Record numbers of students flock to University of Auckland

With O'Week over for another year, the buzz of students on the University of Auckland campuses for the start of 2026 has been like no other year.

That’s because on the first day of the Semester, Waipapa Taumata Rau has more students enrolled than at the same point in any previous year, with first‑year and undergraduate numbers both well ahead of 2025.

At the start of Semester One on 2 March, the total headcount of students was 47,033 – around the same number of people as who live in Invercargill. This compares with 43,411 (about the size of Whanganui) at the start of Semester One in 2025, an increase of 3,622 students (8.3 percent).

The total Equivalent Full-Time Students (EFTS) number for the start of 2026 is 33,395 versus 30,601 at the same time in 2025, an increase of 2,795 EFTS (9.1 percent).

The biggest jump is in undergraduate enrolments, up 2,447 EFTS (11.4 percent), with headcount up 2,978 (10.4 percent).

First‑year enrolments have grown strongly to this point, with EFTS up 15.7 percent and headcount up 16.6 percent. Domestic first‑year EFTS are up 17.5 percent and international first‑year EFTS are up 10 percent.

Māori and Pacific undergraduate enrolments are also up: 14 percent for Pacific and 11 percent for Māori. This includes Māori postgraduate numbers, up 3 percent, and Pacific up 9 percent.

Professor Sarah Young, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education, says several factors are likely to be contributing to the strong growth.

“For the increase in international students, drivers include new trans-national agreements with international partner universities, as well as changes to international student settings in other countries and favourable settings in New Zealand.

“In terms of domestic students, some of the factors will be the higher unemployment rate; we see increased enrolment in the tertiary sector when the job market is tight. Some of the domestic increase will also be due to the larger school-leaver population, which hasn’t yet peaked in New Zealand.”

She said some may be linked to immigration, with a higher number of immigrants with university-aged children entering the country around the wider Auckland region.

The University is seeing growth across undergraduate and postgraduate cohorts as well as in UoA Online, its online offering.

Professor Young said the University is open to bringing on more staff where required.

“We have the staff to teach the students as most courses can scale, however we may need to bring on more staff in some areas.”

Strong interest was evident even before Semester One. Enrolments in the Tertiary Foundation Certificate, which supports students who have not met degree entry requirements, increased for 2026. Summer School, held from 5 January to 18 February, also saw higher numbers as students chose to start early, catch up, or spread their workload.

The overall enrolment numbers are anticipated to grow further by the end of the year. In 2025, the University finished with 39,184 EFTS and a headcount of 49,900, just 100 students short of 50,000.