New Zealand Aid Program for International Students

The New Zealand Aid Program for International Students, also called Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships, is awarded by the New Zealand Government and managed through Education New Zealand. It supports full time undergraduate, Masters and PhD study at New Zealand and Pacific institutions, including the University of Otago, and is fully funded.

It is open to citizens of eligible developing and partner countries who meet the nationality and residency rules. The award covers tuition and study costs, plus short term training strands such as vocational, thematic and English language courses. Deadlines vary by strand and country, so check the official Manaaki pages and the sections below.

• Full tertiary scholarships for eligible international students to study full time at a New Zealand or Pacific education institution (undergraduate and postgraduate).
• Vocational Short Term Training Scholarships covering a training course with a New Zealand certified training provider, a work placement, or an online or in-country training course.
• Thematic Short Term Cohort Training Scholarships: bespoke short courses developed for the programme to address common skills gaps across eligible countries and regions.
• English Language Training for Officials (NZELTO) scholarships for government officials from eligible African and Asian countries to come to New Zealand for English language training.
• Thematic short courses are two to four weeks long and are run either in New Zealand or online.
• Vocational short term training terms range from one week to 12 months.
• Courses are delivered by reputable education institutions in New Zealand.
• Scholars gain a globally recognised education, an authentically New Zealand experience, and connections to other Manaaki scholars and to Aotearoa New Zealand.

Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships cover full-time undergraduate and postgraduate tertiary study at a New Zealand or Pacific education institution, plus short term training at vocational, thematic cohort and English language levels.

Priority themes and sectors include climate change and resilience, climate change and the environment, disaster risk management, food security and agriculture, renewable energy, good governance, governance, law and justice, economic resilience and private sector, information communications technology, tourism, fisheries, public sector leadership, public health management, trade policy, diplomatic training, geothermal energy project management, and food and agribusiness value chains. Not all courses are open to all countries.

Open to citizens of eligible developing and partner countries across the Pacific, ASEAN, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean, including Samoa, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Philippines, Viet Nam, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and many others. Citizens and permanent residents of New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, EU countries and several other higher income countries are not eligible.

• You must be a citizen of an eligible country. Pacific list includes Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Pacific Territories (French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna), Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Naoero, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
• ASEAN list includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam.
• Africa list includes Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
• Latin America and Caribbean list includes Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Venezuela.
• You must have lived in your country of citizenship for the last two years or more. Exception: a member of the diplomatic corps, or a dependent of one, living outside their country can apply.
• You must not be a citizen or permanent resident of New Zealand, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, any European Union country, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom or the United States of America.
• Exceptions: people from Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau are eligible even though they are New Zealand citizens. For vocational scholarships, French Pacific Territories are eligible even though they are French citizens, and New Zealand-Samoan and Timor-Leste Portuguese dual citizens are also eligible.
• You must be at least 18 years old at the time you start the scholarship.
• You must not currently be serving in the military.
• You must not have had a Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship terminated in the last 5 years.
• For vocational short term training, you need at least one year of full-time or two years of part-time work experience (paid, unpaid or voluntary) that relates to your career and/or your proposed training programme.
• You must have employer endorsement to attend the training course, and you must expect to meet the academic entry requirements, including the English language requirement, for your planned course.

1. Confirm which Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship strand fits you: full undergraduate or postgraduate study, vocational short term training, thematic short term cohort training, or English Language Training for Officials.
2. Check that your country of citizenship is on the eligible list for that strand, and that you meet the residence, age, military and previous scholarship rules.
3. Find out the application dates for your country. Vocational short term training applications differ by country and may be open all year round or only within set opening and closing dates. Contact your local New Zealand Embassy or High Commission at any time for the scholarship application dates and to get the application form.
4. Get endorsement from your employer to attend the training course, where this applies.
5. Check the academic entry requirements and English language requirements for your chosen course or training programme before you apply.
6. Complete the application form. Embassy and High Commission staff can help you complete it.
7. If you are shortlisted, provide copies of the supporting documents requested before you take up the scholarship.
8. Watch the official Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships pages for current opening and closing dates. The Samoa Foundation round opens at midnight on 4 August 2026 and closes at midday on 4 September 2026.