About University of Otago Doctoral Scholarships 2023
Whether you are a domestic or an international student, the University of Otago has a range of Doctoral Scholarships available to you.
Eligibility Criteria
If you are a straight A student (GPA of 8 – ‘A’ grade) or higher, who has completed an Honours or Master’s degree with an appropriate research component from a New Zealand university then you are likely to be guaranteed a University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship.
How to apply?
Applications for doctoral scholarships are made online through the eVision portal and can be made at any time of the year. Once you have applied for admission to your programme you will receive an alert in your student portal inviting you to apply for a scholarship.
DClinDent applicants: Invitations to apply for the University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship will be sent out via eVision once admission to the DClinDent programme has been confirmed, usually in October of the year of application.
A decision regarding the scholarship application will be made in late November or December in the same year. If you are a second year student who has completed the papers year of the DClinDent programme please contact the Scholarships Office for details on how to apply.
Looking For More Scholarship Programs? Click here
University of Otago Doctoral Scholarships
The University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship is the main doctoral scholarship, open to both international and domestic applicants. In addition there are a number of specialised scholarships which can be applied for online through eVision.
University of Otago Māori Doctoral Scholarship: $28,600 plus tuition fee waiver for Māori thesis PhD candidates.
University of Otago Pacific Island Doctoral Scholarship: $28,600 plus tuition fee waiver for indigenous Pacific Island thesis PhD candidates.
University of Otago China Scholarship Council Doctoral Scholarship: For PhD candidates who are supported by the China Scholarship Council.
University of Otago City of Literature PhD Scholarship: PhD funding to support doctoral research in the study of literature.
University of Otago Special Health Research Scholarship: $28,600 plus tuition fee waiver for thesis PhD candidates.
Alliance Group Postgraduate Scholarship: $28,600 plus tuition fee waiver for thesis PhD candidates.
Bamforth Postgraduate Scholarship: $28,600 per year plus a tuition fee waiver for 3 years for PhD study.
Bruggeman Postgraduate Scholarship in Classics: Postgraduate funding to support Classics PhD candidates.
Dr Sulaiman Daud 125th Jubilee Postgraduate Scholarship: Scholarship funding to support PhD candidates from Malaysia.
Fanny Evans Postgraduate Scholarship for Women: Scholarship funds to help women postgraduate students.
Gilbert M. Tothill Scholarship in Psychological Medicine: $10,000 per year to support a student conducting research in Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine or a related field.
James Park Scholarship: In Geology Postgraduate funding to support research in the area of New Zealand mineral resources.
Macandrew-Stout Postgraduate Scholarship in Economics: Funding to support PhD candidates studying Economics.
Postgraduate Tassell Scholarship in Cancer Research: PhD scholarship funding to supporting cancer research.
Senior Smeaton Scholarship: Funds to support postgraduate study in Experimental Science.
Waddell Smith Postgraduate Scholarship in Education: $2,000 towards postgraduate study in Education.
Williamson Medical Research PhD Scholarship: PhD scholarship funding to support study in the field of medical research.
Get Professional Job Ready & In-demand Career Certificates
International Grades for Postgraduate Scholarships
Below are some general guidelines to help with International GPA conversions.
World Education Service provides an online grade conversion guide which translates grades from a wide range of countries into equivalent US grades. This can be useful for prospective students and staff in determining whether an applicant may be likely to receive an Otago postgraduate scholarship.
As a general rule, most successful scholarship applicants will have most relevant grades and/or a grade average in the US equivalent A range.
If an applicant’s qualifying degree is at undergraduate level or postgraduate level below a master’s degree, we recommend looking mainly at the last year of study. If the applicant’s qualifying degree is a master’s degree or equivalent, we recommend looking at all papers.
Note that the grade conversion should be treated as indicative only. For qualifications older than ten years, subsequent experience is also very important, and the grade can be discounted somewhat.
If a thesis is ungraded, a scholarship application would usually require a reference about the quality and/or a class ranking.
Reapplying for a scholarship
University of Otago Scholarships are extremely competitive and the decision of the Scholarships Selection Committee on a scholarship application is normally definitive. A student can look at reapplying if they have something new to add to a previous application. Potential applicants must seek permission from the Scholarships Office to reapply.
Please email scholarships@otago.ac.nz with a request to reapply. Please include your full name, student ID number, and evidence of the new material which you are adding to your previous application.
Permission for reapplication will only be granted once the reapplication request has been reviewed by the Scholarships Committee Representative. If approval for reapplication is granted, an invitation to apply for funding will be sent to your eVision portal.
