International students starting in Summer School or semester 1, 2027
- All new international students starting studies on campus must register for and attend an orientation and enrolment seminar in order to complete the enrolment process.
- Students starting in a January start programme (e.g. Master of Teaching and Learning), Summer School courses or an early start course that includes fieldtrips (e.g. ECOL 313 or GEOL 344), please select the appropriate orientation and enrolment seminars from the registration link.
- Students in the Master of Business Administration; IMU Medicine; IMU Pharmacy; and Postgraduate Dentistry courses: You will have a separate seminar day and time communicated to you by your teaching programme.
- If you are a PhD student, please see instructions at the bottom of this webpage.
For all other students, the semester 1, 2027 orientation and enrolment seminars are due to take place 22–26 February 2027.
We recommend new international students arrive on campus by 19 February to settle in, complete enrolment, participate in orientation activities and adjust to their new surroundings ahead of the first day of class.
Register for your seminar day and time
After registering
You must send a high-quality PDF scan of your passport bio page and facing page AND the pdf of your visa once you have received it from Immigration New Zealand to international.orientation@otago.ac.nz. Please write your full legal name and student ID number in the email so that we can identify you.
You must bring your passport to the seminar with you and have it ready to present at the attendance desk.
Please contact us with any questions
Email international.orientation@otago.ac.nz
Research masters’ or PhD students starting on campus
If you are an international PhD or research master's (thesis-based) student enrolling on campus for the first time (this includes students who have already begun their study remotely/online), you must report to the AskOtago Central Hub in Dunedin, or the AskOtago reception if you are studying at one of the other Otago campuses. Please note that you will not be able to select your paper/s. University staff will do this on your behalf once you are on campus.
In Dunedin, the AskOtago Central Hub is in the Information Services Building and the drop-in hours are Monday–Friday, 11:00am–3:00pm.
You will need to bring your passport and electronic visa with you to be verified. This step activates a series of important steps and services to support you with a smooth transition for your studies on campus.
You must also register for a PhD on-campus welcome session (mandatory to attend) by completing this survey:
Enrolment and orientation seminar registration survey – PhD/master's
Distance learning students
For a seminar day and time to attend orientation online, students starting their qualification by distance learning should contact:
Email international.orientation@otago.ac.nz
International students starting semester 2, 2027
The semester 2, 2027 orientation and enrolment seminars are due to take place 5–9 July 2027. The full list of seminar session dates and times and the link to register will be published on this webpage in early 2027.