Top Tips from Scholarship Winners | Study With New Zealand

My top tip for international students would be to pursue lots of scholarships and to not be afraid to apply. You will want that extra money for traveling once you are abroad! Taylor Lindsey from the United States studied at Ecoquest in Kaiaua, near Auckland. Taylor won an Education New Zealand Travel Award.

My top tip for all students trying to apply for scholarships in New Zealand: DO NOT oversell yourselves. Kiwis (specifically) hate that! Don’t undersell yourselves either though and be completely honest about what you can or cannot do/have or have not studied.

Stephanie Andraos from Lebanon is studying for a PhD in Health Sciences at The University of Auckland in Auckland. Stephanie won a New Zealand International Doctoral Research Scholarship.

One of the most important things to keep in mind when applying for scholarships is that someone is taking the time to learn about you and why you need the scholarship. Many scholarships are big on personal experiences, including what you want to learn or feel you will learn while you are abroad is helpful. Along with making the scholarship applications individual, apply for as many as you can. No one can ever apply for too many scholarships, you never know which ones you will get. Samantha Ross from the United States studied fine arts with a photography major at Otago Polytechnic in Dunedin. Samantha won a GSAITPEA scholarship.

Funding your study abroad or exchange experience can seem overwhelming! It’s a lot of numbers being thrown at you, and the money is often split and directed to different places to cover different costs. Finding scholarships is one of the best ways to save some cash and still enjoy your experiences while allowing you to do everything that needs to be done without as much stress! My first advice would be to get a cost breakdown from your programme adviser, the school you will be attending, or if that’s not possible, simply make a list of everything you need to pay for and add up the totals. A breakdown is helpful to work off of as a checklist too, that way you can make sure you are accounting for everything! If you decide that a scholarship would be helpful to cover some costs, reach out to your programme adviser or the school you will be attending in New Zealand. The study abroad/international programme offices usually have a list of places you can go to for scholarships. I found my scholarship by talking with my AU abroad adviser who recommended this scholarship programme for me based on my interests! Emily Watkins, from the United States, studied political science, government and international relations at Victoria University in Wellington. Emily won an Education New Zealand Travel Award.