Academically excellent PhD students applying to the the Liggins Institute are eligible to apply for a University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship.

Until the end of 2022, these are the University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship conditions:

• If you are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident with a grade point average (GPA) of 8.0 or above from your most recent New Zealand university qualifying programme, you are guaranteed a University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship.
• If you are a Māori or domestic Pacific student with a GPA of 7.5 or above from your most recent New Zealand university qualifying programme, you are also guaranteed a scholarship.
• Domestic and international candidates with a GPA (or equivalent) of 7.0 or above from their most recent qualifying programme will also be considered for a scholarship.

There may be philanthropic funding available to support you if you don’t meet the criteria for a University of Auckland scholarship.

For study commencing in 2023, the University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship (UoADS) will be awarded for up to 36 months of doctoral study 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 will be eligible for scholarship consideration prior to receiving their offer of place.

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

In 2023, three University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarships will be available for students undertaking their Doctoral studies at The Liggins Institute. The following priorities will be considered by the selection committee when assessing applications. Candidates should talk to their prospective supervisor about including at least one priority in their application.

• Supporting collaborative research. Doctoral candidates applying for a UoA scholarship under this category will have a research project that involves a collaboration with researchers outside the Liggins Institute. The respective roles of the participating researchers in the proposed project should be clearly stated in the thesis proposal.
• Supporting early career researchers in student supervision. Doctoral candidates applying for a UoA scholarship under this category will have an early career researcher in the supervision team, either as primary or co-supervisor.

Other factors may also be taken into account during the selection process, for example, academic excellence, the viability of the research project, equity and diversity, and alignment with the principles of the University Strategic Plan, Taumata Teitei. The selection committee may also access documents in the Application for Admission portal to assist with the selection process (for example, the candidate’s CV).

Application process

Candidates can apply for the scholarships when they fill out the online University of Auckland Application for Admission for entry into the Doctoral programme. Candidates wishing to apply for a UoADS will need to identify a Liggins Institute supervisor and should discuss the application with them well in advance of the deadline. They will also need to submit a Liggins Institute Thesis Proposal Form (Section A and B) which will be provided during the application process once a supervisor has been confirmed.

For further information and application deadlines, please see the University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship Guidelines.

Applications will be assessed by a committee that includes the Deputy Director (or nominee), the Associate Director - Postgraduate (or nominee) and the Associate Director - Research (or nominee) of the Liggins Institute. Successful applicants will be notified by the University of Auckland Scholarships Office.

Start-Up Doctoral Scholarships provide new Liggins PhD students with stipend and fees support during their first year of candidacy when other funding sources are unavailable.

The one year scholarship includes a PhD stipend at the University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship rate, plus fees. Ongoing funding may be available. However, it is expected that students and supervisors will investigate and apply for alternative funding as opportunities arise. 

Please contact our Associate Director - Postgraduate if you think you might be eligible: liggins_phd@auckland.ac.nz

For second year Auckland medical students interested in exploring research as part oftheir future clinical career, we have two Undergraduate Clinical Research Internships.

Interns will undertake a two-year programme working within one or more clinical research projects at the Liggins Institute. Successful applicants will be assigned supervisors and mentors and will also work alongside graduate students at the Liggins Institute. Interns will be paid for casual work during the semester and full-time work during the summer breaks.

If you’re taking on a supervised research project over the summer (usually run from November to February), you might be eligible for a $6,750 Summer Research Scholarship. Applications open in June.