Many New Zealand education providers offer scholarships to international students.
A scholarship looks great to employers on your CV. The financial help may mean you can focus on your education without having to work while you study.
Read the advice and tips on this page from other international students to improve your chance of securing a scholarship.
Finding a scholarship
Check your education provider’s website to see what scholarships are available for your course of study.
Scholarships can be highly competitive but not all are based on academic achievement - some consider factors such as country of origin, area of study or leadership potential.
Increase your chances of success by finding a scholarship that matches your qualifications and by allowing yourself plenty of time to apply.
Career success
A scholarship marks you out as an exceptional high-achiever and can make you a more attractive job candidate after you graduate.
University scholarships and scholarships from other types of education providers give you a unique selling-point on your CV that can help you stand out from the crowd.
Are you a New Zealand citizen or resident looking for scholarships to study abroad? Find out about the Prime Minister’s Scholarships to Asia and South America.
Interested in contributing to the development of your country? The Manaaki New Zealand scholarship provides opportunities for scholars from developing nations to grow their skills and knowledge for their home country's social and economic development.
Hear from scholarship students
Sagar Sanghvi
Sagar’s scholarship helped him study a master’s in analytics. He also has an internship doing natural language processing.
Hannah Vu
Hannah gained a scholarship to study for a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Canterbury, where she now works.
Colin Murchison
Study abroad student Colin needed funding to study in New Zealand, so he applied for all the scholarships he could find.
Laura Schnelle
Laura, from Germany, overcame the odds and applied for a scholarship that supported her study in New Zealand.
Receiving the scholarship really felt like a miracle for me. My idea of living and studying in one of the most amazing countries in the world actually turned into a plan.
Laura Schnelle from Germany, Study Abroad student at the University of Canterbury
Tips for a successful application
I was working on a whale-watching boat in Iceland when I started the application process, and it seemed very difficult to get everything done. It might be tempting to hold off applying for a scholarship because it's such a lot of work, but it's worth trying.
Hendrik Schultz | PhD student from Germany