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University of Otago Master's and Doctoral Scholarships

Scholarships for Master’s and doctoral-level study at the University of Otago can be applied for at anytime during the year. The following provides information on what scholarships to apply for, the application forms to use, and when to apply.

• Doctoral Scholarship
• Research Master's Scholarship
• Coursework Master's Scholarship
• Applying as an International Student
• Applying after admission
• Reapplying for a Scholarship
• Further Information
  

Doctoral Scholarships

Applications for doctoral-level scholarships should usually occur when applying for admission, and should be attached to the appropriate admission form. It is also possible to apply for a scholarship after being admitted.

The main doctoral-level scholarship, open to both international and domestic applicants, is the University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship. In addition there are particular scholarships for Māori and Pacific Island applicants, as well as a number of specialised discipline-specific scholarships.

International applicants should also see the section below on applying as an international student.

Downloads

• Download the University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship Application Form for domestic applicants.
• Download the University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship Application for international applicants.
• Download the University of Otago Postgraduate Scholarship Regulations ( including a full schedule of scholarships offered under the continuous scheme).

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Research Master's Scholarships

Research Master’s scholarships support students during the thesis part of a research Master’s degree; pre-thesis papers are not covered by these scholarships. For those who are unsure what type of Master's degree they are studying, or planning to study towards, it is possible to download a categorised list of Otago Masters' degrees.

Applications for research Master's scholarship should usually occur either:

• when applying for admission (if the degree is by thesis only, or if the thesis will begin straight away), in which case the scholarship application should be attached to the appropriate admission form – note that if the Master’s degree for which you are applying does not require admission documentation, please contact the Doctoral and Scholarships Office for an alternative process; or,
•  just before the thesis component is about to begin (usually at the start of the second year for a master’s degree by papers and thesis), in which case the scholarship application and any supporting documentation should be forwarded directly to your Head of Department. Note that students studying a papers year before the thesis component of their Master’s degree should not apply for a scholarship at admission.

It is also possible to apply for a research Master’s scholarship after beginning a Master's thesis.

For domestic applicants the main research Master’s scholarship is the University of Otago Master’s Scholarship. In addition there are particular scholarships for Māori and Pacific Island applicants, as well as a number of specialised discipline-specific scholarships.

For international applicants there are four University of Otago International Master’s Scholarships available per year; one per teaching Division.  Due to the limited number of these scholarships, applicants require very good grades to be successful.  We only recommend applying if your grades in the later years of your degree are at A or A+ level.

Scholarships are currently available in each Division for candidates planning to start within the time frames specified below.  Note that these dates can change based on submission or withdrawal of current candidates. Please check back often.

International applicants should also see the section below on applying as an international student.

Downloads

• Download the University of Otago Research Master's Scholarship Application Form for domestic applicants.
• Download the University of Otago International Master's Scholarship Application Form (for international applicants).
• Download the University of Otago Postgraduate Scholarship Regulations (including a full schedule of scholarships offered under the continuous scheme).

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Coursework Master's Scholarships

The University of Otago Coursework Master’s Scholarship is open to both domestic and international applicants, and is for students studying Master’s degrees which don’t include a full thesis component (although they may include a research report or dissertation).

Some degrees also have a thesis or non-thesis option (usually with the decision made after an initial year of study). In such cases the non-thesis option is eligible for coursework Master’s scholarship support. Note that coursework Master’s scholarships are not available to research master’s students completing a papers year prior to beginning their thesis. For those who are unsure what type of Master's degree they are studying, or planning to study towards, it is possible to download a catergorised list of Otago Master's degrees.

Applications for coursework Master's scholarships should occur:

• when applying for admission, in which case the scholarship application should be attached to the appropriate admission form – note that if the Master’s degree for which you are applying does not require admission documentation, please contact the Doctoral and Scholarships Office for an alternative process.

In cases where a thesis/non-thesis decision must be made, and where a non-thesis option is decided upon after an initial period of study, an application may be made directly to the Head of your Department after the initial (pre-research project) papers for the degree have been completed.

Apart from this one exception, it is not possible to apply for a coursework Master’s scholarship after admission to the programme.

Downloads

• Download the University of Otago Coursework Master's Scholarship Application Form (for domestic and international applicants).
• Download the University of Otago Coursework Master's Scholarship Regulations.

International applicants should also see the section below on applying as an international student.

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Applying as an International Student

International students applying at admission should attach the appropriate scholarship application form and any additionally required supporting documentation to their admission application form (for new international students admission forms are available from the University Of Otago International Office website); the scholarship will then be assessed alongside admission.

International students applying for a scholarship after admission should apply directly to their Head of Department, providing the scholarship application form and any required supporting documentation.

Information on grade requirements for University of Otago scholarships for international students is available elsewhere on this website.

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Applying after Admission

Application at admission/at the start of thesis work is the preferred method for applying for an Otago postgraduate scholarship. However, in most cases (but see the coursework Master’s scholarship section above) it is possible to apply for a scholarship after admission, or after beginning the thesis component of the degree.

Students applying for a scholarship after admission should apply directly to their Head of Department, providing the scholarship application form and any required supporting documentation.

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Reapplying for a Scholarship

Usually, the initial decision of the Scholarships Committee on a scholarship application is definitive. However, in certain cases, students who have been initially unsuccessful in applying for a scholarship may reapply:

• if the applicant applied at the wrong time (e.g. a research master’s applicant who needed to complete a papers year before embarking on their thesis, who applied at admission), and was deemed ineligible; or,
• if the degree for which the scholarship was initially applied for, was not begun by the applicant, and at least one year has passed since the original application; or,
• if the applicant is completing a professional doctorate with a papers year (e.g. a DClinDent or EdD degree), after the results from the initial papers year have been received; or,
• if substantive new evidence has come to light which might alter the initial decision of the Scholarships Committee, for example the publication of an academic paper or further grade information. In this latter case, potential applicants must seek permission from the Doctoral and Scholarships Office to reapply. Please send an email to scholarships@otago.ac.nz detailing the significant change since the initial application and including supporting documents as appropriate. Permission for reapplication will only be granted in the rare instances where the evidence is judged substantive enough to possibly alter the original decision of the Scholarships Committee.

Note that applicants who were previously offered a scholarship but could not take it up for some reason, are free to reapply.

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Further Information

For further information please contact:
Doctoral and Scholarships Office
Tel 64 3 479 1100 or 0800 80 80 98
Email scholarships@otago.ac.nz

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