Scholarships at The University of Auckland
It’s an exciting time! You’re finishing school, looking ahead and thinking about what’s next. If university study is possible, did you know that it’s possible to get a scholarship too? A scholarship can help you financially, while you adjust to a whole new exciting phase of your life.
The University of Auckland offers hundreds of scholarships every year to new students embarking on undergraduate study. These scholarships help support you while you achieve amazing things in your work and communities. There are multiple kinds of scholarships that The University of Auckland offers:
- University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship: This scholarship program rewards exceptional students who have excellent academic records and have demonstrated leadership potential.
- University of Auckland Māori Academic Excellence Scholarship: This scholarship recognises students with Māori heritage, who have excellent academic records and active participation in community, cultural and other activities.
- University of Auckland Pacific Academic Excellence Scholarship: This scholarship recognises students with Pacific heritage, who have excellent academic records and active participation in community, cultural and other activities.
- University of Auckland Academic Potential Scholarship: This scholarship supports students who have achieved academically but are experiencing hardships that potentially limit their opportunities or who may have been disadvantaged due to their circumstances.
The University of Auckland is offering new 2021 scholarships; applications end September 21st. This scholarship is specifically for Māori and Pacific students from low socio-economic areas, who are currently enrolled in the final year of secondary school and are planning to attend university for the first time next year.
The University of Auckland Waka Moana Scholarship and the University of Auckland Vaka Moana Scholarship include a guaranteed place in a Hall of Residence. They will cover the costs of catered accommodation in a standard room, up to a value of $15,500. Recipients will also receive a laptop.
However, getting a scholarship isn’t easy, and it usually takes specific criteria to receive a scholarship, these include but are not limited to:
- Academic merit – these are for high academic achievers and will usually specify a grade point average (GPA) to be considered for the scholarship.
- Financial need or hardship – the selection is based on your financial circumstances, particularly for urgent financial assistance with living costs. Taking out a student loan for tuition fees does not necessarily equate to financial need, covering basic accommodation, food and transport costs.
- You’re the first in your family to attend university – this means the student is the first in their family, including parents and siblings, to enrol at a university. Adoptive and step-parents and siblings are family if they have lived with the applicant for a certain period.
- You have refugee-background – students who have themselves or whose parents/primary guardian(s) have been granted refuge in New Zealand.
To help you find different kinds of funding and the eligibility requirements, you can search the scholarships database. The personal characteristics filters will help you to find scholarships that you might be eligible. Visit Find a scholarship or award.
So, do you think you could be eligible for a scholarship? Here’s what you’d need and how you can apply:
Selection criteria: You should carefully read the regulations of the scholarship you are applying for to check for your eligibility and what is the requirement.
Application forms: You’ll find a link to the online application form on the page of the scholarship you are applying. You must always source the application directly from the Scholarships website. Find a scholarship or award
Make sure you complete and submit your online application forms to the Scholarships Office by the due date. Take a note of the time the application form closes as you will not be able to submit your application after the deadline.
Written statement: You should only include information relevant to the application. We recommend you read the application form first and then draft your ideas in a separate document before adding them to the application form.
If you have already completed some tertiary study at the University of Auckland, you don’t need to provide an academic transcript with your application.
Academic records: If you have academic records from any other university in New Zealand or overseas, then you must include transcripts showing all grades with your application.
Some scholarships and awards require a minimum rank score, grade point average (GPA) or grade point equivalent (GPE) for consideration for a scholarship. If you are currently attending secondary school, you will be asked to give your permission for your current results to be requested from the qualifying authority (NCEA or CIE). If you are studying IB, your school will be asked about your estimated results.
Once you have started at the university, your GPA/GPE will be calculated by the Scholarships Office to determine your eligibility. Depending on your level of study, there are different calculation methods, which is being mentioned in the scholarship regulations:
Scholarships GPA/GPE – this is calculated over your most recent two years of full-time study (or equivalent if part-time). If you have not yet completed two years of full-time study, this may be calculated over all your study up to date.
Admissions GPA/GPE – this is the calculation that was made when your application for admission to the University of Auckland was assessed.
Qualifying programme GPA/GPE – this is for postgraduate students only, and is the calculation that was made when your application for admission to a postgraduate programme was assessed.
Other calculations – some scholarships and awards have a subject or course-specific calculation to assess academic results. These are specified in the individual scholarship or award regulations.
If you would like to try calculating your GPA or GPE, there are tools on the website you can use. See Calculating your grade point average for more details.
References, Verifications and Endorsements
- Some applications will require a referee, verifier or endorser to confirm information you have supplied in your application form. Read the instructions on the form to ensure you request the needed information from the correct person. We recommend you check with your referee, verifier or endorser to make sure that they are comfortable with providing the required information and that they have the necessary email and internet access to provide the requested information. Try to give them as much time as possible to support your application.
In some scholarship applications, particularly our school-leaver scholarships, you will not be able to edit certain parts of your application form once you have requested endorsement, so make sure you are happy with all your information before you make the request.
Now that you know the requirements of the scholarships and how you can apply, there’s nothing that stops you. Of course, you’ll be nervous, but most universities encourage their students to apply for a scholarship, so take that leap and use while you can!
Photo by Philippe Bout on Unsplash
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