NZ Government Scholarship Student Visa

If you are funded by a New Zealand scholarship administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) or Education New Zealand (ENZ), you can apply to study full-time on this visa.

study full-time in New Zealand on an approved course, including schools, tertiary and English language study

If you want to do short-term study for less than 3 months, you will need a Visitor Visa.

be offered a place on a course by an approved education provider

confirmation that your tuition fees will be paid by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)

If children are going to be studying for more than 2 weeks, their education provider must be a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021.

have your tuition fees and living costs paid by an MFAT-funded New Zealand scholarship

You must study full-time and attend the course at the approved education provider noted on your visa, unless you have good reason for absences.

You must make satisfactory progress in your studies.

To be granted another NZ Government Scholarship visa, you must continue to be funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

You can work up to 25 hours a week during the academic year and full-time during the Christmas-New Year holiday period, if you are studying under any of these schemes: Commonwealth Scholarships New Zealand Regional Development Scholarships New Zealand Pacific Scholarships New Zealand Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Scholars Award.

You cannot work if you are studying under any of these schemes: Short-Term Training Scholarships English Language Training for Officials Scholarships.

You cannot be self-employed.

You cannot include your partner or dependent children in your visa application, but they can apply for visas based on their relationship to you. Depending on your scholarship programme, your partner may be eligible for a work visa for the length of your MFAT-funded New Zealand scholarship. Your dependent children may be eligible for student visas.

This visa allows you to stay in New Zealand for up to 4 years. You must return to your home country and stay in your country for at least 2 years after you complete your scholarship

If you study on a Short-Term Training Scholarship or an English Language Training for Officials Scholarship for 12 months or less, you may only be required to return home for at least 1 year.

We can only grant you another visa in the 2-year period following completion of your scholarship, if you have written approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade or Education New Zealand. However, we may grant you a short-term Visitor Visa if you are outside New Zealand, or a work visa when you finish your study, for qualification-related work experience, for the minimum time needed to complete practical work requirements.