UNCLASSIFIED
14 January 2026
OIA 12-18
Joseph Lavington
[FYI request #33311 email]
Tēnā koe Joseph Lavington
Thank you for your request for information under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA)
dated 18 December 2025 in which you requested:
“I have applied for the DATA 351 class for Trimester 2, 2026, and I am curious about
the grade distribution of successful applicants from previous years. I would like this
information to understand whether I am likely to be in the running or if I should
consider applying for another class.”
Background
On 19 December 2025 and 5 January 2026, the University contacted you recommending that
you withdraw your OIA request and contact relevant key contacts to get more tailored advice
about your admission into this course, as this is not something that can be done through the
OIA process. On 5 January 2026, you confirmed you wished to proceed with your OIA
request.
Following discussions with the Head of School, we would again like to strongly recommend
you contacting the following resources to get a more fulsome response:
•
Tītoko—Centre for Student Success:
https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/students/tools-and-
help/help-and-advice/titoko
•
You may also wish to contact the Programme Director ([email address]) or
Course Coordinator directly for advice on the DATA351 course. You can find their
contact details here:
https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/courses/data/351/2026?crn=32015
Response to your request
DATA351 is a limited entry internship course with around 10 students admitted, with a
minimum grade requirement of a B+ average. Enrolment is also limited by the availability of
suitable internship hosts.
In response to your request, full grade distributions (i.e. breakdown of students who received
a specific grade) is withheld under s 9(2)(a) of the OIA, to protect the privacy of natural
persons.
UNCLASSIFIED
Page 2 of 2
In good faith of the OIA, we have made the decision to instead provide you with the table
below which sets out the average grade of students successfully enrolled in DATA351 in 2025
for each of the pre-requisite courses:
Course Code
Average Grade
DATA201
A
DATA202
A
STAT292
A
Please note that due to very low student numbers, the average grade for AIML231,
QUAN203, MATH277 are withheld in full under s 9(2)(a) of the OIA. We can advise,
however, that the average grade sat within the A range (i.e. A+, A, and A-).
If you have any questions about this decision, you can contact us by email at:
[VUW request email]. You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the
Ombudsman of this decision by contacting
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone
0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Kayana Shaw
Senior Advisor, Official Information and Privacy
Legal Services
Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington
Document Outline
