Scholarship FAQs
Read our list of commonly asked questions by domestic New Zealand students about University of Waikato Scholarships.
If you can not find the answer to your query below please contact us.
Current scholarship recipients (including current doctoral scholars) can use the Scholarship Variation Request Form to request a variation to their scholarship which is outside of the approved regulations.
To learn more and/or submit a variation request visit the scholarships variation request page.
If you were offered a scholarship and forgot to accept by the deadline, there may still be funding available to support you. Please contact the Scholarships Office with the details.
The University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarship application process is now included in the higher degree application process and you will have the opportunity to indicate if you would like to be considered for a doctoral scholarship when you apply for study.
Applications for Higher Research Degree study, which includes the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Education (EdD), Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD), Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) and Masters of Philosophy (MPhil), can be received at any time, but applications will only be considered in one of four rounds each year. In most cases, the date of your application to enrol will determine the round in which you are considered for a scholarship.
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Round one |
Round two |
Round three |
Round four |
Student applies to enrol in Doctoral Programme |
November |
February |
May |
August |
December |
March |
June |
September |
|
January |
April |
July |
October |
|
Scholarship offers |
March |
June |
September |
November |
To apply for higher degree study you must submit an online application to enrol.
Please ensure that you read all of the details in regards to the application requirements before you apply.
If you are interested in studying at the University of Waikato you will need to have submitted an Application to Enrol in order to have access to apply for scholarships.
For further details on how to apply for a scholarship, visit the International Students section.
Before you start applying for scholarships read the School Leaver Scholarships information.
After you have read the School Leaver Scholarship information, and you are ready to apply, you can find all of the school leaver scholarships using our scholarship finder.
Please note that in order to apply for scholarship you must have submitted an Application to Enrol though MyWaikato.
How do my referees submit a reference to support my scholarship application?
- If you have applied for any scholarship through your MyWaikato portal then an email requesting a reference or an academic assessment will be automatically be sent to the referee whose email you list. The email they receive will have instructions on how they can submit their reference/assessment once completed. The email request for references will not be sent until you fully submit your application.
How do I know if my references have been received by the Scholarships Team?
- You can check if your references have been received by the Scholarships team by clicking on the hyperlink under 'Referee Responses' in your Scholarships tab to see the names of those that have not yet been submitted. Please check that you have entered in their email address correctly if it is still outstanding, and contact us if it was not.
I wish to alter my scholarship referee or their details, what should I do?
- After submitting an application, if you wish to make any changes to your preferred referee or their details, you will need to email us to make us aware of the change. You will also need to make contact with your referee and ask that a reference be sent to scholarships@waikato.ac.nz
I chose to 'Defer' my scholarship towards my next year's Tuition Fees. How does this get added to my account?
- If you chose to 'Defer' your school leaver scholarship to your tuition fees to next year as you were 'Fees-Free' this year, the Scholarships team are currently working on having your scholarship added to your enrolment. Whilst they are undertaking this process we encourage you to commence your Application to Enrol and over the coming weeks your scholarship will be added.
I have been awarded a scholarship to pay for my tuition fees but the online enrolment form does not show this option. What do I need to select?
- If you were awarded a scholarship through MyWaikato, please contact us to deduct the amount to pay before accepting your enrolment agreement. If it is an external scholarship, you will need to print and sign a copy of your enrolment agreement (which was sent to your MyWaikato Portal) and indicate the name of the Scholarship that will be paying all or part of your tuition fees. This can be emailed to info@waikato.ac.nz or brought in to the Student Centre in person. If your scholarship doesn’t cover all of your tuition fees, you will need to use another payment method to pay for the remaining fees after you have submitted your enrolment agreement.
I have been awarded a tuition fees scholarship but have already paid my fees in full. How do I get reimbursed?
- To apply for a refund log in to your MyWaikato Portal and click on the Finance tab. If you are due a personal refund click on the 'Apply for a refund' button and follow the instructions. StudyLink refunds are processed automatically over time, however, if you would like to fast-track your StudyLink refund, please apply for a refund from your MyWaikato Portal.
The outcome of your scholarship application may take up to 8 weeks from the closing date. You will receive a MyWaikato portal in-tray message when your application has been processed and when a decision has been reached by the Selection Panel.
- Log into your MyWaikato portal
- Select Edit Details from the drop-down list next to your name in the yellow bar
- Click on Bank Details
- Enter in your bank account number and name and confirm that the bank account listed is your own
- Click Submit
To view the status of your scholarship applications, log in to your MyWaikato portal and click on the 'Scholarships' tab at the top of the page. Here you will be able to view a list of every scholarship you have applied for and its current status e.g. Application Received, Incomplete, Offer Made. Remember, it can take up to 8 weeks from the closing date to have a outcome of your application. Please be patient.
The Scholarships Office will correspond with you about the status of your application through your MyWaikato portal in-tray message service. Ensure you check this weekly if not daily.
If you are lucky enough to receive more than one scholarship offer, and the regulations of those scholarships prevent this, please make contact with the Scholarships team. They will be able to advise you on which scholarship will be of the most benefit to you.
If your scholarship has a cash component then you will be asked to enter in your bank details when you accept your offer. The regulations will outline when your cash instalment(s) are due to be paid and it will also be outlined in your MyWaikato portal under your Scholarships tab. Depending on your bank, payments will be made overnight on the first Wednesday after the date listed. If you do not receive payment by the Friday of that week please email scholarships@waikato.ac.nz.
If you have a query regarding tax you should seek independent financial advice about any tax implication on your scholarship.
More information can also be found on the New Zealand Legislation website.
If you have been unsuccessful for a University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarship and would like to be considered a second (and final) time, you have two options:
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Commence study with the possibility you might be nominated for a reduced-tenure doctoral scholarship at a later date; or
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Reapply to be reconsidered for a doctoral scholarship in the next selection round.
If you want to reapply to be reconsidered a second time, please follow the instructions provided in your unsuccessful scholarship email by the date advised. Your application will be lodged and appear in your MyWaikato portal and you will receive an outcome by the date you were advised.
No new documents will be accepted by the Scholarships Team for the reconsideration of your scholarship. Any additional information (e.g. recent qualifications, publications) needs to be communicated to your supervisor to be considered in the selection process.
You can be considered twice for a University of Waikato funded doctoral scholarship:
- Once, after your offer of a place in the doctoral programme has been confirmed, and if you selected you wanted to be considered for a scholarship, and one additional time.
- If you are unsuccessful and wish to be considered a second time, you have two options:
- Commence study with the possibility you might be nominated for a reduced-tenure doctoral scholarship at a later date; or
- Reapply to be reconsidered for a doctoral scholarship in the next scholarship selection round.
If you are unsuccessful twice, you will not be eligible to be considered further for a University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarship.
The Scholarships Team will not assess new information as a part of the scholarship application. Any new information can be provided to your supervisor, who will be responsible to ensure the new information is considered in the scholarship selection process.
The Scholarships Team will not assess the new qualification as a part of the scholarship application. You will need to ensure that this information is provided to your supervisor, who will be responsible to ensure the new information is considered in the scholarship selection process.
If your GPA has changed since your application to enrol was assessed, your supervisor can ask the Scholarships Team to update the GPA record for your scholarship application. If the qualification is from an institution other than the University of Waikato, you will also need to provide an academic transcript to your supervisor so the GPA can be recalculated.
No, each student may only apply twice for a University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarship, irrespective of topic/panel. However, you may apply for special consideration by submitting a Scholarship Variation Request.
Yes, you can only be considered twice for a University of Waikato funded doctoral scholarships. If you are unsuccessful on your first application and choose to reapply for reconsideration for a University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarship, you will not be able to be nominated for a reduced-tenure doctoral scholarship after reaching confirmed enrolment.
If you have withdrawn from a scholarship application you will need to email scholarships@waikato.ac.nz with your name, student ID and the scholarship application you wish to re-open. You will be notified when you are able to edit your application again.