University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarships

Awarded to exceptional students, who have excellent academic achievement and demonstrated leadership potential.

Value

Accommodation benefits

Am I eligible?

You are eligible to apply if you are:

  • a New Zealand Citizen or Permanent Resident
  • currently enrolled in your final year at a New Zealand secondary school or kura
  • intending to enrol full-time in a degree at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland in 2025 (or taking a gap year in 2025 and planning to enrol in a degree in 2026)*

*Māori students and Pacific students intending to enrol in a Certificate in Health Sciences, followed by a degree at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland can also be considered for this Scholarship.

Applying for a scholarship

In the application form you will  will be asked to tell us about you and your recent education and extracurricular activities. This will include:

  • Whether you have participated in Māori performing arts
  • Whether you competed in the finals of academic, sporting or arts competitions
  • Whether you held senior leadership positions at school
  • If you have been awarded a community-based honour or attended leadership training or personal development programmes

Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland acknowledges that some talented students may face significant barriers to tertiary education and takes into account if you:

  • are the first in your family to attend university
  • are from a refugee background
  • have a disability
  • have care responsibilities for whānau
  • if you live, or attend school or kura, in a rural area
  • if you have demonstrated financial need

You can find more information in the regulations, or on the Am I eligible? page.

Remember to save your application as you go, and once all sections are 100% completed you can submit your application.

How are my academic results assessed?

We look at the number of Excellence credits you attained at NCEA Level 2 or 3 last year, or your CIE average from last year, or your predicted score for IB for this year.

Applications for 2025 are now open. Apply now.

When do I hear about my scholarship application?

  • All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application in early October.

Accepting your scholarship offer

  • If you are awarded a scholarship, you will be given a date to accept your offer by. This is to allow for certificates to be prepared for school prize-givings.
  • If you are weighing up offers from more than one university, let us know your decision as soon as you can. You can always accept the offer and then let us know if you have changed your mind later.
  • If you decide to turn down a scholarship offer, your scholarship will be re-offered to another applicant.

Being paid your scholarship

To be paid your scholarship you will need to

  • achieve admission to Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland with an NCEA rank score of at least 270, a CIE rank score of at least 330 or an IB score of at least 36*
  • enrol full-time in an undergraduate degree or Certificate in Health Sciences
  • live in a University hall of residence (unless you hold an approved exemption)
  • enter your bank account details into the Personal Bank Account section in Student Services Online. To avoid any delays in your payment, make sure this is done before the start of your first semester of study. This must be a New Zealand bank account.

*If you are directed to enrol in a Tertiary Foundation Certificate (TFC) or a Certificate in Health Sciences prior to enrolling in an undergraduate degree, the Scholarships Office will discuss your scholarship with you before the start of your first semester of study.

You can start your enrolment in Semester One or Two. If you are planning to start in Semester Two we recommend you seek enrolment advice before the start of Semester One as you may not be able to start all programmes in Semester Two.

 Semester One Semester Two
 Accommodation paid directly to your Hall of Residence
  Accommodation paid directly to your Hall of Residence
$2,500 will be credited to your bank account $2,500 will be credited to your bank account

Living in a hall of residence

Your accommodation payments will be made directly from the Scholarships Office to your hall of residence, and includes the deposit. Additional costs such as extra activities (hall ball, floor/hall outings), incidentals (damage, lockouts, key replacement) or parking is not covered by the scholarship.

Please note, we do not recommend moving into accommodation unless you intend to enrol full-time at the University of Auckland otherwise you will be required to cover the costs of accommodation.

When do I get paid the $5,000 part of my scholarship?

  • In addition to your accommodation being covered, you will be paid $2,500 in each of your first two semesters of study, after enrolment has closed each semester, usually in the fourth week of semester.

What can I spend the lump sum instalments on?

  • You can only use these payments to cover study related costs such as books for study, additional hall of residence costs not already covered by the scholarship, travel to and from university etc. You can also save the payments and use them to pay tuition fees in your second year of study.
  • If you use the scholarship payments for items not directly related to your study, you might breach the terms of your tax-free scholarship. This could result in your scholarship being cancelled, and you might need to repay the scholarship.

What do I need to do to keep my scholarship for the second semester?

To remain in accommodation and receive the second instalment of your scholarship you must

  • acheive a grade point average (GPA) of at least 6.00 in your Semester One courses
  • enrol full-time in Semester Two

You are also required to enrol in at least four consecutive semesters of study  at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. If you withdraw from study you will normally be required to pay back your scholarship.

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