Becoming a student at the University of Auckland: 101

There are two main steps to becoming a student at the University of Auckland:

• Apply for a programme of study
• Enrol in courses for your programme once you have accepted an offer of place

To complete these steps:

• You need to have information about your school qualifications
• Register for an account. See, How to register with the University.
• Once you have an account, you can access the application portal to apply for your programme of study. See, Apply to Study. 
• Choose the study option you would like to apply for, and submit your application
• Provide any supporting documents required. This list will be emailed to you. For examples, see Documents to support your application.
• If needed, see Translation of documents for admissions.

We will contact you with an admission decision after you have submitted your application and documents. 

If you are offered a place in a programme of study, you can accept or decline the offer through the application portal. 

Once you accept an offer of place, you are admitted to the programme. We will then send you information about how to enrol in the courses for your programme. The fees you pay are based on the courses you enrol in. 

For more information about study options, entry requirements and how to apply, see:

• Applications and admissions
• How to apply
• Find a study option
• Undergraduate entry requirements
• Postgraduate entry requirements
• International students

Enrolment is the formal process for you to register for your chosen courses. This enables you to:

• Attend classes and take part in academic activities
• Access University facilities and resources
• Be eligible for assessments and grades
• Fulfil the requirements to complete your programme and graduate

For more information, see Understanding enrolment terms. 

When to enrol

Enrolment for courses at the University of Auckland opens each year in early November. 

Important considerations

• Make sure you have received and accepted an offer of place before you try to enrol
• Enrol as soon as possible, as popular courses can fill up fast
• If you need to change your course selections, check the enrolment deadlines. This helps you avoid any academic or financial penalties.

For more information on deadlines and procedures, refer to:

• When to enrol and changing your enrolment
• Important dates

The enrolment process

Accessing Student Services Online
Use your University login to access and manage your enrolment via Student Services Online (SSO). 

Course selection
Within SSO, you can use three different options to add your courses:

• With Timetable Planner you can schedule your classes and make sure they fit your weekly routine. For more information, see Enrolling using Timetable Planner. 
• Search for courses using the Class Search tool. 
• Review programme requirements to ensure selected courses align with your degree plan. See, How to view your programme requirements. 

For more detailed information on how to enrol, see How to enrol in a course.

If you are a postgraduate student, see:

• Postgraduate enrolment
• Doctoral enrolment

For help with picking courses that fit your academic goals and meet your programme requirements, see Choosing your courses.

For more information, see Course advice and structuring your programme.

Enrolment concessions
If a course is full, or you don't meet the prerequisites, you can request an enrolment concession through SSO. For more information, see Enrolment concessions. 

Fees and financial arrangements
After you enrol, you need to confirm payment of your tuition fees For more information on when your fees are due, how to pay, student loans and allowances, financial advice and hardship support, see Fees and money matters. 

For international students, see our Fees and payments for international students guide. 

Processing enrolment information

Once you submit your enrolment, our system checks if you meet the requirement for your chosen courses. 

If there are any issues, such as a class being full or you are missing certain requirements, you will be notified. Then you can resolve the issue, for example by submitting an enrolment concession. 

For more information, see Issues with enrolment

For general information on fees, including when they are due and how to pay, please see our Fees and money matters page. 

StudyLink

StudyLink may be able to help cover your study costs through loans and allowances. 

• You must apply for funding directly through StudyLink
• The University can only share limited details with StudyLink until you sign your StudyLink contract
• After your StudyLink contract is approved, StudyLink will ask the University to confirm you enrolment and fee details

For full eligibility details, see StudyLink's Eligibility test. 

If you are a recognised refugee, a protected person under the Immigration Act 1987 or an immediate family member, you may be eligible for Student Loans, Student Allowances and Job Seeker Support Student Hardship funds. For eligibility details in relation to this, see StudyLink's Residency requirements. 

If you have any queries on the process, you can contact StudyLink.

Fees Free

Most first-time domestic students are eligible for Fees Free. For more information, please see Fees Free at the University. 

If you are a recognised refugee or protected person (or an immediate family member) you may also be eligible for Fees Free if you hold a residence class visa or a valid temporary entry visa, and meet the prior study requirements. 

Note:

• Full eligibility criteria is on the Fees Free website
• From 2025, Fees Free works as a reimbursement scheme. This means eligible students will need to fund their studies initially, often with student loans
• Once you complete your programme, you can apply for reimbursement of the final year of your study
• To confirm your eligibility, contact Fees Free

Scholarships

We have a variety of scholarships and awards for students. This support can cover accommodation, tuition fees, study expenses, or your living costs during your studies. For general information, see Scholarships and awards.

Regulations and eligibility

Each scholarship has specific rules regarding who can apply, and what information you need to include with your application.

Check that your programme of study is eligible under the scholarship or award regulations. 

You can apply for multiple scholarships and awards. Make sure you apply for any scholarships and awards that you think you might be eligible for. 

For more information, see How to apply for a scholarship. 

Find a scholarship

For a list of all of our available scholarships, see Find a scholarship. 

There are scholarships available for specific groups, such as students from refugee backgrounds, students with disabilities, women, and people in specific ethnic groups. For more information on this, see Types of scholarships. 

For a list of scholarships for international students, see Scholarships, loans and funding. 

For a list of scholarships or awards that are open for applications now, see Applications open now. 

After applications close, the Scholarships Office will check your eligibility for the scholarship or award. Your application will then be assessed by a Selection Committee. 

If a scholarship application requires an interview or audition, you will be contacted with the details. 

Visa compliance responsibilities

Most international students will require a valid student visa to study at the University of Auckland. For more information, see our Visa information page. 

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) advises that tertiary sector students who do not require a student visa, interim visa with study conditions, or limited visa include:

• Refugee claimants
• Recognised refugees whose application for residence is being processed
• The parent, spouse and siblings in New Zealand of a refugee-status claimant

If you are unsure, please contact INZ directly. You can also refer to the Tertiary Education Commission's Other valid domestic enrolment page. 

For University compliance records, refugee claimants need to:

• Provide a copy of your current temporary class visa once the Admissions team has verified your confirmation of claim letter. You can submit the copy of your visa through our Evidence of your visa page. 
• Update us with any changes to your immigration status 

For more information, see Students from refugee backgrounds. 

Note:

• If your temporary visa expires and you wish to continue studying, you will need to submit updated documents via Evidence of your visa.
• If a resident visa is granted, you will need to update your residency status. See, Changing from international to domestic status. 

Fees

Please see our Fees and payments for international students guide. 

Residency status

If you are an international fee-paying student on a student or other temporary visa, and you update your residency status to domestic, you will see your tuition fees update overnight. 

If you are an eligible refugee-background student, you are considered domestic for fee purposes regardless of residence status changes.

Insurance

While studying in New Zealand, all international students must have health and travel insurance. 

Studentsafe Inbound insurance is automatically charged to you. You can opt out, but we recommend you keep it as the coverage is broader than just health services. For more information, see Studentsafe University policy. 

Students from refugee backgrounds who meet the eligibility criteria can use publicly funded health and disability services. See, Eligibility for A-Z service providers. 

Note that, until a resident visa is issued, refugee claimants and recognised refugees remain international students. 

Student Hubs

Our friendly staff at the Student Hubs provide advice on the entire student journey, from admission to graduation. For locations, opening hours and more information, see our Student Hubs page. 

As a student, there are additional support services available to you, such as:

• University Health and Counselling services
• Te Papa Manaaki, Campus Care
• Inclusive Learning
• English language support
• English Language Enrichment (ELE)
• Ratonga Hauatanga Tauira, Student Disability Services (SDS)

To find answers to any questions you may have, please see AskAuckland.

If you would like to reach out at any stage of your journey, please Contact Us.