Health Bridging Certificate (Level 3 and 4)

Your workload

This is a full-time programme and you should expect to spend around 40 hours per week accessing required learning resources, completing assignments and undertaking self-directed study.

2026 block course dates (for those studying online)

Semester one block courses - North Island (Whitireia Weltec, Porirua Campus)

• Saturday 28 February - Sunday 1 March (2 days)
• Saturday 2 May - Sunday 3 May (2 days) 
• Saturday 13 June - Sunday 14 June (2 days)

Semester one block courses - South Island (Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin Campus)

• Monday 2 March - Tuesday 3 March (2 days)
• Monday 4 May - Tuesday 5 May (2 days)
• Monday 15 June - Tuesday 16 June (2 days)

Semester two block courses - North Island (Whitireia Weltec, Porirua Campus)

• Saturday 25 July - Sunday 26 July (2 days)
• All prospective Midwifery students also attend the Midwifery Presentation on Monday 27 July (1 day)
• Saturday 12 September - Sunday 13 September (2 days)
• Saturday 14 November - Sunday 15 November (2 days)

Semester two block courses - South Island (Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin Campus)

•  All prospective Midwifery students also attend Intro to Careers - Midwifery Presentation on Monday 27 July (1 day)
• Tuesday 28 July - Wednesday 29 July (2 days)
  • All new and returning students need to attend both of these days
• Monday 14 September - Tuesday 15 September (2 days)
• Monday 16 November - Tuesday 17 November (2 days)

Entry requirements 

• Open entry.
• International students will be individually assessed to ensure they are ready for this study.

International requirements and equivalence

To enter Otago Polytechnic's undergraduate certificates, diplomas and degrees, you need to have achieved a secondary school qualification that is equivalent to New Zealand's NCEA levels (National Certificate of Educational Achievement).

This information is available by country on our Equivalent academic entry requirements page.

English Language requirements

If English is not your first language, you must provide:

• New Zealand University Entrance OR
• Overall Academic IELTS 5.0 with no individual band score lower than 5.0 (achieved in one test completed in the last two years), OR
• Acceptable alternative evidence of the required IELTS (see here for internationally recognised proficiency tests and proficiency outcomes for international students).

If you need to improve your English Language skills, we offer a wide range of English programmes.

Please note: You must have access to the internet to be able to complete this programme.

Entry straight to Level 4

If you meet the below requirements, you will be able to apply for entry straight into Level 4. This six-month certificate starts in July every year. Click here for the Level 4 only programme.

• New Zealand Certificate in Study and Career Preparation (Level 3), or equivalent. 
• If English is not your first language, you must provide:
  • New Zealand University Entrance OR
  • Overall Academic IELTS 5.5 with no individual band score lower than 5.0 (achieved in one test completed in the last two years), OR
  • Acceptable alternative evidence of the required IELTS (see here for NZQA proficiency table and here for list of recognised proficiency tests).

Please note: You must have access to the internet to be able to complete this programme. 

Health and vaccination information

Please note that while you don't need to provide evidence of your vaccination status to apply for this Level 3 or Level 4 health bridging programme, you may need to provide evidence of your vaccination status as part of your enrolment in one of our health diplomas or degrees when you successfully complete this programme. Please check the relevant programme page for further information.

Moving into our health-related degrees

Due to the high demand for places, successful completion of the this programme will not automatically guarantee you entry to our health-related degrees.

Progression to Bachelor of Nursing 

• A minimum B+ average pass, achieved across the four courses during semester two, is required to meet the entry requirements for the Bachelor of Nursing. This must include at least a B+ in Human Biological Science 2.
• These programmes also have non-academic entry requirements including language requirements for non-native speakers of English, so you may need to plan ahead!
• Nursing applicants for whom English is a second language will also need to meet the language requirements for the Bachelor of Nursing, which is an IELTS overall band score (academic) of 6.5.

Progression to Bachelor of Midwifery

• Midwifery Council states that applications from applicants under 20 who have met the academic entry criteria to the Bachelor of Midwifery via the Health Bridging Programme will be assessed on their individual merits.
• A minimum B+ average pass, achieved across the four courses during semester two, is required to meet the entry requirements for the Bachelor of Midwifery. This must include at least a B+ in Human Biological Science 2.
• These programmes also have non-academic entry requirements including language requirements for non-native speakers of English, so you may need to plan ahead!
• Midwifery applicants for whom English is a second language will also need to meet the language requirements for the Bachelor of Midwifery, which is an IELTS overall band score (academic) of 7.0.

Please contact Otago Polytechnic to discuss your pathway to a health-related degree. Email info@op.ac.nz or phone 0800 762 786.

If you have extensive knowledge and skills due to practical experience in this area, please ask us about our recognition of prior learning process. You may have already gained credits towards this qualification and could achieve it in a shorter timeframe. Please email info@op.ac.nz or call 0800 762 786 and your message will be sent to the appropriate department.

Additional costs

We recommend the text 'Introduction to the Human Body: The Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology'  by Gerard J.Tortora and Bryan Derrickson (7th edition or later). 

Tuition fees

The tuition fees shown above are approximate only. There may be a slight fee increase per year once Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) rules and guidelines are applied. These fees also don’t include additional costs or living costs.

Applying and enrolling

This programme is made up of two qualifications:

1. New Zealand Certificate in Study and Career Preparation (Level 3)* - studied during semester one starting in February
2. New Zealand Certificate in Study and Career Preparation (Level 4)* - studied during semester two starting in July.  

*Please note: These programme names are currently under review and is proposed to change to the New Zealand Certificate in Study and Employment Pathways (Level 3) from 2025. 

When you apply with us and receive confirmation of the programme you have been enrolled into, it will state the programme name above - rather than Health Bridging Certificate. 

We call it the Health Bridging Certificate in all of our promotional material as it makes the information easier for you to find on our website. 

However, the NZQA approved programme name shown above has to be included in your official enrolment documentation. 

This name will also appear on your graduation certificate.