficiency and academic literacy needed for undergraduate studies through English. Also, students in this programme can have full access to the University of Auckland Library and learning services. 

Course length
10 weeks (an accelerated 7-week² EPUS is available in November)

Total hours
200 hours

Course dates 
26 June 2023 – 1 September 2023 (10 weeks)
11 September 2023 – 17 November 2023 (10 weeks)
20 November 2023 – 19 January 2024 (7 weeks）

¹More information on the New Zealand tertiary institutions that recognise the EPUS is available on request. 

²Due to the Christmas break, the EPUS course commencing in November is typically 7 weeks long, but the course hours remain 200 hours in total.

To be eligible for EPUS, students must:

• Hold a conditional offer of place from a New Zealand tertiary institution which recognises EPUS¹
• Meet the IELTS score requirements below as based on the score needed for your undergraduate programme². IELTS Indicator can also be accepted during 2022 until further notice. 

¹A list of all New Zealand tertiary institutions which recognise the EPUS is available on request. 

²The Academic IELTS score must have been issued within 2 years and 6 months of the EPUS commencement date. Please note this is a temporary extension from 2 years due to the Covid-19 situation. 

Please note this is a sample timetable only. Your classes may run in the morning session or afternoon session.

• Students may commence their studies no later than the Friday of the first week of the course.
• No late starts are allowed for Summer School – students must begin on the Monday of the first week of the course.

• Students must pay the tuition fees for their Study Programme to ELA at least four (4) weeks prior to the commencement of their Study Programme, except in the following case: Students from the People’s Republic of China are not permitted to pay the tuition fees before INZ has granted “Student Visa Approval in Principle”

• Please note students taking a Pathway course will need to have their own device, i.e. laptop or tablet. 

Repeating Students

• Students repeating the course need to confirm their place with the Enrolments Manager no later than the first day of the course.
• Students who have confirmed their place may commence their studies no later than the Friday of the first week of the course. 

The ELA is committed to the continuation of your English language learning during this challenging Covid-19 period. To support your study goals, the ELA is pleased to offer English Pathway for Undergraduate Studies (EPUS) online. For the duration of 2022, English Pathway for Undergraduate Studies (EPUS) is available online as well as face to face for those students who are based in New Zealand¹. 

Online EPUS classes are mix of offline activities such as discussion forum posting, and live interactive Zoom sessions on course work topics between students and tutors. Zoom sessions can sometimes be one-to-one or small group tutorials in addition to whole class activities. Your classes are from 1pm to 5.15pm* NZT for all levels. 

* PLEASE NOTE: These times are local New Zealand times. NZ daylight saving ends at 3am on Sunday, April 4th (NZ time) and commences again at 2am on Sunday, September 26th. This will affect your lesson times in your home country. Please ensure you adjust your times accordingly - this link will calculate the correct time difference for you - Click here.

Technology and other learning requirements: 

•    Laptop or PC with Microsoft Word or other document producing capabilities and functional webcam. This is essential for Academic English and Pathway courses 
•    Headset/ear phones/microphone for listening/speaking/recording purposes
•    Stable internet connection (recommended speed of 3Mbps)
•    Designated quiet study space especially required for completing assignments/assessments

Find out why you should study an online university English pathway course with us HERE.

Frequently asked questions about our online English courses HERE.

¹Disclaimer: If student numbers do not allow us to run a completely online or face-to-face class, then a hybrid class may need to be run. A hybrid class is one which is made up of a combination of both face to face and online students where one teacher leads both students online and face-to-face may have to be run.