Scholarships to Study in New Zealand for International Students

Studying in New Zealand comes with a real price tag. Tuition for international students runs high, and once you add living costs, insurance, and travel, the total can feel out of reach for a lot of families. This is exactly where scholarships in New Zealand for international students come in. They will not always cover every rupee of your degree, but the right combination of a university award and a government-backed one can bring the cost down meaningfully.

This guide show you precisely what is currently available, what has actually closed, or what has expired; how much each scholarship is actually worth when you compare it to the original source on the university or government website.

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Types of Scholarships in New Zealand

Prior to diving into names and figures, it is useful to understand the classification of scholarships in New Zealand. Scholarships are divided into one of those groups below, and it is possible for one scholarship to fall into several categories at once.

New Zealand Government Scholarships

They are sponsored or co-sponsored by Education New Zealand or the New Zealand government and are focused on certain countries. The New Zealand Excellence Awards (NZEA) is the most popular among Indian applicants.

University Scholarships

Each of the major universities of New Zealand, AUT, Waikato, Auckland, Canterbury, Otago, Massey, Victoria University of Wellington, and Lincoln offers its own program of scholarships for foreign students that is not linked to any government initiative.

Undergraduate Scholarships

Such scholarships are intended for first-degree applicants and require a conditional/unconditional offer of admission and evaluate the last academic achievement of an applicant.

Master’s Scholarships

Postgraduate taught programmes have their own pool of awards, often tied to a specific faculty such as business, engineering, or design.

PhD and Research Scholarships

Doctoral funding in New Zealand tends to come with a full or near-full stipend, tuition support, and sometimes New Zealand student visa or travel costs, but it is also the most competitive and the slowest to process.

Fully Funded Scholarships in New Zealand

A true full scholarship involves payment for both the tuition as well as accommodation costs, and in some cases even transportation and insurance costs. The majority of scholarships in New Zealand for international students are partial tuition scholarships and therefore it will be advisable to make sure that your chosen scholarship falls into the correct category.

Top Scholarships in New Zealand for International Students in New Zealand

Below is the reconstructed list of scholarships most commonly sought after by international students including Indians. In case the next round of applications have not been announced by the scholarship provider at the time of writing this article, that will be mentioned.

A quick word on NZ-GRADS: it used to be one of the more generous fully funded options for PhD students from developing countries, but the Global Research Alliance now states plainly that it is closed to new applicants. If you see it listed elsewhere as “currently available,” that page has not been updated. It is worth knowing about because it may return in a future cycle, but you cannot apply to it today.

Let’s explore each of the scholarships, and you can check your eligibility as we discuss them in detail.

New Zealand Government Scholarships for International Students

New Zealand Excellence Awards (NZEA) is the leading scholarship provided by the government of New Zealand to Indian students. It is a collaboration between the Education New Zealand and eight universities of New Zealand and is especially designed to make the education available in New Zealand cost-effective for Indian students.

Eligibility

• Be an Indian citizen residing in India at the time of application and not be a citizen or a resident of New Zealand or Australia
• Be 18 years of age or above at the time of application
• Satisfy the criteria set by Immigration New Zealand for issuing a student visa
• Have an unconditional offer letter from one of the eight partner universities

What it is worth: the programme totals NZD 260,000 across 29 individual awards, with each award ranging from NZD 5,000 to NZD 20,000 depending on the university and course. It is a partial tuition contribution, not a fully funded scholarship, so budget for the remaining fees separately. Applications have generally opened in March and closed by the end of April in past years, but exact 2026-27 dates should be confirmed on the official Education New Zealand NZEA page before you plan your admission timeline around it.

University Scholarships in New Zealand

AUT International Scholarships

The Auckland University of Technology offers scholarships based on regions such as South Asia, Southeast Asia, North Asia, and Europe. In addition, there are other scholarships available based on faculty, which include Business, Economics and Law and Design and Creative Technologies. The scholarship for South Asia for the 2026 Semester 2 intake ended on 24 May 2026, and the selection was carried out every two weeks.

Eligibility

• Possess a current and valid conditional or unconditional offer for any eligible AUT program for the appropriate intake
• Have not attended AUT previously, even for a lower qualification level
• Be a citizen of an eligible South Asian country, including India

If you missed the Semester 2, 2026 window, keep an eye on the AUT scholarships page for when the Semester 1, 2027 cycle opens.

Ah Nua Scholarship

Offered by the University of Canterbury to one international full-fee-paying student each year, worth around NZD 5,000. It is open to students from a set list of countries that has historically included India, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka. Confirm current eligibility and the exact closing date directly with the university, since older listings citing a 2024 deadline are no longer accurate.

Scholarships in New Zealand for Indian Students

Indian students have a genuinely good set of options in New Zealand, spread across government funding, university-specific awards, and country-targeted scholarships. The two most relevant right now are:

New Zealand Excellence Awards (NZEA) — exclusively for Indian citizens, government co-funded, worth NZD 5,000 to NZD 20,000 per award, described in detail above.

Vice-Chancellor’s International Excellence Scholarship for India (University of Waikato): a scholarship created specifically for Indian applicants, currently accepting applications on a rolling basis.

AUT also currently places India within its South Asia region for its region-based international scholarships, so Indian applicants heading to AUT should check that scholarship alongside the two above rather than treating NZEA as the only option

Fully Funded Scholarships in New Zealand for International Students

This phrase gets used loosely, so it is worth being precise about what it actually means before you build a budget around it.

• A fully-funded scholarship includes the total cost of tuition, accommodation, and other expenses like insurance and visa fees. Very few scholarships that are available to international students in New Zealand currently qualify as full scholarships.
• Full tuition implies that the scholarship covers your full tuition cost but does not take care of your accommodation costs, insurance and travels. This is an example of the Dean’s Asia Scholarship of the University of Auckland.
• “Partial scholarship” refers to the partial cost of tuition, which could be of some amount like NZD 5,000 or NZD 15,000 and the remaining fee will have to be paid by you. NZEA and Waikato India are examples of partial scholarships.

How to Apply for Scholarships in New Zealand

• Step 1: Identify scholarships that match your nationality and study level. Government awards like NZEA are country-specific, while university scholarships often list eligible regions or countries.
• Step 2: Check university and course eligibility. Some scholarships are tied to one faculty, such as business or design, and will not apply to other programmes at the same university.
• Step 3: Confirm whether you need admission before applying for the scholarship. Most New Zealand scholarships, including NZEA and the Waikato India award, require a conditional or unconditional offer of a place before you can submit a scholarship application.
• Step 4: Review academic and English-language requirements. GPA equivalency, IELTS, or other English test scores vary by scholarship and by university.
• Step 5: Prepare your documents. This usually means transcripts, a personal statement or SOP, letters of recommendation, and proof of citizenship or residency.
• Step 6: Apply through the official portal. Submit directly through the university’s scholarship application system, or through Education New Zealand’s portal for government-backed awards. Avoid third-party sites that ask for payment to “process” an application.
• Step 7: Track scholarship deadlines separately from admission deadlines. Universities sometimes close scholarship applications before their general admission deadline, so do not assume you have until the course deadline to apply for funding.
• Step 8: Prepare for an interview or additional selection stage if required. Some scholarships, particularly government-backed ones, include a short interview or a request for further documentation after shortlisting.

Can I Study in New Zealand Without Paying Tuition?

Realistically, no, not on the scholarships covered in this guide. Every current option here is a tuition contribution or a full tuition waiver rather than a zero-cost degree. The Dean’s Asia Scholarship comes closest, since it covers full tuition fees plus compulsory international student health insurance for up to three years, but you would still be responsible for accommodation, food, and everyday living costs out of pocket.

Tips for Applying to Scholarships in New Zealand:

• All scholarships in New Zealand require a guaranteed place at a university, which has to be unconditional before applying for the scholarship program, so you should get your admissions sorted out.
• In case you have student visas, keep all your GTE documents, proof of connections with India, cost of study in New Zealand plans, and intention of returning to India ready together with your scholarship papers because they might overlap.
• And make sure you have prepared a list of all the transcripts, test results, copies of passports, offer letters, and reference letters well in advance in case the scholarship has a rolling deadline.

With a scholarship, study in New Zealand is more affordable to international students. Explore your scholarship options right when you begin your New Zealand study process. Note down your options and apply for them in a timely manner. 

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