Apply for New Zealand Aid Programme Scholarship

Available Subjects at New Zealand Aid Programme Scholarship

The following subjects are available to study under this scholarship program.

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Degrees in preferred fields of study that are most relevant to the development needs of your country (i.e. renewable energy, agriculture development, disaster risk management, private sector development, public sector development).  Find out the preferred subjects for your country.

Scholarship Benefits:

The scholarships provide:

• full tuition fees, a living allowance (NZ$491 per week),
• an establishment allowance (NZ$3000),
• medical insurance when you are in New Zealand,
• travel to and from your own country and New Zealand at the start and end of your scholarship,
• travel insurance,
• travel home during your scholarship (one or two trips home are allowed, depending on the length of your scholarship), and help with research and thesis costs for many postgraduate students.

Eligible Nationalities

students from only mentioned following eligible countries are eligible to apply.

Pacific Region

Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

Asian Region

Cambodia, Indonesia, Jordan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, Timor Leste, Vietnam

Africa Region

Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Caribbean Countries

Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago

• Africa:  Botswana, Cameroon, Eswatini, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa,Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia
• Asia:  Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia
• Caribbean:  Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent, and the Grenadines
• Pacific: Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.

Eligibility by Criteria

Age Requirements

To apply for a full New Zealand Scholarship, you must be 18 years old or older when you start your scholarship. This means if you are 17 years of age when you apply, you must have your 18th birthday before you start your scholarship in semester one. Exception for Samoa: Scholars from Samoa can be 17 years of age when they commence their scholarship.

There is no upper age limit for applicants. This means if you are 18 and over, you can apply. However, applicants who are under 40 years of age are preferred for New Zealand Scholarships for university or tertiary students.

Academic Requirements

As part of the New Zealand Scholarships application process, you need to choose your preferred education institution and preferred courses. Scholarship applicants don’t need to apply for admission to their preferred education institution and courses but they need to check that they are likely to meet the minimum academic requirements and the minimum level of English required for their courses.

Course entry requirements are set by your chosen education institution so you must check the minimum entry requirements on their website before you apply for a New Zealand Scholarship.

English Requirements

Each university or education institution sets the minimum level of English you need for your preferred courses, so check their website.

Generally, to study for a postgraduate qualification, you must have at least:

• An overall IELTS score of 6.5 and no band less than 6.0
• A TOEFL score of 90 on the internet-based test with a writing score of 21
• An overall PTE Academic score of 58 with no communicative skills score less than 50
• A Cambridge Academic English (advanced) overall score of 176 with no bands less than 169.

Generally, to study for an undergraduate qualification, you must have at least:

• An overall IELTS score of 6.0 and no band less than 5.5
• A TOEFL score of 80 on the internet-based test with a writing score of 21
• An overall PTE Academic score of 50, with no communication skills score less than 42
• A Cambridge Academic English (advanced) overall score of 169 with no bands less than 162.

Contribution to their Country’s Development

Scholars are expected to contribute to their country’s social or economic development for two years after completing their scholarship study. The purpose of a New Zealand Scholarship is to fund the training of citizens from developing countries, so they can positively impact on their country’s development by sharing new skills and knowledge gained from their studies. That is why scholars are expected to return home after their scholarship for at least two years to contribute to the social and economic development of their own country.