Study Abroad: Why you must choose New Zealand

Suchitra Surve, Global Education Counsel insists that lower education fee, quality programmes and security are attracting more students to study in New Zealand

New Zealand is fast becoming a first choice for international students, who wish to seek quality education at affordable cost.

Students who have studied in New Zealand will tell you how most universities and educational institutions here offer students a great learning experience.

What makes the experience enjoyable for international students is the pleasant weather and hospitality of the country, which makes them feel at home.

The vibrant flora and fauna also makes New Zealand one of the world's beautiful countries to live and study which is why it has emerged as a favourite destination for students across the globe.

Largely, a cosmopolitan country, New Zealand boasts of a clean and secure environment.

As per an official report, more than 60 per cent of its international students are from India. With the above merits, the country has great potential to gradually expand into a new hub to pursue international education.

Educational degrees and certificates from New Zealand are acknowledged world over in all areas of study and research -- biotechnology, forensic science and marine engineering being the more popular.

Some of the common reasons why students prefer to study in New Zealand is the lower cost and high standard of education besides security and student-friendly programmes.

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Education system in New Zealand is very student-friendly and mostly encourage students to work in groups.

Students can choose from a wide range of diploma and degree programmes, as well as vocational and polytechnic courses.

Some of these technical programmes are quite popular among international students. Students can also choose from government funded universities which provide undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

After completion of studies, students can also apply for employment (or internship) in case they felt the need to include work experience as part of his/her studies.

Students may also be eligible for permanent residency if they qualify the point system for permanent residency.

International students are offered a job search visa whose validity equals the number of years of study. So, if you take a one-year programme, you are entitled to a one-year job search visa.

During this period, students can work anywhere in the country provided the profile meets the educational qualification and once they get the job, they will be awarded points that will make the student eligible to apply for permanent residency later.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

Students applying for any undergraduate or postgraduate programme in New Zealand will have to take either the IELTS/ TOEFL exam.

• Undergraduate: 5.5 to 6.0 (no section score lower than 5.0 to 6.0)
• Postgraduate: 6.5 to 7.0 (no section score lower than 6.0 to 6.5)

• Undergraduate: 80
• Postgraduate: 100

Other standardised test scores like GRE, GMAT and SAT is not mandatory.

But before applying to any of the universities for admission, students should check with the admission team or the website of the respective universities regarding the mandatory requirement.

Admission Intake

In New Zealand, February and September are the two main admission intakes for international students.

So, if an international student wishes to apply for universities in New Zealand, they should first look for the desired programme to study find out the month of intake the programme is offered in, so that they can accordingly plan and apply before the deadline.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

Before you enrol into any of the colleges, ensure that you have enough funds to finance the study and bear the additional living costs.

The advantage of studying in New Zealand is that it is less expensive when compared to other foreign countries like UK and US.

Tuition Cost

• Bachelor: NZ$15,000 (approx)
• Masters degree: NZ$18,800 (approx)
• Ph.D: NZ$21,200(approx)

The living cost for international students will round up to NZ $1000-2000 (approx)

Scholarships

International students in New Zealand are eligible for a wide variety of scholarships through the New Zealand government and educational institutions.

The New Zealand government gives a limited number of scholarships for international students pursuing bachelors or Masters course only with high academic achievement and also to Ph.D students.

Accomodation

The International Office of each university in New Zealand provides accommodation placement services to all international students, who receive an offer from the university.

There are several accommodation options available for international students like residential colleges, university flats, private flats and so on.

Students can first book a temporary accommodation before the arrival and later move to private accommodation later depending on his/her lifestyle.

International students will need to spare NZ$500-600 (approx) for accommodation.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

• AUT University
• Lincoln University
• Massey University, Palmerston North
• Massey University, Auckland
• Massey University, Wellington
• SBG New Zealand School of Business and Govt.
• Kingsland Institute of New Zealand
• University of Auckland
• University of Canterbury
• University of Otego
• University of Waikato
• Victoria University of Wellington