New Zealand Government Scholarship 2023 (BS, MS, PHD) for International Students

The New Zealand Government Scholarships 2023-2024 are now open for online applications for students of all degree levels and disciplines. New Zealand Scholarships will change and enrich your life with wonderful academic and living experiences. The entire New Zealand scholarship experience from developing your mind and your career, to enjoying the relaxed Kiwi lifestyle and culture, has the potential to shape your life in the most enriching ways.

Securing a New Zealand Scholarship and studying in New Zealand will be one of the best things you ever do.

Reviews from Previous New Zealand Scholarship Winners

New Zealand Government Scholarship winners tell us they love studying and living in New Zealand. Come and join them, and experience these benefits:

• You will gain a world-class education and better career prospects: All New Zealand universities are in the top 3% of universities worldwide by QS World University Ranking.
• You will gain leadership skills and practical skills to share with your country: Your study programme will relate to your country’s human resource and development needs. After your study, you will return home to make a positive difference in your home country.
• You will feel welcome in New Zealand’s multi-cultural society that proudly celebrates its bicultural heritage. Around 15% of Kiwis are indigenous Māori, 12% are Asian and 7.5% are Pacific Islanders.
• You will make friends and strong connections in life. New Zealanders are known for their friendly, honest, and open nature. On scholarship, you will get to know lots of Kiwis, but also you will become part of our global community of talented scholars.
• You will enjoy a relaxed and peaceful lifestyle in a country with high levels of government transparency and security. New Zealand is one of the most peaceful and least corrupt countries in the world.
• You will study in English: Learning and living abroad in an English-speaking country will reinforce your English language skills. English is the most commonly spoken language and Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language are the official languages of New Zealand.
• You will enjoy a good work-life balance. New Zealand is small and uncrowded so getting around and getting things done is relatively easy. New Zealanders value work-life balance. You will have time for fun and relaxation, as well as conscientious study.
• You can travel around our country with relative ease to experience New Zealand’s diverse landscapes from beautiful coastlines, snowy mountains, green native bush, and quiet countryside to dynamic cosmopolitan cities.
• You will experience a progressive and inclusive society, that actively promotes equal opportunities and gender equality: New Zealand is world-leading with its nuclear-free policy, granting female voting rights and the rights of the LGBTQI+ community.
• You can learn from innovative experts in high-demand subjects. New Zealand has experts in climate change and adaptation, environmental management, renewable energy, disaster risk management, food security, agribusiness, public sector management, indigenous development, and innovative business.
• You will study in modern high-tech, learning environments, supported by approachable lecturers and expert educators, who focus on critical and innovative thinking.
• You will get good pastoral care: New Zealand educators have a duty of care to international students under the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students. This Code sets minimum standards to ensure international students are well-informed, safe and properly cared for by their education institution.

New Zealand Government Scholarships Covers the following benefits for Undergrad, Master, and PhD

The winners of the New Zealand Government Scholarship 2023-2024 will receive the following benefits:

• • New Zealand will sponsor their full tuition fees
  • living allowance (a stipend) of NZ$491 per week. This will help with a scholar’s basic living expenses, but it is not enough to cover the living costs of any family members
  • an establishment allowance of NZ$3000. This is to help with set-up costs in New Zealand. For example, you can use it for accommodation expenses, textbooks, or other study materials
  • and medical insurance when you are in New Zealand
  • and travel to and from your own country. This is for travel from your own country at the start of the scholarship, and for return travel at the end of your scholarship
  • travel insurance
  • travel home during your scholarship (We allow for one or two trips home, depending on the length of your scholarship)
  • help with research and thesis costs for many postgraduate students

Your Education institution will organize your travel and look after you on arrival

The International Students Office at your university or education institution will organize travel to your study location and your accommodation. They will also look after you on arrival at your study location. They can answer any questions you may have about your courses, financial allowances, or payments.

Your study starts the year after you apply

Each year, we conduct one round of scholarship applications for each country.

If you are successful, you will start your study in semester one in February or March of the following year. (The exception is when your study programme is only available from semester two.) Check the website of your education institution for the exact start dates for your courses. You must be available to start your study on time.

The international student office at your preferred education institution will make sure you arrive at your study location before your courses start. You will have time for orientation and to settle into your new accommodation.

You must complete your study in New Zealand on time

You must complete your study within the time period allocated by your education institution for your chosen academic programme.

New Zealand scholarship winners must comply with these conditions

Scholars must meet all the conditions of a scholarship. Scholars could lose their academic scholarships if they fail to meet these conditions.

For example, all scholars must attend classes, complete compulsory assignments, and sit all exams. All scholars must meet all the course requirements of their educational institution on time. Your education institution offers extra academic and personal support if a scholar asks for it.

Academic requirements for the New Zealand Government Scholarship

Scholars agree to meet all of the academic requirements outlined in the Letter of Scholarship Offer and in the New Zealand Scholarships Policy Handbook. This includes attending all classes, completing all assessments that are compulsory course requirements, and sitting all exams. You are required to achieve satisfactory academic progress in accordance with the continuation criteria set by both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the academic institution.

Eligibility Requirements to apply for the New Zealand Government Scholarship

The Eligibility questionnaire will check in detail if you meet all of the eligibility criteria. The Eligibility questionnaire will check things such as:

#1 Age Requirement:

To apply for a full New Zealand Scholarship, you must be 18 years old or older when you start your scholarship. This means if you are 17 years of age when you apply, you must have your 18^th birthday before you start your scholarship in semester one.

Exception for Samoa: Applicants applying for the Samoa Foundation intake can be 17 years of age when they commence their scholarship.

There is no upper age limit for applicants. This means if you are 18 and over, you can apply. However, we do prefer applicants who are under 40 years of age for New Zealand Scholarships for university or tertiary students.

#2 Academic Requirement:

Successful scholarship applicants must meet both the academic entry requirements and the English language requirements determined by each education institution. Check you meet academic entry requirements and English language requirements

As part of the New Zealand Scholarships application process, you need to choose your preferred education institution and preferred courses. Scholarship applicants don’t need to apply for admission to their preferred education institutions and courses.

But scholarship applicants do need to check that they are likely to meet the minimum academic requirements and the minimum level of English required for their courses.

Course entry requirements are set by your chosen education institution so you must check minimum entry requirements on their website before you apply for a New Zealand Scholarship.

Ph.D. applicants should look for a supervisor as soon as possible

From an early stage, Ph.D. scholarship applicants should look for and email suitable Ph.D. supervisors at New Zealand universities. Ph.D. scholarship applicants who make it to the interview stage will need to provide evidence at the interview that they have either secured a supervisor or are in active discussions with a potential supervisor.

#3 English Language Requirement:

You do not need to sit an English language test or provide English language test scores when you apply for a New Zealand Scholarship.

If we select you for the applicant shortlist during our scholarship selection process, then you will need to provide your English language test scores.

New Zealand Government Scholarship Council accepts test scores from these four English competency testing systems:

1. 1. 1. IELTS (the International English Language Testing System) OR
      2. TOEFL (the Test of English as a Foreign Language) OR
      3. PTE Academic (the Pearson Test of English Academic) OR
      4. Cambridge Academic English (advanced).

If you have passed an IELTS, TOEFL, PTE Academic or Cambridge Academic English (advanced) test to the required level during the last 12 months, then your university or education institution may accept these test scores.

If you do not have IELTS, TOEFL, PTE Academic or Cambridge Academic English (advanced) test scores from the last 12 months, we will tell applicants on the shortlist, if and when they need to sit one of these English competency tests.

Exemption from English language test requirement: If you have already completed some of your previous qualifications in English, your preferred education institution may not require any IELTS, TOEFL, PTE Academic or Cambridge Academic English (advanced) scores from you. This is the decision of your preferred university or education institution only. You should contact your preferred education institution for a final decision about whether you need to provide English test results.

Generally, to study for a postgraduate qualification, you must have at least:

• • an overall IELTS score of 6.5 and no band less than 6.0
  • a TOEFL score of 90 on the internet-based test with a writing score of 21
  • an overall PTE Academic score of 58 with no communicative skills score less than 50
  • a Cambridge Academic English (advanced) overall score of 176 with no bands less than 169.

Generally, to study for an undergraduate qualification, you must have at least:

• • an overall IELTS score of 6.0 and no band less than 5.5
  • a TOEFL score of 80 on the internet-based test with a writing score of 21
  • an overall PTE Academic score of 50, with no communication skills, score less than 42
  • a Cambridge Academic English (advanced) overall score of 169 with no bands less than 162.

New Zealand Government Scholarship Council Sponsors your English Language Test Fee

English language testing takes place during the final stages of our scholarship selection process. Only applicants on our scholarship shortlist, need current IELTS, TOEFL, PTE Academic, or Cambridge Academic English (advanced) test scores.

In most cases, shortlisted applicants will need to organize and pay for their own IELTS, TOEFL, or PTE Academic tests. Shortlisted applicants will need to book a test with a company that does English language testing close to their location.

If you are on our applicants’ shortlist, you will need to book your IELTS or TOEFL testing as soon as possible. This is because the testing process can take several weeks.

You may lose the chance to get a New Zealand Scholarship if your English language testing application form is late or incomplete or inaccurate.

They will organize and pay for the IELTS test for shortlisted applicants from these countries:

• • Cambodia
  • Tonga
  • Fiji
  • Timor-Leste
  • Lao PDR
  • Myanmar
  • Nauru
  • Kiribati
  • Vanuatu
  • Solomon Islands
  • Samoa (except Samoa Foundation applicants)
  • Indonesia
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Tuvalu

#4 Work Experience Requirement:

Postgraduate scholarship applicants or applicants, who finished high school a few years ago, must have relevant work experience. When assessing New Zealand scholarship applications, they prefer applicants who want to study courses that align strongly with their current work experience. We prefer applicants who will continue working in their current job sector after they finish their scholarship.

On their New Zealand Scholarships application form, applicants must describe how their previous work experience relates to their proposed courses or career. Postgraduate applicants or applicants who finished high school a few years ago must have the following work experience:

• • One year of full-time work experience (i.e. 30 hours or more per week), OR
  • Two years of part-time work experience (i.e. up to 29 hours per week).

Work experience can be either paid, unpaid, or voluntary.

Exception for school leavers and first-year undergraduate students: These two types of scholarship applicants do not need work experience:

1. 1. Applicants who are in their final year of Secondary School, OR
   2. Applicants who are in their first year of tertiary study that was started in the academic year immediately after completing Secondary School.

Documents Required for New Zealand Government Scholarship Application Submission online

The following are the documents and answers to the questions that are required and asked by the online portal of the New Zealand Government Scholarship online application submission website.

What do you need for application submission on the online application website of the New Zealand Government Scholarship?

Please make sure to prepare answers to the following questions before starting your online application for the New Zealand Government Scholarship:

• • provide an email address: a current email address that you use regularly
  • describe a situation when you had a problem and solved it
  • provide your name, birth date, physical address, and phone number
  • list your preferred courses and the education institution for your scholarship

Note: Your preferred courses must progress from the highest qualification that you have previously completed.

• • describe how your preferred courses relate to one of our recommended study subjects for your country
  • describe the skills and knowledge you want to gain from your preferred courses
  • provide convincing reasons why you want to study in New Zealand
  • list any awards or prizes you have won or articles you have published
  • list the qualifications you have already completed
  • provide the details of previous jobs or work experience
  • describe how your work experience relates to your preferred courses or career (Note: School leavers and first-year undergraduate applicants do not need work experience.)
  • describe a situation when you had to work very hard to achieve your goals
  • describe how these skills and knowledge are important to your country’s social and economic development
  • describe what challenges you could find as a new scholar in New Zealand and how you would deal with these challenges.
  • describe a situation when you created a successful relationship at work or with someone in a community group

Make sure to have the following documents for the New Zealand Scholarship application submission:

With your application form, you need to provide:

1. 1. A copy of your academic records or transcripts, showing your grades
   2. Study Plan
   3. The grading scale of your education institution
   4. Motivation Letter
   5. Statement of purpose
   6. Study Plan Essay
   7. Research Proposal from Ph.d. applicants
   8. Recommendation Letters
   9. Translations of these documents into English.

At this stage, your academic records don’t need to be verified by an official. Verified records are stamped and signed by a solicitor, a notary public, or a Justice of the Peace. Their signature confirms that your academic record is genuine.

Applying for a Ph.D. Study Sponsored by New Zealand Scholarships

Scholarship applicants may apply to undertake doctoral studies in any of the identified sectors.  You must, however, be able to show that there are employment opportunities on your return that require you to undertake unsupervised post-doctoral research or to teach at a degree level.

You must also be able to show how your proposed research proposal will benefit your country. Ph.D. scholarship applicants who make it to the interview stage will need to provide evidence at the interview that they have either secured a supervisor or are in active discussions with a potential supervisor.

Ph.D. and Master’s by Thesis applicants must describe their proposed research

If you apply for a Ph.D. scholarship or a Master’s scholarship (by thesis), on your application form you need to describe:

• • Your proposed Ph.D. or Master’s research plan and research design
  • Your proposed approach to your research
  • For Ph.D. applicants: the employment opportunities on your return that will require you to undertake unsupervised post-doctoral research, or to teach at a degree level
  • For Ph.D. applicants: how your proposed research proposal will benefit your country.

The following documents are not required at the time of application for a Ph.D.:

You don’t need to provide these things with your application form:

• • verified copies of your academic records or transcripts for completed qualifications
  • English language test scores
  • verified copies of your birth certificate, passport, and government ID
  • a student visa
  • a Letter of Place from a university or education institution
  • confirmation of a Ph.D. supervisor (Ph.D. scholarship applicants)

No need to have a Ph.D. supervisor when you apply

As a Ph.D. scholarship applicant, you do not need to prove that you already have a Ph.D. supervisor, when you apply for a New Zealand Scholarship.

But later in the Ph.D. process, if we select you for an interview, then you must prove that you have a Ph.D. supervisor, or you are close to confirming a Ph.D. supervisor.

In the interview, we will want to see emails between you and a suitable Ph.D. supervisor, confirming that:

1. 1. your Ph.D. research topic is viable, and
   2. they are willing to be your Ph.D. supervisor.

For this reason, we strongly recommend that you look for an email suitable for Ph.D. supervisors as soon as possible.

How to Apply for a New Zealand Student VISA?

You only need to apply for a student visa, if we offer you a New Zealand Scholarship and you accept that offer. But before you apply for a New Zealand Scholarship, we strongly recommend that you check the student visa requirements on the relevant immigration website, listed below. This is because you can only study abroad on a New Zealand scholarship if you successfully get a student visa to study in New Zealand.

As soon as a scholar accepts a New Zealand Scholarship, they must apply for a student visa on the relevant immigration website below. Once you accept the New Zealand Scholarship we recommend you start your visa application immediately. The visa application process can take two to three months and it involves medical tests.

If a scholarship recipient does not get a student visa, we will have to withdraw the scholarship.

New Zealand Study VISA Requirements:

If your scholarship application is for study in New Zealand, then you must meet these visa requirements:

Student visa requirements and application form for New Zealand

Scholars can bring their families to New Zealand, but we do not cover the costs. Each family member will need to apply for the relevant New Zealand visa:

Bringing family with you to New Zealand

New Zealand will reimburse some visa and medical costs

Most scholars have to pay for the cost of a visa application and any medical tests before they come to New Zealand. When you arrive in New Zealand, your chosen university or education institution will pay you back for the cost of a visa, and any medical tests. Please keep all payment receipts, as you will need to show these to your university or education institution to get your money back.

Exception for some Pacific countries:

In some Pacific countries, your local New Zealand High Commission will pay for the cost of your visa application and any medical tests.

Subjects Offered by the NZ Government Scholarships 2023

You can study any of the following courses at any New Zealand University on a New Zealand Government-sponsored Scholarship:

1. 1. Choice of Course-based programs
   2. Choice of Research-based programs

Conduct Requirements of New Zealand Scholars

Scholars agree to maintain an acceptable standard of conduct while on scholarship, as specified by the Scholarship Conditions in the Letter of Scholarship Offer. The Conditions apply to the scholar from the date of departure from their home country for their country of study, until the date of arrival in their home country on completion of the scholarship.

Acceptable scholar conduct includes:

• • abiding by the laws of the study country
  • treating others with respect
  • behaving with honesty and integrity
  • acting in a manner that reflects your role as a representative of your home country

Scholars should be aware that it is a criminal offense to use violence of any kind against another person, which includes physical, sexual, or psychological violence against family members such as partners or children. It is also a crime to neglect or exploit children in your care, or to use the physical discipline of any kind.