Top universities in New Zealand The country is emerging as the new hub for international students who want to study abroad. With the toughening of immigration policies in the USA and UK, the Indian students looking for other options to gain quality education in a foreign country can look forward to New Zealand as ultimate destination. With liberal immigration policies and evolving education system, New Zealand is attracting more international students to its universities every year. The top universities in New Zealand offer globally-recognised degrees that allow students to find jobs anywhere in the world after completing their studies in NZ.
New Zealand is home to eight world-class universities that are state-funded and feature in the QS World University Rankings and Times Higher Educations World University Rankings. Here in this article, we have listed the top universities of New Zealand and their main features to help students decide which one is best suited for them.
Top Universities in New Zealand World University Rankings 2019
Highlighted below are the top universities of New Zealand along with their world rankings in the year 2019.
List of top universities of New Zealand
| Name of University | QS World University Rankings 2019 | THE World University Rankings 2019 |
| University of Auckland | 85 | 201-250 |
| University of Otago | 175 | 201-250 |
| Victoria University of Wellington | 221 | 401-500 |
| University of Canterbury | 231 | 301-350 |
| University of Waikato | 274 | 401-500 |
| Auckland University of Technology | 442 | 301-350 |
Top Universities in New Zealand Popular Courses
Adopting contemporary education methods, New Zealand universities allow students to pursue interdisciplinary courses across different levels of study. Students get the opportunity to choose their study programme from a range of courses in key areas like nursing, veterinary science, medicine, engineering and social work. Home to over 20 polytechnic and technology institutes, New Zealand also offers a number of vocational courses to students. Given below are some of the courses popular among international students to study in top universities of New Zealand. 
Popular Courses offered in New Zealand Universities
| S.No. | University Name | Popular Courses |
| 1. | University of Auckland |
The courses that are popular among students in the University of Auckland:
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| 2. | University of Otago |
The popular courses of the University of Otago are:
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| 3. | Victoria University of Wellington |
Top courses applied by students in Victoria University of Wellington are:
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| 4. | University of Canterbury |
The most sought-after courses of the University of Canterbury:
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| 5. | University of Waikato |
The popular courses of the University of Waikato are:
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| 6. | Auckland University of Technology |
Top courses applied by students in Auckland University of Technology are:
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Top Universities in New Zealand Average Tuition Fees in Colleges
Now that you know about the courses that popular among students who wish to study in New Zealand, lets take a look at the tuition fees that international students pay for undergraduate or postgraduate studies. One thing a student needs to keep in mind is that in New Zealand, tuition fees are calculated on a per point basis and each course has certain points related to it. So, the course fees depend on the programmes they chose to study. Given below is a brief account of tuition fees in top universities of New Zealand.
University of Auckland: One of the top universities of New Zealand, the tuition fees for international students studying a full-time undergraduate course in this university range between NZD 30,000 to NZD 55,150 per annum. If students opt for conjoint programmes, the tuition fees might be slightly higher. It generally depends on the courses students enrol into the conjoint programmes.
As for postgraduate students, the tuition fees can range between NZD 33,000 to NZD 52,630 per annum. Students opting for business management courses need to pay a tuition fees of NZD 58,841 to NZD 79,207, depending on the programme they opt for. Also, the tuition fees for medical courses are higher than the other programmes. Besides this, students also need to pay student service fees of NZD 847.20 for full-time study (120 points) in the year 2019.
University of Otago: Undergraduate students who wish to study in the University of Otago need to pay tuition fees that ranges between NZD 27,154 to NZD 39,858 per annum. The tuition fees for courses related to health sciences are higher than that of other courses at all levels. The tuition fees for postgraduate courses in the University of Otago range from NZD 22,889 to 64,896 per year.
Victoria University of Wellington: International students pursuing full-time programmes in Victoria University of Wellington generally pay a tuition fees ranging between NZD 24,650 to 33,360 for undergraduate courses. For postgraduate studies, the tuition fees range from NZD 27,966 to NZD 36,445.
University of Canterbury: The tuition fees for undergraduate students in the University of Canterbury ranges from NZD 27,000 to NZD 44,000. As for postgraduate studies at different levels, international students need to pay a tuition fees which maybe anywhere within the range of NZD 12,000 to NZD 77,000.
University of Waikato: Here in this university, the international students going for pre-degree programmes may need to pay about NZD 11,000 per semester. The cost of studying bachelors degree ranges from NZD 24,425 to NZD 35,700 and masters degree courses range from NZD 29,370 to NZD 53,550. Students wishing to study graduate diplomas and certificates may need to pay NZD 12,000 to NZD 35,700, postgraduate diplomas and certificates NZD 14,685 to NZD 38,350. The tuition fees for higher research degrees such as PhD, Research Thesis, MPhil and EdD range between NZD 6,138 to NZD 38,840.
Auckland University of Technology: The tuition fees for bachelors degree programmes range from NZD 28,365 to NZD 36,590 in Auckland University of Technology. The tuition fees for postgraduate degree programmes range between NZD 15,360 to NZD 53,730.
Read: Study and Work in New Zealand article to know ways to earn money to ease your financial burden of studying in New Zealand.
Top Universities in New Zealand How to apply for New Zealand Universities
Applying to New Zealand universities is fairly easy for international students. They just need to follow a few steps in order to study in New Zealand. An important factor to keep in mind for international students is that they must apply for a programme well before the semester starts. Find below the step-by-step guide to help students apply for universities in New Zealand.
- The applicants are advised to apply for the universities they wish to get into during the months of July, September, November and February when the applications open for the new semester.
- To apply for a particular university, students can either apply directly by visiting the official website of the university or through any registered agent of the university. Students need to complete the application process by filling the necessary details and uploading required documents to support the information filled in the application form.
- On receiving a completed application form, the university sends an acknowledgement email/letter to the applicant. Applications for undergraduate courses take at least 1 week to get assessed and postgraduate courses take up to 6 weeks.
- After assessing all the applications, the admission committee sends out Offer of Place letters to the selected candidates along with details regarding tuition fees, enrolment fees and other payments.
- On receiving the offer letter, students are advised to accept the offer by signing the acceptance of offer form in stipulated time and return the same to the admission committee of the university. The applicants also need to make payments for tuition fees and other fees in due time to secure their place in the university.
- Students receive a receipt after the necessary payments are done. This receipt along with the offer letter needs to be presented to the immigration department to obtain student permit. And, students need to submit their student visa at the student hub of the university to complete their enrolment before the start of their course of study.
Read: College Application Deadlines in New Zealand for International Students to know when to apply for New Zealand universities.
Top Universities in New Zealand Scholarships for International Students
To attract international students to the New Zealand universities, many scholarship opportunities are offered to help students fund their education in a foreign land. Highlighted below are some popular scholarships that students can apply for.
List of scholarships for international students
| S.No. | Name of Scholarship | Award Details |
| 1. | F A Hayek Scholarship in Economics or Political Science, New Zealand | Scholarship worth NZD 16,500 |
| 2. | Otago Council Inc Scholarship, New Zealand | One off payment of NZD 3000 |
| 3. | AUT Doctoral Scholarships, Auckland University of Technology | An annual stipend of up to NZD 25,000 and full tuition fees |
| 4. | International Taught Master Merit Scholarships, Lincoln University | Financial support of up to NZD 7,000 10,000 towards the overall cost of study |
| 5. | College of Humanities and Social Sciences International Excellence Scholarships, Massey University | NZD 5,000 per 120 credits enrolled for up to the total credit value of the programme |
| 6. | Computer Science Undergraduate Scholarship, University of Waikato | NZD 5,000 |
