Doctoral Scholarships

Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland has many scholarships available for doctoral study, including centrally funded, faculty funded, research grant funded, and philanthropically funded scholarships.

Scholarship applicants must complete an online application for admission to the doctoral programme and upload a Statement of Research Intent, using the Faculty of Education and Social Work template.

You have to explain in your Statement of Research Intent (SRI) how your research fits with the faculty’s strategic objectives.

A number of these faculty scholarships are dedicated to specific projects. If your application aligns with one of these strategic opportunities, you should explain the connection in your SRI, and ensure you contact the supervision team before applying. More projects and strategic opportunities will be announced mid-year for take-up in 2025.

Scholarship applicants are advised that if they are unable to secure a supervision team, their application will be declined. Various factors have impacted the supervision capacity in our faculty, so getting a supervisor can be challenging at the moment.

Applicants must contact their proposed supervisor well in advance of the closing date for applications. To increase the chances of a positive response from potential supervisors, applicants must provide a well-crafted Statement of Research Intent and be able to explain to the  supervisor how their proposed topic aligns with the expertise and research interests of the supervisor.

Supervisor consideration of the Statement of Research Intent and subsequent endorsement of the proposed project is required before an application will be considered for a scholarship. Applicants can find academics who are accredited to undertake doctoral supervision on the  University website. Search for academics here.

Doctoral Scholarships for 2024 / 2025

The Faculty of Education and Social Work can award a limited number of University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarships annually. In 2024, a total of 16 Doctoral Scholarships were offered.

The University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship is awarded for up to 36 months of full-time equivalent (FTE) for students enrolled in the PhD, and for up to 24 months FTE for students enrolled in the research component of an EdD and comprises an annual stipend of $33,000 in 2023 (with annual CPI adjustment) plus compulsory tuition fees, including the single student Health Insurance compulsory charge for international students.*

All applicants who are to be offered a place in a doctoral programme are eligible for scholarship consideration prior to receiving their offer of place.

*Domestic students for whom compassionate and compelling reasons make part-time enrolment preferable may apply to hold the Scholarship on a part-time basis.

Māori and Pacific students with a GPA of 7.0 or above who are offered a place in a doctoral programme will be guaranteed a scholarship.

Each faculty has an allocation of scholarships to be awarded to doctoral candidates based on the faculty’s strategic objectives.

The Faculty of Education and Social Work will award up to 16 University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarships in 2024. Application for these scholarships is made at the time of application for admission to the doctoral programme. In selecting scholarship recipients, the Faculty of Education and Social Work will be informed by the University’s strategic objectives set out in Tuamata Teitei including the desire to:

• Nurture, recruit, and retain outstanding research talent
• Support excellent research and the creation of high-quality research outputs
• Grow Māori and Pacific research scholarship
• Develop / strengthen relationships with Māori and Pacific communities
• Support Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity in research

In attending to these priorities, the Faculty of Education and Social Work Selection Committee will assess all full applications against the following criteria:

a) Excellence of the applicant

This will be assessed by considering the applicant’s success in previous academic studies (usually indicated by a GPE/ GPA above 7.5), research experience and relevant professional or work experiences, and the potential for the applicant to contribute to knowledge in the proposed field of study.Your chances are significantly reduced if your GPE/GPA is below 7.5.

b) Quality and viability of the proposed project

This will be assessed by considering the scholarly significance of the proposed research and the potential of the project to make a significant contribution to knowledge. Factors that are external to the applicant will also be considered, including the appropriateness and capacity of the proposed supervision team, equity and diversity goals, and the strategic research goals of the supervisors and academic unit.

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure the information we have supplied is correct and up to date. However, the University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship regulations take precedence over all other material.

You are strongly advised to read the scholarship regulations for complete information, to ensure you meet the eligibility criteria for scholarship consideration, and that you understand the implications of any regulations, awarding value and selection criteria.