The University of Auckland's International Student Excellence Scholarship gives high-achieving new international master's students a 25% credit on their first-year tuition fees. There is no open application — if you receive a conditional or unconditional master's offer for Semester One or Quarter Two 2027, the university invites you to complete a supplementary application form by 4 November 2026.
Why it is notable: Invitation-only mechanism — your admission application IS the scholarship pipeline; the critical 20 October 2026 offer cutoff is easy to miss, and tuition must be paid in full first with the scholarship credited to your account later.
Funding at a glance
What it covers
Tuition fee credit of 25% of the value of one year of tuition fees, credited to the student's account after tuition is paid in full (one-year tenure — first two semesters of the master's degree)
Eligibility criteria
Qualification Required
Graduationfor Masters
This scholarship is offered for Masters programs.
Who can apply
New international students of all nationalities (neither citizens, permanent residents nor resident visa holders of New Zealand or Australia)
Experience
No experience required (official personal-statement tips suggest mentioning work experience and achievements)
Language Certificate
Course-dependent — must meet University of Auckland English language requirements for the master's programme
Other Certificates
Degree certificates/transcripts as required by the programme admission application (the scholarship piggybacks on the admission offer)
Age Limit
No Age Limit
Check your eligibility
Run all three quick checks before reviewing your chosen course's full entry requirements.
1
Country checker
All nationalities eligible; New Zealand/Australian citizens, permanent residents and resident visa holders excluded (scholarship is for international students)
2
Last degree checker
Choose your highest completed qualification to see which degree level may fit.
3
Course checker
Pick a course to see whether it falls inside this scholarship's scope.
Complete all three checks
Your combined result will appear here.
Based on published eligibility — always confirm on the official page before applying.
Application essentials
Requirements
Review each requirement before you begin the application.
01
New international student status
must be a new international student (not a NZ/Australian citizen, permanent resident or resident visa holder) enrolling full-time, on-campus, in a master's programme
02
Offer by the cutoff
must hold a conditional or unconditional offer for a Semester One or Quarter Two 2027 master's programme by 20 October 2026
03
Academic standing
minimum GPE 7.0 for postgraduate scholarship consideration (per the university's international scholarships page)
04
Supplementary form
complete the invited supplementary application form online by 4 November 2026
05
Personal statement
write it yourself (no AI-generated content); cover study/career goals, work experience, achievements, financial need and how the scholarship supports your goals
06
Fee
No fee — completely free
Document checklist
01Master's programme admission application (with transcripts/certificates as the programme requires) — the basis for the offer
02Invited supplementary application form (issued 21 October 2026)
03Personal statement (per official tips: study/career goals, work experience, achievements, financial need, how the scholarship supports your goals)
04Referee endorsement / letter of application: reported by aggregators only — UNVERIFIED on official pages; confirm against the regulations before publishing
Application fee
No fee — completely free (no application fee published for the scholarship or the supplementary form)
Visa, kept concise: Study visa type for this destination: New Zealand Student Visa (Fee Paying Student Visa)
Application Procedure
10 steps — follow in order. Each stage prepares the next.
01
Apply for admission to an eligible master's
programme for Semester One or Quarter Two 2027 at the University of Auckland.
→
02
Receive a conditional or unconditional programme offer
by 20 October 2026.
→
03
Watch your email (including spam/junk) on 21
October 2026 — the university issues invitations to eligible students to complete a supplementary application form.
↓
06
Await the outcome
successful applicants notified from 30 November 2026; waitlisted applicants from 14 December 2026. Pay tuition fees in full by the applicable deadline — the scholarship value is credited to your account later.
←
05
Submit the supplementary form by 4 November
2026.
←
04
Complete the supplementary application form online
including your personal statement (write it yourself — the university explicitly says do not use AI-generated content).
↓
07
Master's programme admission application (with transcripts/certificates as
the programme requires) — the basis for the offer
→
08
Invited supplementary application form (issued 21 October
2026)
→
09
Personal statement (per official tips
study/career goals, work experience, achievements, financial need, how the scholarship supports your goals)
↓
10
Referee endorsement / letter of application
reported by aggregators only — UNVERIFIED on official pages; confirm against the regulations before publishing
Application milestones
4 Nov 2026
Application deadline
20 Oct 2026
Application deadline
2027
Intake year
Ready to apply?
Continue on the official University of Auckland platform.
Do I apply directly for this scholarship? A: No. There is no direct application. If you hold an eligible master's offer by 20 October 2026, the university invites you on 21 October 2026 to complete a What is the scholarship worth? A: A credit of 25% of the value of one year of tuition fees, for one year of master's study.Who is eligible? A: New international master's students with a minimum GPE of 7.0, enrolling full-time and on-campus for Semester One or Quarter Two 2027.When will I hear the outcome? A: Successful applicants are notified from 30 November 2026; waitlisted applicants from 14 December 2026. Dates are indicative and may shift.Do I still have to pay my tuition fees? A: Yes — recipients must pay tuition fees in full by the applicable deadline; the scholarship value is credited to the student's account later.Can I write my personal statement with AI? A: No — the university's official tips say to write it yourself and not use AI-generated content.What should the personal statement cover? A: Your study/career goals, work experience, achievements, financial need and how the scholarship will help you.Is the scholarship offered more than once a year? A: Yes — the official listing says it is offered twice a year (this round: Semester One / Quarter Two 2027).
Need document or attestation help?
Detailed attestation guidance stays in Opplore's standalone Guides section, not inside this scholarship page.
New Zealand · University of Auckland