Accommodation for Scholarship students
New Zealand Scholarship students need to stay in temporary accommodation when you first arrive. Use your allowance to pay your accommodation costs.
Organising accommodation
Temporary accommodation
You will arrive in Wellington earlier than other students for your compulsory Pre-start Programme—and before your University accommodation is available.
For undergraduate students, we will arrange an early move in for you with your university hall of residence. Post-graduate students will need to arrange their own temporary accommodation.
Choosing your accommodation
You will also need to organise your permanent accommodation. If you apply for a hall of residence, this will be available near the start of trimester. There are other accommodation options—learn more about choosing your accommodation and when to apply.
If applying for a hall of residence, you should apply early and read our application advice first. When you are completing the online application form, make sure you select that you are a ‘New Zealand Scholarship (NZ Aid) student’. Any information you provide in the application form will be confidential.
Accommodation for families
Family and friends usually cannot stay in halls of residence—these are reserved for University students. If you are bringing your family, you will need to arrange private accommodation.
We recommend that you settle into your studies on your own for one trimester before your family joins you.
If you are under 18
If you are under 18, you need to apply for a homestay or catered hall of residence, or arrange to stay with a designated caregiver (a family member or close family friend).
Paying for accommodation
Your accommodation costs will be covered by your Scholarship allowances—but it is your responsibility to ensure these are paid. You can access your Initial Establishment Allowance once you arrive and have activated your New Zealand bank account. Use this to pay for your temporary accommodation.
If you have been asked by a hall of residence to pay an accommodation bond before coming to New Zealand, tell them you are a New Zealand Scholarship student and that your bond will be paid once you arrive using your Initial Establishment Allowance.
We can organise a single lump sum payment to your hall of residence each trimester on your behalf. We will then deduct this accommodation cost fortnightly from your living allowance.
If you have any questions about organising or paying for your accommodation, contact us.