School-leaver and first-year scholarships
If you are in your final year of school and planning to enrol at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland in 2025, you may be eligible for a scholarship - regardless of your background or where you live.
It’s an exciting time! You’re finishing school this year or next, looking ahead and thinking about where to from here.
Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland offers several hundred scholarships every year to new students embarking on undergraduate study.
As well as the scholarships funded centrally by the University, individual faculties and generous donors also provide a wide range of scholarships for new undergraduate students.
Applications for these school-leaver scholarships are now open for 2025!
Read more about each scholarship at the links below:
University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship
Rewards exceptional academic performance combined with outstanding sporting, artistic, cultural and/or leadership achievements.
University of Auckland Māori Academic Excellence Scholarship
Recognises exceptional academic success from Māori tauira who have either engaged in Te Ao Māori, their community, the arts or played a leadership role in sports or cultural contexts.
University of Auckland Pacific Academic Excellence 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 - School Leavers
Supports students demonstrating academic achievement (taking into account a number of factors that can impact on an individual's ability to participate fully at university).
University of Auckland Waka Moana Scholarship
To recognise Māori tauira potential who have strong engagement in either Te Ao Māori, their community, the arts or played an exceptional leadership role in sports or cultural contexts, as well as demonstrating academic ability.
University of Auckland Vaka Moana Scholarship
To recognise indigenous Pacific students who have strong engagement with their school and community, or the arts, or played an exceptional leadership role in sports or cultural contexts, as well as demonstrating academic ability.
Timeline for applying for University of Auckland school-leaver scholarships
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| 29 May |
|
| Early-June |
|
| 25 June |
|
| July/early August |
|
| Mid-August |
|
| 21 August |
|
| 22 August |
|
| Late-August |
|
| September |
|
| Early-October |
|
| October |
|
| 10 October |
|
| January |
|
| February |
|
If you're thinking of applying
These scholarships are valuable and there is a lot of competition for them. This means we receive many more applications for scholarships than we are able to award. So simply being in the position where you are thinking of applying signals to us that you’re a great student with a bright future ahead of you.
If you think you’ve got what it takes to go on to win one of these prestigious awards, we’d love you to apply.
As well as your academic prowess, we will also consider your achievements in other areas and take into account your personal circumstances as well, so you can be sure that it’s a level playing field for students across New Zealand.
It’s extremely important that the information you provide in your application is true and accurate, and we will ask your school and other referees to check it.
Getting started on your application
Before you start your scholarship application, you will need to apply for admission to at least one programme at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. You can add more or change your chosen programme later, if you aren't sure yet what you want to enrol in for 2025.
About 24 hours after you've completed your application for admission, you should be able to access the scholarships application system Community Force. You only need to complete one form to be considered for the Top Achiever Scholarship, the Māori Academic Excellence Scholarship, the Pacific Academic Excellence Scholarship, the Academic Potential Scholarship - School Leavers, the Waka Moana Scholarship, and the Vaka Moana Scholarship, you just need to indicate which ones you want to be considered for. There may be some variations on what you need to answer in the application form depending on what you select.
Applicants for these scholarships may also be considered for additional faculty specific scholarships, based on the faculties and programmes you select.
Taking a gap year?
If you are taking a gap year next year, you need to apply while you are still in your final year of secondary study or kura, and your application will be considered along with next year’s applications. If you don’t apply this year, you won’t be able to apply for the above scholarships next year, but you will still be eligible for other scholarships and awards for the first year of study.
Accommodation
As part of your application you also need to apply for accommodation at the University of Auckland. We will only be able to consider your application for a scholarship if you have applied for both the scholarship and for accommodation.
What is selection for a scholarship based on?
Academic achievement is a critical factor in these scholarships, and each scholarship has different academic requirements outlined in their regulations.
Your eligibility will be based on your academic achievements in Year 12 for NCEA and CIE students. If you’re an IB student, we will ask your school for your predicted grade.
You will be asked about your achievements in academic, cultural, sports, and arts fields, your leadership experience, and community and personal development activities.
We'd also like to hear a bit about you, particularly things that might impact on your ability to attend university, or to participate in extra-curricular activities while you have been at secondary school or kura.
Your school endorser will be asked to confirm the information you supply in the Tell us about you and My Achievements sections, so you'll need to make sure you include everything before you request the endorsement.
Further school-leaver scholarships
University of Auckland Kōkiri Raumati Scholarship
Offers accommodation to students from outside the Auckland area or with significant travel times within the Auckland area, who have left secondary school in the previous two years and who are attending Summer Start, Tōia ki Waipapa or UniBound before starting their degree in Semester One.
University of Auckland International School Leaver Scholarship
Supports international students from New Zealand secondary schools who are enrolling in the first year of an undergraduate degree at the University of Auckland.
Applications for 2025 open in December 2024.
As well as the above named scholarships, we have additional scholarships to support students in their first year of study. Check out the Related links boxes for scholarships for all faculties as well as ones for the specific faculties you are planning to study in.
Scholarships and awards guidebook
2025 guidebook is coming soon!