Reviewed by Miles Obi
The University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, runs several scholarships for international students, and the best known for undergraduates is the International Academic Excellence Scholarship. It is worth roughly NZ$35,000 over three years, and it is competitive. This guide explains what it pays, who it is for, how the invitation works, how the other Otago awards fit alongside it, and how to check the current application window on the official Otago pages.
What the International Academic Excellence Scholarship pays
According to the University of Otago scholarship page, the award is worth about NZ$35,000 in total. In year one, it covers accommodation in a University-owned or University-affiliated residential college at the standard University room rate, up to about NZ$21,000. In years two and three, it pays NZ$7,000 a year towards tuition and student services fees, subject to satisfactory academic progress. If you choose to live outside a residential college in year one, the year-one payment is not made.
The scholarship is a three-year tenure. Students starting in semester two (July) receive half the year-one accommodation funds in that year and the rest in the following February. The University says it is awarded only once, even if you receive more than one offer of place.
Who can apply
The University says applicants must have completed secondary school overseas, or another qualification that gives University Entrance at an approved institution, and must intend to enrol in full-time degree-level undergraduate study at Otago. You must study on campus for the whole of your degree and begin at 100-level in your first year. Diploma and certificate programmes do not qualify. Students sponsored by their home government or by the New Zealand government are not eligible.
The official scholarship page states the award is subject to the standard undergraduate entrance scholarship terms, with two differences: students starting in semester two can be considered, and deferral is not possible.
How you are invited to apply
This is not a standalone application. Every eligible applicant has to tick the box in the eVision student management system agreeing to be considered for international scholarships. After you receive an offer of place for your chosen programme, you are invited to complete further scholarship questions and provide additional information. The official page says this is a competitive selection process, so a complete, detailed response matters.
The AskOtago knowledge base explains that if you accept a Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship for International Students or a Global Scholarship, you then receive an invitation to apply for the Academic Excellence Scholarship. Read those offer letters carefully, because the acceptance deadlines in them can be short.
The related Otago scholarships
The University also runs other awards for new international undergraduates, which you may be automatically considered for during admission. According to the AskOtago page, the Global Scholarship is worth NZ$15,000 towards tuition fees and is open to new international bachelor’s students who hold a passport from a listed country. The Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship for International Students is worth NZ$10,000 towards tuition fees. Neither needs a separate application, but both offers must be accepted by the deadline in the offer letter, and you must also accept the admission offer.
The official scholarship listings name the passport countries for the Global Scholarship, so check the current list on the University’s scholarship page before you assume you qualify.
Undergraduate entrance scholarships and the application window
AskOtago states that international students who have completed Year 12 or Year 13 at a New Zealand secondary school, or the Otago Pathway programme, can apply for undergraduate entrance scholarships through eVision during a set window. That page gives the window as 1 July to 15 August. This describes the cycle that was published, and it is not a guarantee for every intake. Check the official site to confirm the current window and whether the portal is open for your start date.
The scholarship page lists its opening date as 1 May in the year before study and its closing date as two weeks after the invitation to apply. Use those as working dates, but confirm them on the official page for the year you plan to start.
Postgraduate options
If you are applying for a master’s degree, the picture is different. The University’s International Master’s Research Scholarship is worth NZ$18,204 a year as a stipend, plus a tuition fee waiver for one year, capped at NZ$35,000 for the thesis component. Applications can be made at any time, and the University reviews them four times a year, on 1 March, 1 June, 1 September and 1 November. The Global Master’s Scholarship is worth NZ$15,000 towards tuition for students from listed countries, and it is assessed automatically during admission. The AskOtago guidance suggests that competitive postgraduate applications usually need a GPA of at least an A in 300-level and 400-level papers or a master’s degree, and that international grades may translate slightly differently.
How to apply step by step
- Confirm your eligibility on the official scholarship page, including your secondary qualification and your start date.
- Apply for admission to your chosen programme through the University’s application system.
- Agree in eVision to be considered for international scholarships.
- Watch for offers of place and for any invitation to apply for the Academic Excellence Scholarship.
- Complete the additional questions and documents carefully, and meet every deadline in the invitation.
- Accept or decline the other scholarship offers before the deadlines in their letters.
Keeping the scholarship
To continue into years two and three, the University requires a grade point average of 7.0 or better, which it describes as an A-, for the previous year, or progression within one of its professional programmes. If your grades fall short, you can ask the Manager of Undergraduate Entrance Scholarships to request leniency. The request should be made in writing, and the University recommends getting it in by 31 January. Evidence of sport or cultural commitments, or of medical impairment, may support the request.
The scholarship can be suspended or terminated if your residency status changes from international to domestic, and funds may have to be repaid if you withdraw or stop studying. Read the regulations PDF on the official page before you accept.
Frequently asked questions
Is the scholarship open all year? No. The invitation is sent after your offer of place, and the entrance scholarship window is set by the University. Check the official site for the current window.
Can I hold it with another scholarship? The official page says it may be held with another Otago undergraduate entrance scholarship at the panel’s discretion. Only one scholarship is actually awarded, even when you have several offers.
What if I cannot start in February? Students starting in semester two can be considered. If your enrolment date moves, the University reassesses your eligibility.
Where do I confirm the current details? Use the official pages at otago.ac.nz and the AskOtago knowledge base at ask.otago.ac.nz, and check the official site for anything marked as subject to change.
Scam warning
Fraud check: the University will never ask you to pay a fee to be considered for a scholarship, and it will never ask for bank details through an email or chat message. Apply only through eVision and the official Otago website, and treat any message offering guaranteed funding for a fee as a fraud attempt.
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