University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarship, Round Closing 31 October 2026

About this scholarship

A doctoral scholarship at the University of Waikato in New Zealand, open to international students who hold an Offer of Place in a doctoral programme. It pays a living allowance and tuition fees at the domestic rate for up to three years.

Funding type

Covers: a living allowance of NZD 33,000 every 12 months, paid monthly for up to 36 months, the tuition fees at the domestic rate, and the Student Services Fee. Some awards may be fees-only, covering the domestic tuition fees and the Student Services Fee without the living allowance. The scholarship pays domestic fees. International PhD students may qualify for domestic fees if they live in New Zealand during their study, with research absences of no more than 12 months in total. Those who do not qualify pay the full international PhD fee. Does not cover: medical insurance, moving costs and research expenses. The number of awards is not fixed and depends on the funding available.

Tuition fees

Covered

Living costs

Covered

Travel

Not covered

Insurance

Not covered

Eligibility requirements

Nationalities

All nationalities

Residence condition

No residence condition

Open to international students. The page names no nationality limits An Offer of Place in a PhD or another doctorate named in the regulations by the closing date of the round, without having started the enrolment A GPA of at least A- in the qualification used for entry to the doctorate For PhD entry: a bachelor's with honours or a master's with research worth at least 25% of a year of study, with at least Second Class First Division You must not already hold a doctorate or be employed by the University, apart from limited fixed-term work Study is normally full time, and you can be considered for this scholarship twice at most

Minimum grade

Not stated

Work experience asked for

Not stated

Return condition

Return condition not stated

How to apply

Straight to the provider

Language requirements and exemptions

Language test required IELTS TOEFL iBT PTE Academic Duolingo English Test Cambridge English Other test Waiver not mentioned

International students must meet the University of Waikato English language requirements. For postgraduate study, including doctorates, the University generally recommends IELTS Academic 6.5 with no band below 6.0, TOEFL iBT 90 with writing 21, PTE Academic 58 with no skill below 50, Duolingo 120 with no subscore below 105, or Cambridge English 176 with no band below 169. Some degrees, such as the SJD, need higher scores. Other accepted tests are on the English language requirements page.

University admission details

Required before applying?

There are four rounds a year. The 2026 regulations give the closing dates as 31 January, 30 April, 31 July and 31 October each year. The next round closes on 31 October 2026. The time of day is not stated. You must hold an Offer of Place before the round closes. If it does not come in time, you can apply in the next round. Results come up to 8 weeks after the round closes, and you have 28 days to accept. PhD applications to enrol are open all year and are considered monthly from February to November. The page names no intake year.

Required documents

Invitation to Apply from your supervisor Research proposal on the University template and a cover letter, for applications started on or after 1 November 2026 Academic transcripts with the grading scale, translated into English if needed, and updated if they have changed Your academic CV and one sample of academic writing in English or Te Reo Māori, no longer than 4,000 words A copy of your passport photo page Details of two academic referees for the application to enrol One academic reference for the scholarship, and a professional reference if you wish

Application steps

Find a supervisor through the staff profiles or the PhD opportunities page and ask for an Invitation to Apply. Submit your Application to Enrol in the MyWaikato portal and wait for your Offer of Place. Log in to MyWaikato, open the Scholarships tab and apply for the University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarship. Apply before the round closes on 31 October 2026, or in a later round.

Requirement checklist

Scholarship contacts

University of Waikato scholarships office: [email protected]Copy

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