Top 12 Fully Funded Scholarships in New Zealand 2026/2027

New Zealand is one of the few study destinations where a genuinely full ride is realistic for international students — but you need to know where the real money sits. There is no single “New Zealand Government Scholarship” open to everyone. Instead, full funding comes from two directions: the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships, the government’s flagship development award, and the doctoral scholarships offered by all eight New Zealand universities, which pair a tax-free living stipend with a full tuition fee waiver for PhD students. One structural advantage makes New Zealand doctoral funding go further than almost anywhere else: international PhD students are charged tuition at the domestic rate under New Zealand government policy, so a “domestic fees waiver” at PhD level covers your actual tuition bill in full.

This guide ranks the 12 most valuable funding routes for the 2026/2027 cycle. Every entry is a real, currently operating programme, researched against official university and government sources in October 2026. Coverage is labelled honestly: Manaaki and the doctoral scholarships are true full rides, while the last two entries are large partial awards (clearly marked) that still cut fees by NZ$10,000–15,000 and stack well with other funding. If you are comparing destinations, browse our full scholarship directory and the complete list of university profiles before you commit to one country.

New Zealand’s Top Scholarships at a Glance

*Doctoral scholarships waive tuition at the domestic rate. Because international PhD students in New Zealand pay domestic-rate tuition by government policy, the waiver covers the full tuition charged — but student services fees and insurance may still apply at some universities, as noted per entry.

The 12 Scholarships in Detail

1. Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships — the flagship full ride

Coverage: Full tuition fees; living allowance of NZ$615 per week; establishment allowance of NZ$3,000; medical and travel insurance; return air travel between your home country and New Zealand; tutoring support up to NZ$1,000; research and thesis costs for postgraduate scholars; and a NZ$1,000 reintegration allowance when you return home. Eligibility: Citizens of eligible partner countries in the Pacific, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean (the exact country list is published on the official portal — check yours before anything else). Applicants must be 18 or older when the scholarship starts; preference is given to applicants under 40. Undergraduate, postgraduate certificate/diploma, master’s and PhD study are all supported at New Zealand’s eight universities and selected institutes of technology, in subject areas linked to your home country’s development priorities — climate change and resilience, renewable energy, agriculture and food security, public health, education, and good governance are recurring themes. Postgraduate applicants are expected to have relevant work experience (typically one to two years). The catch: Manaaki is a development scholarship, not a migration pathway. You must commit to returning home for at least two years after your studies. Deadline: The tertiary application portal typically opens on 1 March each year, with closing dates set per country across March–April. The 2027-cycle dates had not been published when this guide was researched in October 2026 — confirm your country’s exact dates on the official Manaaki portal as soon as the round opens. Massey University’s Manaaki information page summarises the full benefit package from an administering university’s perspective.

2. Manaaki Short-Term Training Scholarships — fully funded short courses for professionals

Coverage: Course fees, international flights, accommodation and living allowances for the duration of the course — a genuine full package for short-term study. Eligibility: Mid-to-senior-level professionals, public officials and researchers from eligible countries (including ASEAN member states), nominated or applying within sector-specific intakes. Courses run in themed waves — recent and upcoming cohorts cover geothermal energy project management, public sector leadership, good governance, renewable energy systems, sustainable agri-food systems and disaster risk reduction, delivered in New Zealand or online. Deadline: Rolling and course-specific; each cohort publishes its own opening date, so this is an opportunity to monitor rather than a single annual deadline. For early-career and mid-career professionals who cannot commit to a full degree, this is the most accessible fully funded route into New Zealand training — and Manaaki alumni status strengthens any later degree application.

3. University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship

Coverage: A tax-free stipend of NZ$35,468 per year in 2026 (adjusted annually for CPI) for up to 42 months of full-time doctoral study, plus compulsory tuition fees and the Student Services Fee, plus the single-student health insurance charge for international students. That is one of the most complete doctoral packages in the country — fees, living costs and insurance are all covered. Eligibility: Anyone offered a place in a PhD or other eligible doctorate at the University of Auckland is considered; there is no separate scholarship application — you indicate interest when you apply for doctoral admission, and faculties award scholarships in four rounds a year. Awards are competitive and based on academic merit and research fit, with guaranteed scholarships for Māori and Pacific applicants holding a GPA of 7.0+ from a New Zealand qualifying programme. Deadline: Apply for your doctoral programme by 1 November, 1 February, 1 May or 1 August to be considered in the corresponding round. Full terms are published on the University of Auckland’s doctoral scholarships page.

4. University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship

Coverage: A stipend of NZ$34,128 per year plus a tuition fees waiver at the domestic rate for 36 months (the waiver excludes the student services fee and insurance). Because international doctoral students pay domestic-rate tuition in New Zealand, the waiver covers the tuition you would actually be charged. Eligibility: Open to domestic and international candidates for the PhD and professional doctorates (DClinDent, DMA, DBA, EdD) at the University of Otago, normally seeking their first doctoral qualification. Selection is predominantly on academic merit and research potential. With up to 153 scholarships offered annually, Otago runs one of the largest doctoral scholarship schemes in the country. Deadline: You can apply at any time; applications are considered in quarterly rounds held in March, June, September and November, submitted through the eVision portal alongside your doctoral application. Details are on Otago’s official scholarship page.

5. Wellington Doctoral Scholarship — Victoria University of Wellington

Coverage: A stipend of NZ$32,000 per year plus full domestic tuition fees for up to three years. Eligibility: Open to graduates of any university, in any discipline, who intend to enrol full-time in a doctorate at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, or who have recently commenced one. Applicants are normally seeking their first doctorate and are expected to hold a strong honours or master’s record — the university looks for a first-class academic record, excellent references, demonstrated research potential, or publications commensurate with experience. Alignment between your research topic and the host school’s strengths is an explicit selection factor. Deadline: Three rounds a year, closing 1 March, 1 July and 1 November, via the combined doctoral admission and scholarship application. Wellington is New Zealand’s capital, so this scholarship is especially attractive for public policy, law, governance and creative disciplines.

6. University of Canterbury Doctoral Scholarship

Coverage: NZ$32,650 per year (2026 rate) plus tuition fees at the domestic rate, tenable for up to 360 points of doctoral thesis enrolment — normally three years. Applicants for the core scholarship are also automatically considered for several other UC doctoral awards, including project-based “Commitments” scholarships that add research-cost funding. Eligibility: Open globally with no citizenship restrictions, for full-time research doctorates in any faculty — arts, business and law, education and health, engineering, and science. You must be eligible for doctoral admission and apply for admission alongside the scholarship. Deadline: The main round opens in August and closes in October (the 2026 round closed 15 October) for students starting in 2027; a further round runs roughly March–May. Christchurch living costs are lower than Auckland’s, which makes the stipend stretch further than the headline figure suggests.

7. University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarship

Coverage: Up to NZ$33,000 per year for up to 36 months, plus domestic tuition fees and the Student Services Fee — one of the few schemes that explicitly covers the services fee as well. Eligibility: Open to New Zealand citizens, permanent residents and international students enrolling in a PhD, DMA, EdD or SJD at the University of Waikato, normally seeking a first doctorate and studying full-time. Candidates are normally expected to show at least an A− GPA, a well-developed research project, and a confirmed supervisor; a dedicated parallel scholarship exists for Pacific Peoples at the same value. Deadline: Four rounds a year closing 31 January, 30 April, 31 July and 31 October, and you must already hold an Offer of Place to be considered — so supervisor contact and admission come first. The official terms are on Waikato’s scholarship page.

8. AUT Doctoral Scholarships — Auckland University of Technology

Coverage: An annual stipend of NZ$34,737 for 2026 awards, plus tuition fees and the compulsory student services fee, for up to three years of full-time study (part-time tenure is pro-rated over six years). Eligibility: Two routes exist. The Vice-Chancellor’s Doctoral Scholarships are considered throughout the year for new doctoral candidates with an unconditional offer and a GPA of 8.0 or above in their most recent qualifying programme completed at a New Zealand tertiary institution (7.5 for Māori and domestic Pacific applicants). The contestable AUT Doctoral Scholarship rounds are open to international applicants from any background, and unsuccessful applicants for the top award are automatically considered for faculty-funded full-fee or fees-plus-stipend options. Deadline: Contestable rounds close 1 March, 15 July and 1 November; you will need evidence of support from your proposed supervisor or head of school. See AUT’s doctoral scholarships page for the current regulations.

9. Massey University Doctoral Scholarship

Coverage: An advertised total value of NZ$90,000 plus fees over three years — a stipend of around NZ$30,000 per year together with payment of tuition and non-tuition fees for up to 36 months of full-time study; for international recipients, the non-tuition component includes insurance for the candidate. Values are reviewed periodically, so confirm the current figure in the regulations for your round. Eligibility: You should hold an offer of place for doctoral study at Massey (or be in your first 12 months of enrolment), have a GPA of 7.0 or higher, and be researching a topic of strategic value to the university. A research outline and a completed supervisor support template are required, which makes early supervisor engagement essential. Deadline: Applications close around 1 October each year for tenure starting the following year, with enrolment required by 1 March. Massey’s strengths in agriculture, veterinary science, food technology and aviation make this a strong fit for applied research topics.

10. Lincoln University Doctoral Scholarship

Coverage: Course fees plus a stipend advertised at NZ$32,000 per year for three years in the most recent published round — confirm the current value on Lincoln’s website before applying, as rates are set per round. Eligibility: Open to New Zealand, permanent resident and international students who are not already enrolled Lincoln doctoral students; a minimum GPA equivalent to an A− (80%) average is required, and you must be eligible to register for a PhD by 1 March of the year following the award. Selection weighs academic merit and relevant research experience. Deadline: Applications close around 1 October. Lincoln is New Zealand’s specialist land-based university near Christchurch, so proposals in agriculture, viticulture, environmental management, agribusiness and tourism have a natural home here — and a smaller applicant pool than the big-city universities.

11. VUW Undergraduate and Postgraduate International Scholarships — PARTIAL

Coverage (partial, honestly labelled): NZ$15,000 towards fees for new undergraduate students and NZ$10,000 towards fees for new postgraduate students at Victoria University of Wellington. These awards replaced the long-running Tongarewa Scholarship from 2026 and are applied automatically to eligible offer-holders — no separate scholarship application. Eligibility: New international students paying full international fees and entering their first year of study. Deadline: Hold your offer in time for your trimester — 1 November 2026 was the key date for Trimester 1 2027 entry. On their own these awards do not make study free, but NZ$10,000–15,000 off first-year fees is a meaningful reduction for taught master’s students, who have no access to the doctoral funding above.

12. UC International First Year Scholarship — PARTIAL

Coverage (partial, honestly labelled): NZ$15,000 towards first-year tuition fees at the University of Canterbury. Eligibility: International students who completed their secondary schooling overseas and meet UC’s entry requirements for a bachelor’s degree. Deadline: Applications close 31 October for the following year’s intake. Like the VUW awards, this is a fee reduction rather than a full ride — but for undergraduate applicants, New Zealand’s fully funded options are essentially limited to Manaaki, so a NZ$15,000 reduction at a well-regarded university is among the best undergraduate offers available. Compare it against the partial awards in our guide to the top fully funded scholarships in Australia if you are weighing the two countries against each other.

General Eligibility: Who Can Realistically Win Full Funding in New Zealand?

Three patterns run through the list above. First, level matters. Outside Manaaki, full funding in New Zealand is overwhelmingly a doctoral story: all eight universities fund PhDs with stipend-plus-fees packages, while taught master’s and undergraduate students rely on partial fee reductions. If a fully funded master’s is your goal, Manaaki (for eligible countries) is the primary route. Second, grades open the door. Doctoral scholarships cluster around first-class honours or GPA equivalents of 7.0–8.0 on the New Zealand 9-point scale; Manaaki adds work experience and a development-impact case on top of academic merit. Third, a supervisor is your real application. For most doctoral scholarships you are considered as part of doctoral admission, so a well-matched supervisor who supports your proposal is the single strongest predictor of success. Use our university rankings to shortlist institutions in your field, then read supervisors’ recent publications before writing to them.

How to Apply: Step by Step

1. Check Manaaki eligibility first. If your country is on the Manaaki list and your field matches its priority sectors, this is your highest-value application. Run the eligibility questionnaire on the official portal before investing in anything else.
2. Choose your level and target list. Doctoral applicants: shortlist three to five universities where your topic fits active research groups. Master’s and undergraduate applicants: combine Manaaki with the partial awards above.
3. Contact supervisors (doctoral route). Email a concise proposal — research question, method, why their group — with your CV and transcripts attached. Allow four to eight weeks for replies.
4. Apply for admission. Doctoral scholarships at Auckland, Otago, Waikato and elsewhere are considered through, or alongside, the admission application; several require an Offer of Place before the scholarship round closes.
5. Submit the scholarship application in the right round. Note the round calendar below — most NZ doctoral schemes decide three or four times a year, so a missed round costs months, not a year.
6. Prepare your visa finances. Scholarship holders still need to show Immigration New Zealand how remaining costs (services fees, insurance gaps, dependants) will be covered.
7. Accept, enrol and arrange insurance and housing early — university accommodation in Auckland and Wellington fills fast for the February intake.

Required Documents

• Certified academic transcripts and degree certificates (with certified English translations where applicable)
• Research proposal or study plan (doctoral and Manaaki postgraduate applicants)
• CV covering education, work experience and any publications
• Two academic references (Manaaki also weighs leadership and development commitment)
• English language test results meeting your programme’s requirement (e.g. IELTS/TOEFL), where required
• Passport and, for Manaaki, proof of citizenship and of residence in your home country
• Supervisor support documentation where the scheme requires it (e.g. Massey’s Supervisor Support Template)
• For Manaaki: a clear statement of how your study addresses a development priority in your home country

Deadlines and Timeline

How to Improve Your Chances

Lead with fit, not volume. Committees fund research they want done in their labs and schools. A proposal that names the supervisor’s recent work and extends it beats a generic “excellence” statement every time. Treat Manaaki as a development plan, not a personal essay. The strongest Manaaki applications identify a specific problem in a priority sector at home, explain exactly which New Zealand programme builds the skill to address it, and describe a credible two-year post-return plan. Fix grade translations early. New Zealand universities convert overseas grades to their 9-point GPA scale; if your transcript system is unusual, include your institution’s grading scale so your record is not undervalued. Apply in the earliest round you can meet properly. Rounds are competitive throughout the year, but supervisors’ attention and faculty allocations are freshest early in the cycle. Finally, run the numbers for your whole degree using our student tools — stipends are livable, but you should budget for services fees, insurance top-ups and flights for family visits that no scholarship covers.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming “fees waiver” means every charge is covered. Several doctoral waivers exclude the student services fee and insurance; Otago states this explicitly. Budget for the difference.
• Applying for a scholarship round without an Offer of Place. Waikato requires the offer before the round; Auckland considers you during admission. Sequence matters.
• Missing that Manaaki excludes some countries and fields. Eligibility is country- and sector-specific; a brilliant application from an ineligible country scores zero.
• Ignoring the Manaaki return-home condition. If your plan is to stay in New Zealand afterwards, Manaaki is the wrong scholarship — choosing it anyway can trigger repayment obligations.
• Treating discontinued awards as live. The old New Zealand International Doctoral Research Scholarships (NZIDRS) no longer exist, and Wellington’s Tongarewa Scholarship was replaced in 2026 — always check the current scheme name on the university site.
• Contacting supervisors with a mass email. Generic “Dear Professor, I want PhD” messages are deleted. One tailored page beats fifty copies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best fully funded scholarship in New Zealand for international students?

For eligible countries, the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship is the most complete package: full tuition, a NZ$615 weekly living allowance, flights, insurance and establishment and reintegration allowances. For PhD students from any country, the university doctoral scholarships — Auckland’s NZ$35,468 stipend package is the largest — are the strongest open-to-all route.

Can I get a fully funded master’s scholarship in New Zealand?

Realistically, only through Manaaki, and only if your country is eligible and your field matches its development priorities. New Zealand universities generally do not offer full stipend-plus-fees packages for taught master’s degrees; their master’s-level awards are partial fee reductions.

Do international PhD students really pay domestic tuition fees in New Zealand?

Yes. Under long-standing New Zealand government policy, international doctoral students enrolled in a New Zealand PhD pay the same tuition fees as domestic students. That is why university scholarships that waive “domestic rate” fees genuinely cover the full tuition charged to international PhD candidates.

How much is a typical PhD stipend in New Zealand?

University doctoral stipends for 2026 sit between about NZ$32,000 and NZ$35,500 per year, tax-free, plus a tuition waiver. Auckland pays NZ$35,468, AUT NZ$34,737, Otago NZ$34,128, Waikato up to NZ$33,000, Canterbury NZ$32,650, and Wellington and Lincoln NZ$32,000.

When do Manaaki applications open for 2027?

The tertiary portal typically opens on 1 March, with closing dates set by country across March and April. The exact 2027 dates had not been published when this guide was written (October 2026); register your interest on the official Manaaki portal and check your country’s page from January 2027.

Is IELTS required for these scholarships?

The scholarships themselves defer to university admission requirements. Most NZ universities ask doctoral and postgraduate applicants for IELTS around 6.5 (no band below 6.0) or an equivalent, but requirements vary by programme — check your specific course page. Manaaki applicants must meet the English requirement of their chosen programme.

Can I apply for several university doctoral scholarships at once?

Yes — each university runs its own scheme, and applying to two or three well-matched universities is sensible. You can hold only one doctoral scholarship at the institution you enrol in, and offers usually lapse if you do not enrol within the stated period.

How competitive are these scholarships?

Very. Manaaki receives thousands of applications for a limited number of places per country, and doctoral scholarships go to the top-ranked applicants in each admission round. Strong grades are necessary but not sufficient — supervisor fit (PhD) and development impact (Manaaki) decide close contests.

Sources & Verification

This article was researched in October 2026 against the following official sources: the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships programme information published by Massey University (administering university) on behalf of the New Zealand Aid Programme/MFAT; the University of Auckland doctoral scholarships pages and 2026 scholarship regulations; the University of Otago Scholarships Database entry for the University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship; the University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarship page; AUT’s doctoral scholarships page; Victoria University of Wellington and University of Canterbury scholarship listings; and Massey and Lincoln University doctoral scholarship information. Where a value is set per round (Lincoln, Massey), this is stated in the entry.

Disclaimer: Scholarship values, eligibility and deadlines change every cycle. Always confirm the current amounts and dates on the official scholarship or university website before applying. StudyGraduate is an independent information portal, not an agency or a university — we cannot guarantee selection, admission or visa approval, and no legitimate scholarship charges an application fee through an agent.

Exploring other destinations too? See our ranked guide to the top fully funded scholarships in Norway and browse all 500 scholarship guides in the study abroad section.