Application Closing Date for timely enrolments is December 8 2024

If you’re a student in Year 12 looking to challenge or extend yourself during Year 13, the Young Scholars Programme may be for you.

To be considered, you must be a Year 13 student who has demonstrated exceptional academic ability. Please see a full list of entry requirements here. 

The Young Scholars Programme is a great opportunity for you to:

• Get a taste of university life before coming to the University of Auckland
• Complete one or two Stage I courses that:
  • Gives you a jump start on your degree
  • Exposes you to different kinds of learning, including lectures and tutorials. Please note that teaching methods may be different between available courses
  • Opens discussions with your lecturer and/or tutors
  • Gives you access to an exciting, stimulating academic environment to learn
• Meet like-minded students from a variety of high schools

Other benefits of the Young Scholars Programme include:

• A campus card. For more information, please see  Campus card
• Access to on-campus facilities such as:
  • Libraries and Learning Services
  • Research and skills workshops
• Tuākana for Māori and Pacific students
  • Tuākana Arts
  • Tuākana Science
  • Tuākana Creative Arts and Industries
    

Face-to-face and Online course options are available for high-achieving Year 13 students in and outside of Auckland.

2025 courses available for study in the Young Scholars Programme:

• Anthropology (Culture and Creativity) - ANTHRO 110
  Semester One, City Campus, Faculty: Arts and Education
• Art History (Global Art Histories) - ARTHIST 115
  Semester One, City Campus, Faculty: Arts and Education
• Chemisty (Chemistry of the Material World) - CHEM 120
  Semester One, City Campus, Faculty: Science
• Communication (Communication, Technology and Culture) - COMMS 100
  Semester One or Two, City Campus (Blended prerecorded and live/in-person lectures), Faculty: Arts and Education
• Computer Science (Principles of Programming) - COMPSCI 101
  Semester One or Two, City Campus/Online, Faculty: Science
• Computer Science (Introduction to Computer Systems) COMPSCI 110 Semester One or Two, City Campus, Faculty: Science
• Computer Science (Mathematics for Computer Science) - COMPSCI 120 Semester One or Two, City Campus, Faculty: Science
  _{Note: Students must already have NCEA Level 3 Calculus or Maths199 or equivalent}
  
• Computer Science (Introduction to Software Fundamentals) - COMPSCI 130
  Semester One or Two, City Campus, Faculty: Science
  ^{Note: Students must already have NCEA Digital Technologies Level 3 Standard 91637 or 91906 or equivalent}
• Mathematics (Advancing in Mathematics) - MATHS 199
  Semester One, Online, Faculty: Science
  _{Note: Students are expected to have at least 18 credits in Mathematics at NCEA Level 3 including at least 9 credits at merit or excellence; or B in CIE A2 Mathematics; or 5 out of 7 in IB Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches (SL or HL)}
• Media Studies (Film Studies) - MEDIA 101
  Semester One, City Campus, Faculty: Arts and Education
• Music (Performance 1) - MUS 120
  Semester One or Two, City Campus, Faculty: Arts and Education*
  _{Date and time dependent on instrument. There are 12 studio lessons (one hour per week) with one of our teachers. The time can be arranged directly with the teacher.
  *Should you be interested in Composition, Jazz or Jazz History please contact the faculty academic coordinator directly.}
• Philosophy (Critical Thinking) - PHIL 105
  Semester One or Two, City Campus, Faculty: Arts and Education
• Politics (Foundations of Western Politics & Law) POLITICS 109
  Semester One, City Campus, Faculty: Arts and Education
• Statistics (Introduction to Statistics) - STATS 101
  Semester One, City Campus, Faculty: Science

Note: Language courses may be available on request

You can find more details about the contents of your intended course by searching the course code (e.g ANTHRO 110) on Search Course Outline. Please note that some course outlines are not published until December for Semester One or Two of the following year. 

Note: Courses note on the above list are not available for study in the Young Scholars Programme. The programme excludes medicine and other clinical programmes. If you are wanting to do the Young Scholars Programme and are intending to apply for Medicine after your first year, you must not take any of the first-year courses of either:

• Bachelor of Science (Biomedical Science)
• Bachelor of Health Science

Examples of medicine and clinical programmes not included in the Young Scholars Programme are BIOMED, BIOSCI, MEDCI, and NURSING. 

An application to the above will be declined. 

If you apply for the Young Scholars Programme, your application will be considered under the Discretionary Entrance regulations. 

To be considered, you must be:

• In Year 13 at a New Zealand high school while you are studying your chosen Young Scholars course
• A New Zealand citizen or permanent resident

You will also need a strong recommendation from your school principal or Year 13 Dean.

If you want to study remotely, you'll need good access to a computer, the internet, and be able to work well on your own. It is also recommended that you seek support from your school to complete any University exams or tests in a supervised setting.

NCEA

If you're doing NCEA, you must have University Entrance literacy and numeracy:

• Literacy - 10 credits at level 2 or above, made up of 
   - 5 credits in reading
   - 5 credits in writing
• Numeracy - 10 credits at Level 1 or above, made up of either:
  - Achievement standards - specified achievement standards available through a range of subjects
   - Unit standards - completion of all three numeracy standards
           - 26623
           - 26626
           - 26627            

You will also need:

A minimum of four Level 2 subjects from the NZQA list approved for University Entrance. For more information, please see Approved subjects for University Entrance.

80 Level 2 credits in up to five approved subjects. These should have a good proportion of excellence and merit credits.

Cambridge International and International Baccalaureate     

You should contact the faculty academic coordinator for the course you're wanting to do, if you're interested in the Young Scholars Programme and are doing either:

• Cambridge International
• International Baccalaureate

If you have any specific questions about entry requirements, please contact admission@auckland.ac.nz. 

• Include 'Young Scholars Programme' in the subject line
• Please include your NSN or candidate code in the email            

Before applying for the Young Scholars Programme, you should discuss this study and the self-management involved with your secondary school. 

If your academic results met the entry requirements, and your course of choice is on the approved list of Young Scholars Programme courses, you can apply online. You can save and return to your application at any point. 

The application deadline for timely enrolments is December 8 2024. 

If any additional information is needed from you, we will get in touch via email to let you know what is needed. 

If you need help with your application, please email admission@auckland.ac.nz.

Studying at the University of Auckland will mean that you will need to organise payment for the courses you enrol into. 

These are called tuition fees. They are made up of your:

• Course fees
• Student Services Fees

For more information, please see Tuition fees. 

Note: If your course is being paid for by your school or STAR funding - select 'Send invoice to Sponsor' and enter a contact email address.

Scholarships

George Turner Wilson Music Trust Scholarship - Junior Award

An award to assist Year 13 students enrolled in the School of Music with expenses associated with their enrolment.

Read more at the George Turner Wilson Music Trust Scholarship - Junior Award page. 

To find out how to enrol in courses for the Young Scholars Programme, you can follow our easy step-by-step guide at How to enrol in a course. 

Note that some courses may require approval before you can enrol, this is called an enrolment concession. For more information on this, please see Enrolment concessions. 

Please note that the enrolment system will show an automatic alert asking you to complete DELNA. This is not applicable to students in the Young Scholars Programme, and you can ignore this message. Having the alert show in the system will not prevent you from enrolling. 

If you need help with your enrolment, please email your Faculty Academic Coordinators. 

Courses start at the beginning of March and wrap up by the end of June (with final exams being held toward the end of June). There are no classes held during the school holidays.

We aim to schedule classes outside of normal school hours for participants in the Young Scholars Programme. The format of a typical session will be a lecture followed by a tutorial. More information on lectures and tutorials can be found in the FAQ section below. 

On top of attending class, we recommend budgeting additional study time for the course every week. The recommended time investment will vary depending on the course you choose. Study time will typically be spent viewing extra recordings, completing course readings, completing assignments, and preparing for tests and final exams. 

Apply for our Kōkiri Raumati | Summer programmes

Make the transition to university with confidence. Beginning in January every year, these programmes a re a great way to prepare for your first semester at university. 

Apply for an undergraduate degree

After completing your course via the Young Scholars Programme, you will be able to apply to an undergraduate degree. Step-by-step instructions on how to apply for your chosen programme can be found at How to apply. 

Please note that when applying for an undergraduate degree programme, your highest qualification is still your secondary education, even though you completed a university subject. It is important that you choose 'secondary' during the application process, so that our system can pick you up as a school leaver and you can be considered for a Fast Track offer. 

Advanced programmes you may wish to join during your undergraduate studies:

Arts Scholars

The Arts Scholars programme brings students together from across the Faculty of Arts and Education. It combines interdisciplinary, for-credit, study with social activities and community building to enrich Arts students' university experience. The Arts Scholars programme is aimed at students who are passionate about learning, eager to think creatively and intellectually curious. 

Science Scholars

The Science Scholars programme is for students exhibiting intellectual curiosity and a passion for science in a broad context. It is a year-long course with one two-hour seminars a week, the programme itself runs for three years. Being in the Science Scholars programme allows students to build academic networks from their first semester, which helps further down the track with applications for research. 

I won't have completed a Year 12 level qualification in the year prior to applying for Young Scholars, can I still apply?

Secondary school applicants studying below the Year 12 curriculum, unfortunately, do not meet the entry requirements to apply for the Young Scholar or Discretionary Entrance programmes at the University of Auckland. Please check the relevant section of this page, and the Discretionary Entrance page to read about our entry requirements and plan your future applications when in Year 12.

What does Stage I mean?

At the University of Auckland, Stage I means that you’re completing first year courses. These are usually identified by the 100-level course code, like in ARTSGEN 104.

Most first year students will complete Stage I courses.

How many courses can I do in the Young Scholars Programme?

As a Young Scholar, you can enrol in one course per semester.

You can do up to two semesters during Year 13. This means you can do up to two courses or 30 points during the Young Scholars Programme.

We recommend, though, that you consider studying in Semester One so that your Year 13 preparation and studies for your final exams/assessments are not impacted.

What is a lecture and tutorial?

• Lectures are where you learn the core information and material for a course. These are usually 50-minutes, where the lecturer presents course content, and you can take notes
• Tutorials are smaller working groups where you can discuss the course information you learnt in your lectures. It is an opportunity to also work on problems and/or questions that will help you to learn more about your course content. These sessions are supported by a tutor, who you can ask questions or seek help in an informal setting

While many lectures are recorded, it is expected you will attend your Face-to-Face lectures and tutorials. This is so you can make the most of your experience as a Young Scholar and succeed at university.

How will I be assessed?

Assessment will be a combination of coursework and a final exam. We try to provide additional mentoring and support for school students in the programme.

At university, you will find that assessments are usually a combination of coursework and a final exam.

• Coursework is the written or practical work you do during your course, like essays or tests, and count toward your final grade. These are not done under strict exam conditions
• Exams are usually the final assessment of the semester. They are often supervised assessments of the information you have learnt during your semester. Exam layout can vary depending on course

It is important to know that your final grade is added up based on the results you get for your coursework and your final exam.

Throughout your studies, we can provide you with additional support as a high school student doing the Young Scholars Programme. If you need help, please reach out to your Faculty Academic Coordinator. 

What courses can I apply for in the Young Scholars Programme?

2025 courses available for study in the Young Scholars Programme:

• ANTHRO 110
• ARTHIST 114
• CHEM 150
• COMMS 101
• COMPSCI 101, 110, 120, 130
• MATHS 199
• MUSIC 120
• PHIL 105
• POLITICS 109
• STATS 101

For more information, please see the section 'Available courses' above. 

What courses can I not apply for in the Young Scholars Programme?

Please see the above list to determine if you can apply for a course. 

Courses not on this list are not available for study in the Young Scholars Programme. An application to courses outside of the list above will be declined. 

What does the application deadline for timely enrolments mean?

Due to the large number of applications the University receives during the months of December, January, and February, we cannot guarantee that your application will be processed in time for semester start if you submit your application past the application deadline. 

I just tried to enrol, and my account is showing an alert regarding DELNA. What do I need to do? 

You don't need to do anything. The enrolment system will show an automatic alert asking you to complete DELNA. This is not applicable to students in the Young Scholars Programme, and you can ignore this message. Having the alert show in the system will not prevent you from enrolling. 

For more help

If you need help checking eligibility for the Young Scholars Programme, please contact the relevant faculty academic coordinator below. 

If you need help with your application to the University, please email  admission@auckland.ac.nz. 

If you need additional support in your studies, you can talk to:

• Your lecturer and/or tutor
• Your academic coordinator

If you need personal support during your studies, you can reach out to Te Papa Manaaki | Campus Care.

If you have additional questions, feel free to reach out. You can either:

• Phone: 0800 61 62 63
• Email: studentinfo@auckland.ac.nz
• Visit: Student Hubs

Science

Holly Honeysett

max@auckland.ac.nz

Arts, Creative Arts and Industries

Isabella Mory

scet@auckland.ac.nz