Scholarships

Applicants for the Scholarship must:

• Be an international student (as defined by section 10(1) of the Education and Training Act 2020).
• Be a new international student at Otago Polytechnic (i.e. not re-enrolling at Otago Polytechnic) applying for full time study in 2026.
• Be subject to the fees set by Otago Polytechnic for new international students commencing study in 2026.
• Have applied, and met the entry requirements for the applicant’s programme of study (as set out in the programme regulations).
• Be accepted into the programme on a fulltime basis (and continue to be enrolled as a fulltime international student throughout the 2026/27 academic years (please note, eligibility will be excluded if reducing to part-time study).
• Be enrolling in 2026, if a student defers to 2027 for any reason, the scholarship is withdrawn.
• Provide passport/birth certificate/citizenship certificate from one of the countries listed in, or be enrolling full time into one of the programmes as specified in table 1: 2026 Otago Polytechnic Scholarships.
• Not be sponsored by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade including New Zealand Short Term Training Scholarships.

International students are not eligible and cannot receive the scholarship if:

• They are in recipient of another grant, scholarship, award or other concession from Te Pūkenga Business Divisions or external bodies.
• International students from target markets are eligible if they are receiving other funding from corporate, pacific government agencies and private entities, as long as it is not from a Te Pūkenga Business Division, or any New Zealand government funded agency or fund.
• They are likely to be applying for Recognition of Prior Learning or Cross Crediting to reduce the number of credits that are needed for the given qualification.
• Have permanently moved to study part-time (including commencing fulltime study and then reducing this to part-time). In such a situation the international student waives their right to the scholarship and will be liable for the payment of remaining fees for the semesters enrolled as part-time. Any withdrawal will be subject to Otago Polytechnic’s admission, enrolment, fees and refund policies and procedures.
• They are studying on a pathway offer where the qualification eligible for a Scholarship is commenced in 2027 or later.

• Otago Polytechnic shall award one scholarship per successful applicant, the value of which is applied based on the payment of fees for the qualification.
• For multi-year programmes below postgraduate level (certificates, diplomas and degrees), the grant is applied to the fees paid for the first year of study only.
• Where a postgraduate programme is paid for in instalments the scholarship will be applied pro rata to the credits paid for in the 2026 academic year, to a maximum of 120 credits.
• Where a student fails a course/s and needs to repeat the course/s, no form of Scholarship, pro-rated or otherwise, will be applied to the additional course/s. Fees will be levied at the full tuition fee applicable for the failed course/s at the time of enrolment.
• Where a student is required to put their study on hold after completing one semester or more, the scholarship continues to be valid for the further study paid for, unless a refund or permanent withdrawal is actioned.

• No application is required for the scholarship other than successfully enrolling as a new international student in 2026 in the qualifications advised as eligible for a scholarship.
• Otago Polytechnic reserves the right to request from any applicant any additional information that it may consider necessary for determining eligibility for the scholarship.
• The Otago Polytechnic decision is final and binding, and no further correspondence will be entered into once a decision has been made.

• Otago Polytechnic will send a letter of offer to the successful applicant:
  • advising of the offer of place
  • applying the scholarship to the international student fees
  • setting out the remaining fees to be paid
  • the scholarship must be taken in 2026. No deferrals will be accepted.
• The scholarship is not transferrable or exchangeable and cannot be taken as cash.