Victoria University of Wellington International Scholarships is a collective name. You will not find one big award with a single stipend and a single deadline. What you get instead is a university, Te Herenga Waka (Victoria University of Wellington), that hands out thousands of scholarships to new and current students each year, with some of that funding set aside for international students. Your job is to find the specific award that fits you inside the university's scholarships database, then meet that award's own rules.
That makes this a good option for a certain kind of applicant and a poor fit for another. If you have already decided you want to study in Wellington and are willing to dig through a database, it can pay off. If you are hunting for a guaranteed fully funded package with a fixed amount, read carefully before you build your plans around it. You can see the full scholarship details on our listing as well.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Provider | Te Herenga Waka (Victoria University of Wellington) |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Funding | Full or partial, depending on the award |
| Levels | Undergraduate, Honours, Master's, PhD |
| Scholarship deadline | Varies by award, confirm on the official site |
| Opening date | Varies, check each award in the database |
| Official site | wgtn.ac.nz/scholarships |
One university, many separate awards
The most common mistake with this scholarship is treating it like a single programme. It is a search exercise. The university's scholarships database lets you filter by study level, personal background and academic criteria, and each result has its own conditions. Some awards are full, some are partial. Some go toward tuition fees, others toward living costs.
Awards span every level the university teaches. That means undergraduate degrees, plus postgraduate study at Honours, Master's and doctoral (PhD) level. The faculties and study areas covered are:
- Architecture and design innovation
- Business and government
- Law
- Science and engineering
- Humanities, social sciences and music
- Health and education
The university runs several campuses in Wellington, including Kelburn, Pipitea and Te Aro. Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand, which matters if you are in law, government or public policy and want to be close to where those decisions get made.
What the money can actually go toward
Because every award is different, nobody can give you one figure for what you will receive. The official description is general: financial support for tuition fees or living costs, depending on the specific award. So before you count on a scholarship to cover your costs, open the award's own page and read what it pays and for how long.
Beyond money, scholarship holders have access to the university's hard-copy and digital library resources, and to support from the Scholarships Office and student finance advisers. There are also research project funding opportunities for eligible upper-year students and summer research students. If you are an undergraduate thinking about research later, those summer research awards are worth keeping an eye on once you are enrolled.
A practical point for Pakistani families: a partial award still leaves a gap. New Zealand's visa process will want to see how you will pay the rest, so plan your funding before you apply. Our guide to bank statements and proof of funds explains what that usually involves.
Eligibility depends on the award you pick
The general requirements are short. You must be an international student studying at Victoria University of Wellington (or intending to), you must meet the academic and admission requirements for your chosen undergraduate or postgraduate qualification, you must meet the specific criteria of the individual award, and you must submit everything by the stated deadline.
The university describes these awards as open to international students, and Pakistani students fall into that group. That said, individual awards can set conditions on background or study area, so check each award's criteria for your nationality before you put time into an application.
English language requirements also apply to your degree. Meeting the general admission criteria comes first. A scholarship cannot rescue an application that fails the admission bar.
Paperwork you should start early
The documents listed for this scholarship are fairly standard:
- References
- Personal statements
- Academic transcripts and supporting documentation for admission
References take the longest to collect because they depend on other people. Ask your teachers or supervisors weeks ahead, not days. For personal statements, write a fresh version for each award rather than pasting the same essay everywhere, because each award has different criteria and assessors notice generic writing. For transcripts and degree documents from Pakistan, sort out attestation in good time. Our IBCC and MOFA attestation guide covers the process.
The order of steps matters here
The application has two tracks, admission and scholarship, and the university's own advice is to secure your degree application first.
- Search the scholarships database to find awards that suit your level and field.
- Apply for a place on your programme. New certificate, diploma, Bachelor's, Honours and Master's applicants use the Pลซaha portal. PhD and doctoral applicants apply through the Wellington Faculty of Graduate Research.
- Prepare your references and personal statements.
- Submit your scholarship and admission applications through the official university channels before the deadline.
Applicants sometimes do this backwards and spend weeks on a scholarship essay before they have even started the Pลซaha application. Get the admission application moving first, then complete the extra scholarship steps.
Admission dates versus scholarship dates
Keep two kinds of deadline separate in your head. Scholarship opening dates and closing dates vary by award, and you have to check each one in the database. Admission deadlines are a different thing, and the university has published these for programme entry:
| Intake | Admission application deadline |
|---|---|
| Trimester 3 | 19 November 2026 |
| Trimester 1 | 20 January 2027 |
These dates are for starting a new programme, not for any particular scholarship. A scholarship you want may close well before the admission deadline, so confirm the exact award deadline on the official portal and work back from the earliest date. Leave room for your student visa too, since that takes its own time.
Where applicants go wrong
The problems tend to be predictable. Students apply to the "Victoria University scholarship" as if it were one award, and then miss the specific deadline of the award they actually needed. Others assume "full / partial" means they will probably get full funding. Most should plan for partial.
Another mistake is ignoring the Scholarships Office. If an award's wording is unclear, ask. The office can be reached by email at scholarships-office@vuw.ac.nz, by phone on 0800 04 04 04, or in person at HU120, Hunter Building, Kelburn Parade. A short, specific question usually gets a more useful answer than a long general one.
Finally, do not leave English test results to the last minute. They feed into admission, and admission comes before the scholarship.
Who should skip this? If you need a single fully funded award with guaranteed living costs before you can even consider New Zealand, this database approach may not give you that certainty. Look at the broader options in our list of all New Zealand scholarships and compare.
Frequently asked questions
Can Pakistani students apply for Victoria University of Wellington scholarships?
The awards are aimed at international students studying at the university, which includes students from Pakistan. Individual awards can have their own criteria, so read each one before applying.
Is this a fully funded scholarship?
It can be, but not always. Funding is listed as full or partial, and support may go toward tuition fees or living costs depending on the award.
What levels of study are covered?
Undergraduate degrees, Honours, Master's and doctoral (PhD) programmes.
Do I apply for admission and the scholarship separately?
Yes. You apply for your programme through the Pลซaha portal, or through the Wellington Faculty of Graduate Research for PhD study, and you complete the scholarship steps for the award you choose. Start with the admission application.
When is the deadline?
It varies by award. The published admission deadlines are 19 November 2026 for Trimester 3 and 20 January 2027 for Trimester 1, but scholarship deadlines can differ, so confirm on the official portal.
Before you apply, check the current awards and deadlines on the official Victoria University of Wellington scholarships website, and keep our full scholarship page handy for reference.