The journey to a doctoral degree is exciting, but it often comes with one of the biggest hurdles, finances. The University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarships 2025 are here to remove that barrier, giving exceptional students the opportunity to focus entirely on their research and academic growth.

Open to both national and international candidates, these scholarships go beyond tuition coverage; they include a generous living allowance, research support, and medical insurance for up to three years. Whether you aim to pursue a PhD, EdD, DHSc, DMA, SJD, or an MPhil, Waikato’s scholarship program ensures you have the resources and support to make an impact in your chosen field.

In this blog, we’ll guide you through everything you need to know: the benefits, fields of study, eligibility criteria, selection process, application steps, and deadlines.

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Benefits of the scholarships

University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarships is known for the outstanding financial facilities offered by the university. Some of the benefits of the scholarship are as under:

  • Living allowance: A monthly allowance will be given to cover the living expenses of the young scholar for up to 3 years. Each year, a total stipend of $30,000 is awarded.
  • Tuition fees: the tuition fees during the entire scholarship period are included in the scholarship.
  • Fees only scholarship is given to the one where scholarship is requested. This scholarship includes domestic tuition fees and student service fees.
  • Medical insurance: it is given to cover the medical facilities of the students.
  • Research expenses: the expenses of the research are also under the great doctoral research scholarship.

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Level of study

University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarships is specifically designed for the post graduate degree (research). The degrees available are:

  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
  • Doctor of Health Science (DHSc)
  • Doctor of Education (EdD)
  • Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)
  • Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD), and
  • Master of Philosophy (MPhil)

Field of study

  • Arts,
  • Business / Management,
  • Computer Science,
  • Mathematics,
  • Education,
  • Health,
  • Engineering,
  • Law,
  • Māori & Indigenous Studies,
  • Science,
  • Social Sciences,
  • Environment

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Eligibility Criteria of University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarships

The candidates must fulfill the eligibility requirements of the students.

  • Nationality: the candidate must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident living in New Zealand, a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, a New Zealand resident class visa holder, or an international student.
  • Application: The candidate must have completed and submitted a complete application to enroll in the doctoral program.
  • Offer: The applicant must have received an Offer to Place into a doctoral qualification at the University of Waikato (i.e., a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Health Science (DHSc), Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD), or Part 2 of a Doctor of Education (EdD).
  • Study nature: The applicant must be applying for full-time study at the University of Waikato.
  • The applicant must have the intention of obtaining the first doctoral qualification.
  • Employment: The applicant must not be employed at the University of Waikato.
  • Language requirement: for international students, proof your best English proficiency skills.

Note: one applicant can be considered twice for the University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarships.

Selection criteria of the scholarships

The eligible candidates are selected by the University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarships on the basis of following criteria:

  • Academic record: the candidate must have a good academic record in the recent previous years. The minimum GPA of A– is required to be selected for the scholarship.
  • Experience of candidate (prior research and work experience of relevance to the research topic)
  • knowledge of Mātauranga Māori and Pacific Knowledge
  • Alignment with research priorities of the University/Divisions/Faculties/Schools and/or Research Institutes.

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How to apply for the scholarship?

  • Eligibility: Ensure the eligibility criteria of the scholarships,
  • Find a supervisor: Visit the Staff Profiles page. Here you can find and contact a potential University of Waikato supervisor.
  • Connect with the supervisor and pitch them for your supervision
  • Research project: Visit the PhD Opportunities page. it will assist you in finding a project or research topic in your area of research interest
  • Receive an invitation to apply from the university and supervisor who agreed to supervise you.
  • Gather all the documents for the scholarship.
  • On the official website, click on the APPLY NOW button.
  • At Waikato Application Portal, create your account.
  • Now fill out the application form and upload the documents.
  • Indicate your interest for the University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarships. There is no need for a separate application form.
  • Submit the application now.

Required Documentation

To avoid delays, prepare the following in advance:

  • Application form with all the details
  • Passport (usually the image of the first page of the passport)
  • Academic university transcript
  • Diploma/ degree for the high school education
  • Medical certificate
  • Curriculum vitae CV/ resume
  • Motivation letter (it must be 1 to 3 pages; get the tips and tricks for writing a motivation letter)
  • Recommendation letter (almost 2 to 4 recommendation letters are required)
  • English proficiency test results (TOEFL/IELTS)
  • Statement of Purpose (SOP)
  • Certificate of research activities
  • Graduation thesis or additional publications (if available)
  • Research project summary. (it must be of 3 pages maximum; don’t exceed 1000 characters including spaces)

Note: submit all the documents in PDF form.

Deadline

The closing date for the doctoral scholarship is 31st December 2025. The applications for the doctoral scholarships are considered in 4 rounds in a year. These are:

Late March, late June, late September, and late November.

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FAQs

Q: Which is the highest research degree of the university of Waikato scholarships?

A: Doctor of Philosophy PhD

Q: Is IELTS required?

A: Yes, it is required.

Q: How can I filter out of my potential research supervisor?

A: You can filter you search by:

  • Research interests
  • Publications
  • Prior students supervised
  • Availability to supervise
  • Current research projects

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Q: Which is the host country?

A: New Zealand

Q: Are there any application fees?

A: No, it is free of cost.

Official website

To get more information about the scholarship, you can visit the official website of the University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarships

Updated by Z on Sep 26, 2025