It’s an exciting time! You’re nearly finished with school, and looking ahead to what comes next.  

Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland offers hundreds of scholarships every year to new students embarking on undergraduate study.  

As well as the scholarships funded by the University, some faculties and generous donors also provide a wide range of scholarships for new undergraduate students.

Applications for the below scholarships for current Year 13 students planning to start university study in 2027 (or taking a gap year in 2027 and start university study in 2028) will open on 20 May 2026.

You must be a New Zealand Citizen or Permanent Resident to apply for these scholarships.

If you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you must also be a New Zealand Citizen or hold a New Zealand Permanent Resident visa.

These scholarships are valuable and there is a lot of competition for them. This means we receive many more applications for scholarships than we are able to award. So simply being in the position where you are thinking of applying signals to us that you’re a great student with a bright future ahead of you.

If you think you’ve got what it takes to go on to win one of these prestigious awards, we’d love you to apply.

As well as your academic prowess, we will also consider your achievements in other areas and take into account your personal circumstances as well, so you can be sure that it’s a level playing field for students across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Read more about each of the scholarships at the links below, including specific requirements and FAQs

Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship

This scholarship is worth $32,000 in total.  Applicants for a University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship with exceptional academic performance will be considered for this scholarship. No separate application is required.

 University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship

This scholarship is worth $27,000 in total, and rewards exceptional academic performance combined with outstanding sporting, artistic, cultural and/or leadership achievements.

University of Auckland Māori Academic Excellence Scholarship

This scholarship is worth $27,000 in total, and recognises exceptional academic success from Māori tauira who have either engaged in Te Ao Māori, their community, the arts or played a leadership role in sports or cultural contexts.

University of Auckland Pacific Academic Excellence Scholarship

This scholarship is worth $27,000 in total, and recognises students with Pacific heritage, who have excellent academic records and active participation in community, cultural and other activities.

University of Auckland Academic Potential Scholarship - School Leavers

This scholarship supports students demonstrating academic achievement, taking into account a number of factors that can impact on an individual's ability to participate fully at university. The individual value of the scholarship depends on which tier is awarded.

University of Auckland Waka Moana Scholarship

This scholarship is worth $23,000 in total and recognises Māori tauira who have strong engagement in either Te Ao Māori, their community, the arts or played an exceptional leadership role in sports or cultural contexts, as well as demonstrating academic ability.  

University of Auckland Vaka Moana Scholarship

This scholarship is worth $23,000 in total and recognises Indigenous Pacific students who have strong engagement with their school and community, or the arts, or played an exceptional leadership role in sports or cultural contexts, as well as demonstrating academic ability.  

Your application form has different sections where you get to tell us about you and your achievements. Each scholarship has different requirements, and some sections will only appear if you have selected a related scholarship.

We'd like to hear a bit about you, particularly things that might  impact on your ability to attend university, or to participate in extra-curricular activities while you have been at secondary school or kura.

Each scholarship has different academic requirements outlined in their Terms, and your eligibility will be based on your Year 12 results for NCEA or CIE students. If you’re an IB student, we will ask your school for your predicted grade.

You will be asked about your achievements in academic, cultural, sports, and arts fields, your leadership experience, and community and personal development activities.

Your school endorser will be asked to confirm the information you supply in the Tell us about you,  My Achievements and My School or Kura sections, so you'll need to make sure you include everything before you request their endorsement.

• All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application in early October. This will be sent to the email address used in your application form.
• This email will be the outcome of all your applications if you applied for more than one scholarship (including the Top Achiever Scholarship, Academic Potential Scholarship - School Leavers, Māori Academic Excellence Scholarship, Pacific Academic Excellence Scholarship, Vaka Moana Scholarship, or Waka Moana Scholarship). The Review Committee has considered you for each of these Scholarships.
• You might be offered a different scholarship to the one(s) you applied for. This is because there are scholarships all eligible applicants for a Top Achiever Scholarship, Academic Potential Scholarship - School Leavers, Māori Academic Excellence Scholarship, or Pacific Academic Excellence Scholarship are considered for, as well as the scholarships they have applied for. These might be specific to a faculty or subject area, or may be a University of Auckland 140th Anniversary Academic Scholarship or a University of Auckland 140th Anniversary Kupenga Rau Māori and Pacific Scholarship.

There will be more scholarship applications for study starting in 2027 opening later in the year. You can read more at Scholarships for the first year of undergraduate study and at the links showing in the Related Links boxes.