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.
School-leaver scholarships
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 |
|
| Febuary |
|
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.
Academic achievement
Academic achievement is a critical factor in these scholarships, and we have minimum rank scores in place for each of them to help you determine if you are eligible to apply or take up a scholarship. Please read the details of the scholarship(s) you are interested in to find out more, because each is different.
Just as we have done in the past, the University will continue to base its school-leaver scholarship decisions on academic achievement in Year 12, before Year 13 results are available. So your grades in Year 12 are a very important factor when we consider you and other applicants. If you’re an IB student, we will ask your school for your predicted grade.
Your continued academic success is important to us, so if you are awarded a University of Auckland scholarship, you will be required to maintain a specified grade point average or pass all your courses each semester.
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.
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!