The University of Canterbury Students’ Association is taking its fight over the scrapping of final-year Fees Free to Parliament, calling for students who began studying under the policy to retain their expected entitlement.

The Government announced in May that Fees Free would end after 2026. Students who complete an eligible qualification this year can still apply, but those finishing after December 31 will no longer qualify.

Final-year Fees Free was introduced in January 2025, replacing the previous first-year scheme. It offered eligible first-time learners up to $12,000 for their final year of tertiary study or final two years of work-based learning.

UCSA president Tumaru Mataio said the association initially condemned the decision and pushed for the policy to be reinstated.

However, after discussions with MPs from National, ACT and New Zealand First, student leaders were told a full reversal was unlikely.

“At the same time, our UC students were approaching us directly about the impact this change was going to have on them, and sharing their concerns and stresses as information kept being drip fed from decision-makers,” Mataio said.

“We’ve heard and read their experiences, particularly from students who started studying under the previous Fees Free policy and had planned around receiving that entitlement.”

Mataio said the UCSA Executive then reconsidered what could realistically be achieved and began advocating for the policy to be grandfathered.

Under that proposal, students who began eligible study while final-year Fees Free was in place would still receive the entitlement they had expected, rather than the policy ending immediately for anyone who finished after 2026.

“We started asking: if the policy isn’t going to be reversed, what about protecting students who made a substantial financial decision to study under the policy and are expecting to receive their Fees Free entitlement?” Mataio said.

She said two MPs had indicated grandfathering could be a more practical and considerate approach.

“For us, this is about continuing to advocate for students and looking at what is practical and achievable.

“Grandfathering the policy provides another pathway to push for students who started under the previous Fees Free policy to still receive the entitlement they were expecting.”

The UCSA has also written to Parliament’s Education and Workforce Committee outlining its concerns and asking for students affected by the change to be protected.

Christchurch Central Labour MP Dr Duncan Webb has agreed to sponsor and present the association’s petition to Parliament.

The petition has attracted more than 1,500 signatures and closes on September 21.

Inland Revenue has confirmed students completing their qualification after December 31, 2026 will not be eligible under the current settings.