Eligibility and regulations

• You have completed at least two years of an undergraduate degree and are either
  • enrolled in an undergraduate degree at a New Zealand university at the time you apply for the scholarship
  • or enrolled in a postgraduate bachelor (honours) or postgraduate diploma programme (some faculties) at a New Zealand university at the time you apply for the scholarship
  • or enrolled in an undergraduate degree at an international institution in 2024. 

• You have a scholarship GPA/GPE of 5.50 or above (or 5.00 for Māori applicants or Pacific applicants).

• You have identified a clearly defined project and suitable supervisor willing to supervise the project from your faculty’s list of available projects.

• Generally, you shouldn’t have held a Summer Research Scholarship previously (for exceptions, check the regulations). 

• You are not seeking employment as a tutor during Summer School or in paid employment inside the University during the tenure of the Summer Research Scholarship.

• You haven’t started a masters, doctoral, or taught postgraduate programme (some taught programmes are permitted: check the regulations), or be completing a dissertation or thesis on an extension.

Your scholarship GPA/GPE is calculated across all grades or marks achieved in your two most recent years of full-time study (or equivalent). The last 2 years grades are taken from Semester 1 2024 and then going backwards to 2023 and 2022.

For an indication of your scholarship GPA/GPE, use our GPE calculator.

English proficiency documents / certificates are not required for Summer Research
Scholarships.

What are the project dates?

Projects should start by the 2nd of December at the latest. This is to ensure that students get paid according to the set schedule and the project is completed before Semester 1, 2025 starts. The payment period will commence from the 1st of December and will be paid in fortnightly instalments in arrears, subject to confirmation the project has commenced. If a project commences before the 1st of December, the student will not receive payment until the first scheduled payment.

How long is the project expected to be?

Projects should be approximately 10 weeks duration (400 hours) within the period of December-February inclusive.

Can I do the project from overseas or another NZ city?

No, you are required to be co-located with your supervisor in the same town for the duration of the project.

Does my current programme make me eligible for the Summer Research Scholarship programme?

If your current enrolment is either a Certificate of Proficiency, a Graduate Diploma or a masters programme, you are not eligible for the Summer Research Scholarship programme.

Can I work during my Summer Research Scholarship programme?

Awardees can undertake up to 100 hours paid work external to the University over the duration of the Scholarship (i.e. up to 10 hours per week), subject to the approval of the project supervisor.