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Reopening of University of Otago Doctoral Scholarships to all prospective international PhD students
With the reopening of the New Zealand border and international students able to apply for a student visa from 31 July 2022, all prospective international PhD students are now able to be considered for a University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship.

Whether you are a domestic or an international student, the University of Otago has a range of Doctoral Scholarships available to you.

Guaranteed Doctoral Scholarships for high-achieving domestically-trained students

If you are a straight A student (GPA of 8 - 'A' grade) or higher, who has completed an Honours or Master's degree with an appropriate research component from a New Zealand university then you are likely to be guaranteed a University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship.

How to apply

Applications for doctoral scholarships are made online through the eVision portal and can be made at any time of the year. Once you have applied for admission to your programme you will receive an alert in your student portal inviting you to apply for a scholarship.

DClinDent applicants

Invitations to apply for the University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship will be sent out via eVision once admission to the DClinDent programme has been confirmed, usually in October of the year of application. A decision regarding the scholarship application will be made in late November or December in the same year.  If you are a second year student who has completed the papers year of the DClinDent programme please contact the Scholarships Office for details on how to apply.

What are the main University of Otago scholarships available to Doctoral candidates?

The University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship is the main doctoral scholarship, open to both international and domestic applicants. In addition there are a number of specialised scholarships which can be applied for online through eVision.

University of Otago Māori Doctoral Scholarship
$32,544 plus tuition fee waiver for Māori thesis PhD candidates.

University of Otago Pacific Island Doctoral Scholarship
$32,544 plus tuition fee waiver for indigenous Pacific Island thesis PhD candidates.

University of Otago China Scholarship Council Doctoral Scholarship
For PhD candidates who are supported by the China Scholarship Council.

University of Otago City of Literature PhD Scholarship
PhD funding to support doctoral research in the study of literature.

University of Otago Special Health Research Scholarship
$32,544 plus tuition fee waiver for thesis PhD candidates.

Alliance Group Postgraduate Scholarship
$32,544 plus tuition fee waiver for thesis PhD candidates.

Bamforth Postgraduate Scholarship
$32,544 per year plus a tuition fee waiver for 3 years for PhD study.

Bruggeman Postgraduate Scholarship in Classics
Postgraduate funding to support Classics PhD candidates.

Dr Sulaiman Daud 125th Jubilee Postgraduate Scholarship
Scholarship funding to support PhD candidates from Malaysia.

Fanny Evans Postgraduate Scholarship for Women
Scholarship funds to help women postgraduate students.

Gilbert M. Tothill Scholarship in Psychological Medicine
$10,000 per year to support a student conducting research in Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine or a related field.

James Park Scholarship In Geology
Postgraduate funding to support research in the area of New Zealand mineral resources.

Macandrew-Stout Postgraduate Scholarship in Economics
Funding to support PhD candidates studying Economics.

Postgraduate Tassell Scholarship in Cancer Research
PhD scholarship funding to supporting cancer research.

Senior Smeaton Scholarship
Funds to support postgraduate study in Experimental Science.

Waddell Smith Postgraduate Scholarship in Education
$2,000 towards postgraduate study in Education.

Please follow this link for a full list of doctoral scholarships offered by the University of Otago.

Regulations

Read the University of Otago Postgraduate Scholarship regulations (PDF, 386KB)

International grade requirements

Read information on grade requirements for University of Otago scholarships for international students.

Reapplying for a scholarship

University of Otago Scholarships are extremely competitive and the decision of the Scholarships Selection Committee on a scholarship application is normally definitive. A student can look at reapplying if they have something new to add to a previous application.

Potential applicants must seek permission from the Scholarships Office to reapply. Please email scholarships@otago.ac.nz with a request to reapply. Please include your full name, student ID number, and evidence of the new material which you are adding to your previous application. Permission for reapplication will only be granted once the reapplication request has been reviewed by the Scholarships Committee Representative.

If approval for reapplication is granted, you will not need to reapply for the scholarship in eVision. Your existing application will be reactivated. You can supply updated information to Student Administration using the above email. Staff will add the new documents to the existing application.

Find out more about scholarships at Otago

Tel 0800 80 80 98
Email scholarships@otago.ac.nz
Scholarships at Otago

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