This report provides new information on the impacts of the Student Loan Scheme by looking at the income of those who used the Scheme between 1997 and 2000. One of two analytical reports published using previously unavailable information from Statistics New Zealand's Integrated Dataset on Student Loan Scheme Borrowers.
Key Results
- The level of qualification studied and whether it was successfully completed or not make a large difference to a person's income after study.
- For borrowers who successfully completed a bachelors degree, there is minimal difference in starting salaries between ethnic groups. For borrowers who did not complete, the differences in starting salaries between ethnic groups are quite marked.
- While most people's earned income rises in the first few years after study, there is a large proportion who receive state benefit in the first few years following study. The likelihood of receiving a benefit is strongly correlated with level of study, completion status, gender and field of study.
- Women earn more than men while studying, but less than men after study. Completing a tertiary qualification tends to reduce the gap in income of men and women.