The Young Scholars programme allows eligible Year 13 students to get a taste of tertiary study by allowing them to study one or two stage I courses in the first half of the year.

It is an awesome opportunity to  

• Meet like-minded students from a variety of high schools 
• Get a jump start on your uni study journey – you can credit the course(s) you study towards your bachelor’s degree should you want to continue studying with us.

Courses are generally all taught on campus, except for MATHS 199 which can be studied remotely. 

Your application will be considered under the Discretionary Entrance regulations.  For more information, please see Discretionary Entrance applicants.

To be considered, you must be: 

• A New Zealand citizen or permanent resident  
• In Year 13 at a New Zealand high school when you intend to study your chosen Young Scholars course 
• Available to attend in-person classes and exams in Auckland (with the exception of MATHS 199 which can be studied remotely from anywhere in New Zealand) 

If you want to study MATHS 199 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 of the following 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    

If you're interested in the Young Scholars Programme and are doing either: 

• Cambridge International 
• International Baccalaureate 

Your application will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. You can contact the faculty academic coordinator for more information. 

Questions about entry requirements

If you have any specific questions about entry requirements, please make an admissions enquiry. In your enquiry, please include the following details  

• What you are studying currently (e.g., Cambridge International) and that you are wanting to apply for the Young Scholars Programme 
• Your NSN or candidate code 
• What course you are wanting to study, if you have one in mind 

If you have already made a University of Auckland account, we strongly recommend that you sign into the AskAuckland portal, so that your enquiry is linked to your account. 

Before applying for the Young Scholars Programme, you should discuss this study, and how you would manage it in addition to your secondary studies with your high school.  

We cannot guarantee that lectures or tutorials will fall outside of your school schedule, and you must be prepared to ask your school for time off to successfully complete this programme.

If your academic results meet 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.  

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 along the way, reach out to us by making an Admissions enquiry.

For a step-by-step guide, check out our handy power point, below. Please note that you will need to select a course while you make your application.  

Available courses

2026 courses available for study in the Young Scholars Programme will be published in July. We are planning to offer the following study areas (note that this list may be subject to minor changes): 

Humanities

• Art History
• Communication
• History
• Music
• Philosophy
• Politics
• Sociology

Sciences

• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Mathematics
• Psychology
• Statistics

*Language courses may be available on request.