Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship for International Students

Information

The Vice-Chancellor's Scholarships for International Students celebrate and welcome international students to the University of Otago, as valued members of our University community. This scholarship recognises the additional personal, academic and financial challenges faced by international students and is awarded to support students to pursue their academic goals.

The Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship for International Students provides a NZ$10,000 contribution towards the tuition fee on an eligible programme.

This scholarship will be awarded to all eligible international students who are offered a place in an eligible programme and will be starting full-time, full-year, undergraduate study for the first time, at a New Zealand university in 2023 or 2024.

Recipients of the Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship for International Students may also be eligible for a guaranteed offer of place in University-owned or affiliated accommodation – subject to meeting conditions outlined below.

Eligible students

Students must meet the following requirements:

1. International students who are not New Zealand citizens or permanent residents or resident visa holders of New Zealand or Australia*; and
2. Have gained university admission through:
   1. Completion of Year 12 and/or completion of – or in the process of completion of – Year 13 at a New Zealand school, or an equivalent foundation level course at a New Zealand tertiary institution
   2. Completion of an internationally recognised qualification in New Zealand or at an overseas high school, such as A Levels, International Baccalaureate, or ATAR; or
   3. Meeting other international entrance requirements as outlined on the Otago website; and
3. Have not normally completed any previous study at a New Zealand university; and
4. Are subject to paying international tuition fees; and
5. Are eligible apply for, and are intending to enrol for full-time study in the first year of an eligible programme.

* Australian citizens and permanent residents may be eligible for this scholarship if they are unable to reside in New Zealand at the time of study, as they would then be subject to paying international fees.

Eligible programmes

For students studying on campus in Dunedin, all undergraduate degrees are eligible.

For students outside of New Zealand, the programme must be available via:

• Distance learning
• Online learning (programmes temporarily offered online in 2023)

Deferred students

Students who have had their applications deferred from a previous year, are eligible to be considered for this scholarship. Applicants will be reassessed for the scholarship to ensure they are still eligible.

Selection process

Vice-Chancellor's Scholarships for International Students are awarded to students who meet eligibility criteria. Students will be notified of the scholarship in their Offer of Place, which will be followed by a formal scholarship offer.

Other Entrance Scholarships

The University of Otago offers a number of other Entrance Scholarships (valued up to $30,000) to students who have completed Year 12 and have completed or are in the process of completing Year 13 at a New Zealand school, or an equivalent foundation level course at a New Zealand tertiary institution.

Students are strongly encouraged to apply for these scholarships. Applications close on 15 August in the year prior to starting study and are made via a student's eVision portal.

Accommodation applications

All scholarship recipients are guaranteed an offer of place in University-owned or affiliated accommodation which includes residential colleges and University Flats. The guaranteed offer of place is subject to having completed the following processes by 30 September in the year prior to starting study.

1. Applied for their programme of study
2. Applied for accommodation via their eVision portal, including the submission of their Common Confidential Reference Form (CCRF).

See the Student Accommodation website for further information on the accommodation application process and due dates.

Note: a programme application must have been started in eVision for a student to have access to the accommodation application form.

After 30 September, but before 1 February, students commencing study in semester 1 (February) can still apply for accommodation, and they will be given high priority for a place in a University owned or affiliated residential college or University Flat. This means that an offer of place is no longer guaranteed, but every effort will be made to offer the student a place in accommodation.

For students commencing study in semester 2 (July), accommodation applications close 1 June. Recipients will be given high priority for a place in a University owned or affiliated college or University Flat. This means that every effort will be made to offer the students a place in accommodation, however an offer of place is not guaranteed for students commencing in semester 2 (July)

See the Entrance Scholarships Terms and Conditions for further details regarding the accommodation offer guarantee.

Conditions

The Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship for International Students is a University of Otago Entrance Scholarship. As such, refer to the Entrance Scholarship Terms and Conditions for conditions that normally apply to all Entrance Scholarships.

While there is no application process for the Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship for International Students, students may be eligible for other Entrance Scholarships and as such, are strongly encouraged to apply for other Entrance Scholarships by the due date.

The following additional conditions apply to the Vice-Chancellor's Scholarships for International Students, and supersede the normal Entrance Scholarship terms and conditions as indicated:

1. This scholarship is redeemable only as a credit towards tuition fees (supersedes conditions 4 and 5)
2. Students starting their programme in semester 2 are eligible for this scholarship (supersedes condition 3)
3. If an applicant applies for more than one programme, they may be offered this scholarship multiple times (once per eligible programme), but the scholarship will only be awarded once.
4. If the student is not able to commence their studies by the enrolment date stated in their Offer of Place, the scholarship is no longer valid. If the student's enrolment is moved to a subsequent start date, they will be reassessed for the scholarship to ensure they are still eligible.
5. Students sponsored by their home Government, or the New Zealand Government are not eligible for this scholarship.
6. This scholarship may not be held concurrently with another University of Otago Undergraduate Entrance Scholarship (UES). If a recipient is awarded another UES, the recipient will receive the scholarship of the highest value.
7. Students who have undertaken previous University-level study  at an institution outside of New Zealand may be eligible for this scholarship, depending on the amount of credit they will receive towards their Otago programme, and the expected duration required to complete their Otago programme. Assessment of transfer credits will take place upon programme application.
8. Deferral of the scholarship is not normally possible.