Apply for a postgraduate programme

The University of Auckland offers a wide range of exciting postgraduate programmes.

• See Postgraduate programmes.
• If you need more information on your options, use our Postgraduate Applicant Enquiry Form.
• Some departments require postgraduate applicants to complete a departmental programme worksheet or form indicating their intended programme of study before applying for admission.
• Research degrees (such as a masters degree by thesis) may require you to contact an appropriate supervisor for your project before applying to the programme.

Once you’ve decided which academic programme(s) you want to study, contact a postgraduate adviser in the relevant department. They can recommend courses or research areas that align with your interest and goals.

Find a postgraduate adviser in your faculty

Make sure to submit your application by the closing dates for the programme(s) you are applying for. See Postgraduate application closing dates.

If you're an international student, you should apply well in advance of the closing dates and get help and advice from the International Office.

You need to understand what qualifications you require for admission into the programme you wish to study.

• Admission to postgraduate programmes depends primarily on your previous academic qualifications.
• In most cases, an undergraduate degree with good academic grades in the relevant subject is required for admission to postgraduate study.
• Some programmes may take into account your previous work experience.
• You will need to meet certain entrance criteria and will usually be assessed on the basis of your most recent academic study.
• If you are applying for a doctorate, you will first need to complete an Expression of Interest.

Find out more

• Entry requirements
• Apply for a doctorate

After speaking with a postgraduate adviser (and the International Office if you are an international student), you can apply for admission to the programme

• If you are applying for a doctorate, you will first need to complete an Expression of Interest. 
• For all other postgraduate programmes, complete the Application for Admission.

Before you submit your application for admission, make sure that you are aware of any application fees that may apply to you (application fees are normally charged on submission of an application and are non-refundable).

Student loans
If you intend to pay for your programme by student loan, you should apply for your student loan now. See Student loans and allowances.

International students

• Before you fly out to New Zealand to begin your studies at The University of Auckland, you will need to make sure you apply for the correct visa or permit and that you have a current passport. See Applying for a visa.
• All international students are also required to have health and travel insurance while studying in New Zealand. If you already have insurance, make sure that your alternative insurance policy meets our requirements for compliant policies. See Health and travel insurance.

Find out more

• Apply for a postgraduate programme
• Apply for a doctorate

Once you’ve submitted your application, we will send you an acknowledgement email within two working days.

Checklist
The email will include a checklist of required documents you need to send us to support your application. This checklist will also appear within your application.

We encourage you to monitor your application status and checklists by signing into your Application for Admission.

As a general guide, you will be asked to provide:

• Certified evidence of your legal name, date of birth, and citizenship status (eg, a copy of relevant parts of your birth certificate or passport); and
• A colour, passport-sized (50mm height x 40mm width) photograph of yourself with a plain light-coloured background (not white or dark).

Other tertiary institutions
If you’re an applicant from another tertiary institution, you’ll also need to provide:

• Certified copies of your official academic transcripts from the institutions at which you studied.
• Evidence of degree/qualification completion (if the qualifications were completed).
• Statements about the degree/diploma structure, grading system, and relevant course outlines (if applying for credit for study done at an overseas tertiary institution or New Zealand Polytechnic/College of Education).
  

English language requirements

• If you’re an international applicant, then in addition to the documents specified above, you’ll need to provide verified copies of English language proficiency results (eg, IELTS or TOEFL).
• If your documents are in a language other than English, you must provide an English translation for each document. The translations must be prepared and certified by a translation service in New Zealand. Translation services listed as acceptable by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and accepted by The University of Auckland can be found on the NZQA website.
• If you’re a domestic applicant whose first language is not English, you may also be asked to provide evidence of their competence in written and spoken English.

Additional requirements

• Some programmes (such as Architecture, Education, Fine Arts, Visual Arts, Medicine and Music) require additional information in the form of a portfolio or attendance at an interview or audition. We’ll advise you of these additional requirements when you apply.
• Relevant supplementary forms will also need to be completed and returned to the appropriate faculty.

When all documentation requirements have been met, your application will be assessed.

The University will check that you have submitted the correct documents with your application.

• If the documents you submitted were not properly certified, or were not what we requested from you, the requests for these documents will be updated on your application checklist. Your application cannot be processed until you submit all the required documents.
• Once all of your documents have been processed, the requests for these items will be removed from your application checklist.
• We encourage you to regularly check your application status and checklist by signing into your Application for Admission.
• During peak processing times, it may take a week or more to process your documents.

Offers of place

• If you are eligible for admission to the programme(s) you applied for, you will receive an offer of place by email or letter that you must respond to.
• We’ll specify the timeframe that you need to respond within before the offer expires.
• You can accept or decline the offer of place by signing into your Application for Admission. 
• If you then wish to accept a subsequent offer, you should also decline the earlier acceptance, so that you are only active in the programme(s) you are currently studying.
• Your faculty may offer you a place before your eligibility for entrance has been fully assessed.
• If you are offered a conditional place in a programme, you can accept it but will not become a student until you have fulfilled the outstanding requirements outlined in your application.

Declined applications
If you are not offered a place in the programme(s) of your choice, you will receive an email or letter advising you that your application has been declined.

After you’ve been offered a place in the programme you applied for, and have accepted your offer of place online, you'll need to enrol in your courses. See Enrolment.

• Once you’ve enrolled in courses, you can create your own statement on Student Services Online.
• You must pay your fees by the due date on your statement.
• If you need a tax invoice for GST purposes, you can request one on Student Services Online.

Masters and doctoral students need to be aware of the correlation between their enrolment and eligibility for funding. For more information, see Masters and doctoral fees and loans.

International students
If you’re an international student, you should pay well in advance to allow for the student visa application process to be completed. The statement will list the payment methods.

For more information, see Fees and money matters.