Prizes and scholarships
There are a range of scholarships and prizes to support undergraduate Optometry students.
Some awards which are specifically for undergraduate optometry students are highlighted below. For full details of these - and other general scholarships and awards (including the Dean's Medal, First in Course Awards, and Senior Scholar Award) - please visit Find a scholarship.
New Zealand Association of Optometrists (NZAO) Undergraduate Awards
Since 1992, the New Zealand Association of Optometrists (NZAO) has funded undergraduate scholarships known as the NZAO Awards, awarded annually to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Optometry (BOptom) programme and ordinarily resident in New Zealand. There is no need to apply.
Some awards are specifically named in recognition of significant contributors
to the profession: the NZAO Leon Garner Award, NZAO Robert Jacobs Award,
NZAO Michael Kalloniatis Award, and the Peg Woood Prize. Details of all NZAO Awards can be found at Find a scholarship.
He Rau Aroha Scholarships
The University offers two He Rau Aroha scholarships to Māori and Pacific Island students (NZ citizens or permanent residents) enrolled in the Bachelor of Optometry through MAPAS. The awards are made based on academic merit, leadership qualities and financial needs.
Auckland Eye Scholarship in Optometry
This is a $10,000 scholarship available to support Māori and Pacific students enrolling in the Bachelor of Optometry via the MAPAS pathway.
New Zealand College of Optometrists (NZCO) Prize
This Prize is awarded annually to the full-time student(s) achieving the highest marks for their project presentation.
Raymond Harry Hawkins Prize in Undergraduate Optometry Research
This prize is awarded to the student producing the best research project within the Bachelor of Optometry each year.
Buchanan Charitable Foundation Research Project Prize
This Prize is awarded to the student who carries out the best research project in the area of Public Eye Health within the Bachelor of Optometry.
Anna Pritchard Memorial Cup
This Prize is awarded to the top student in optical dispensing in the final year of the Bachelor of Optometry.
Excellence in Clinical Optometry Prize
This Prize recognises and rewards the student who achieves the highest GPA across three clinical courses in Part V of the Bachelor of Optometry.
Novatears Dry Eye Prize
This Prize is offered to recognise academic achievement within the final year of the Bachelor of Optometry, in the area of dry eye disease clinical management.
Summer Research Scholarships
New Zealand Optometric Vision Research Foundation (NZOVRF) Summer Scholarship
The Foundation is a charitable trust with the objective of supporting research, and thereby graduate students, in Optometry and Visual Science.
Faculty Summer Research Scholarships
These scholarships provide an opportunity for students to experience a 10-week period of research during their undergraduate study.
School of Optometry and Vision Science Research Scholarships
The school may offer a limited number of 5 or 10-week Summer Research Scholarships to applicants who are not successful in receiving any of the above funding; no further application is required. These are awarded depending on suitability of the chosen research subject and funding available and may not be offered every year.
Further information
For further information, you can fill out this form to contact the Scholarships Office. More scholarships can be found on the Find a Scholarship webpage.