Disclaimer

01 General information only

Everything on PathFinder — assessments, roadmaps, the master's/PhD track comparison, the course catalogue, university and lab listings, scholarship and funding data, the Cost & Payback calculator, the visa hub, settlement and cost-of-living tools, and templates — is provided for general informational and planning purposes. It does not take account of your individual circumstances and should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.

02 Not immigration or legal advice

PathFinder is not a licensed immigration adviser, lawyer, or education agent. The visa guidance we provide is a simplified overview to help you understand the process; it is not personalised immigration advice. New Zealand immigration law is complex and changes regularly. For advice on your specific situation, consult Immigration New Zealand (immigration.govt.nz) or a licensed immigration adviser/lawyer entitled to advise on New Zealand immigration matters.

03 Not financial advice

Cost-of-living figures, funds-planner outputs, stipend bands, minimum-funds requirements, tuition bands, and exchange rates are indicative estimates to help you budget. They are hand-maintained, may be out of date, and are not financial advice. Exchange rates fluctuate. Confirm current figures with your bank, a licensed financial adviser, the relevant university, and Immigration New Zealand before making financial commitments.

04 Accuracy & currency of data

We work to keep PathFinder's data reasonably accurate, but we make no representation or warranty that any information — including course-catalogue entries, scholarship values, deadlines, fees, eligibility criteria, rankings, supervisor details, visa fees, rents, or wages — is complete, current, or error-free. Details change frequently and without notice. The course catalogue is built from the official NZQA qualifications register at a point in time and regenerated periodically, so a very recent change on a provider's own website may not yet be reflected here.

05 Cost & payback estimates

The Cost & Payback calculator estimates what a master's or PhD is likely to cost, end to end, and how long it could take to earn that back. It is a planning model, not a forecast or a promise:

• Graduate earnings figures are drawn from published data on domestic New Zealand graduates. As an international graduate you hold a time-limited post-study work visa and no guarantee of residence, so these figures are an upper reference point, not a prediction of what you personally will earn.
• Part-time work income during study is estimated at the adult minimum wage as a floor, not an average, and — importantly — this income does not count toward Immigration New Zealand's visa funds requirement, even though it may reduce what your family actually needs to spend.
• Payback is measured against the 3-year post-study work visa, not an open-ended career, and assumes no gaps in employment.
• "Cheaper route" comparisons show other providers teaching a similar qualification at a lower published fee. They are informational, not a recommendation — check admission requirements, teaching quality, and your own priorities before switching providers on the strength of a fee difference alone.
• The printable family decision sheet carries the same estimates and the same limitations; a figure printed on it is no more authoritative than the same figure on screen.

06 Provider-quality data

Where the Cost & Payback tool shows a provider's quality record, that record is the New Zealand Qualifications Authority's (NZQA) own published information — category, confidence statements, evaluation-report links, and Code of Practice signatory status — reproduced as-is. PathFinder does not score, rank, or editorialise it.

NZQA's External Evaluation and Review (EER) system ended on 19 January 2026, replaced by the Quality Assurance of Tertiary Education Providers Rules 2026. Any provider category shown is therefore historical, dated to when it was assigned, and displayed with a note that the system that produced it no longer operates. Universities carry no NZQA category by design — they are audited separately by the Academic Quality Agency and CUAP — and that absence is not a quality signal either way. PathFinder shows no Google, Glassdoor, or other third-party review scores.

07 AI-generated & automated content

Parts of PathFinder — including the Research Studio's topic, literature, and proposal drafts — are generated automatically from public academic data and templates. This content may contain errors, omissions, or outdated references, and is a starting draft, not a finished or authoritative document. Review, verify, and edit it yourself, check all citations against the original sources, and follow your university's rules on academic integrity and the acceptable use of AI tools.

08 Mentor guidance

Mentors on PathFinder are independent individuals sharing their personal experience. They are not employed by or speaking for PathFinder, and their guidance is not professional immigration, legal, or financial advice. We do not verify or endorse the accuracy of what any mentor says. Use your own judgement and verify important points with official sources.

09 External links

PathFinder links to third-party websites (universities, Immigration New Zealand, scholarship bodies, partners, payment providers). We do not control and are not responsible for their content, accuracy, or practices. A link is not an endorsement. Partner/affiliate placements are clearly labelled; we may earn a commission from some of them, which never changes the information we show you.

10 No guarantee of outcomes

Using PathFinder does not guarantee admission to any programme, a scholarship, funding, employment, or the grant of a visa. Admissions and immigration decisions rest entirely with the universities and Immigration New Zealand. To the fullest extent permitted by law, PathFinder is not liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on the Service or its information. This Disclaimer should be read together with the limitation of liability in our Terms of Service.

11 Contact

Spotted something out of date or incorrect? Tell us at support@pathfinder.app, or on 071 270 7074 (WhatsApp), and we will review it.