School Leaver Scholarships

School-Leaver Scholarships are available for application annually. If you are planning to enrol in your first year of an undergraduate degree at UC next year, it's worth applying for a scholarship (or five!) to fund your studies.

Each scholarship has different eligibility criteria such as the subject area, level, and/or qualification you plan to study at UC; your age, gender, ethnicity, and citizenship; and which high school and/or region you are coming from. 

School-leavers scholarships are available specifically for: 

• Māori and Pasifika students
• Students who can demonstrate leadership potential
• Students with financial hardship or other personal circumstances
• Students moving away from home to study at UC (with accommodation costs)

We recommend you apply for all the scholarships you are eligible for, as it is possible to be awarded more than one scholarship at a time. 

Ngā tono karahipi | Applying for a scholarship

School-Leaver Scholarship applications open: 20 June

School-Leaver Scholarship applications close: 11:59pm (NZT) on 15 August each year

Check which scholarships you are eligible for in the Scholarships Database and then apply. Different scholarships may require different supporting documentation so check through what you need to prepare for your application. 

Ngā tīwhiri mō te tono atu | Tips on applying for scholarships

• Read the regulations
  They tell you what the Selection Committee will be looking for and whether you are eligible.

• Start your application early
  You can save and come back to it later if you need to do more research.

• Talk to your referees
  It is important they know to expect a request from UC (which will have a deadline).

• Submit your application by the deadline
  This date is not flexible.

• Sell yourself
  Scholarships are highly competitive, so make the most of the word limit in open ended questions. This is an opportunity to tell us why you deserve the scholarship.

• Apply for all the scholarships you are eligible for
  Many scholarships allow you to hold more than one at a time.