Fees for domestic students

Your tuition fees depend on the individual courses you’ve chosen—learn how much you’ll pay if you are a domestic student at undergraduate or postgraduate level.

Your tuition fees for the year are the total of the fees for the courses you’ve enrolled in. We calculate the fee for each individual course based on:

  • the level it is taught at (undergraduate or postgraduate), and
  • the per point cost of the subject area, and
  • the point value of the course.

As well as tuition fees, you’ll also need to pay some other costs and student fees.

If you are facing difficulties in paying your tuition fees on time, contact the Student Fees Advisers as soon as possible, email student-finance@vuw.ac.nz.

Domestic student eligibility

You are eligible to pay domestic fees if you are:

  • a New Zealand citizen, or a citizen of Niue, Cook Islands, or Tokelau Islands, or
  • a New Zealand resident or permanent resident currently living in New Zealand, or
  • an Australian citizen or permanent resident currently living in New Zealand, or
  • a diplomat or consular assigned to live in New Zealand, or an immediate dependent.

You can find a full definition of a domestic student in section 17 of the Fees Policy (PDF).

Estimate your fees

We will calculate the final amount for your fees when we accept your enrolment application, but you can estimate the cost of your studies.

Fees Free tertiary study

If you are a domestic student and haven’t studied at tertiary level (or have only studied a small amount), some of your tuition fees for your final year of study may be covered by the Fees Free scheme.

Visit Fees Free to find out more and check your eligibility.

Other costs and student fees

The Student Services Fee and the Student Hardship Fee are compulsory fees for all students. They fund services for students that are not covered by tuition fees and assist students suffering exceptional financial hardship

Some courses have additional costs for items such as study materials, equipment, or field trips. These additional costs are typically described in the online course outline—use the course finder to look up individual courses.

The University may charge you a fee to cover the cost of administrative tasks such as replacing your student ID card, refunding credit, or processing a late payment.

Estimated domestic tuition fees for 2025

For each subject area, the following tables show the cost per point and the average tuition fee for a year’s full-time study. All costs include GST.

Undergraduate-level studyEstimated cost per point,
including GST ($)
Estimated cost of average year
of full-time study
(120 points), including GST ($)
Humanities and Social Sciences 54.53 6,543.60
Education 54.53 6,543.60
Music 69.01 8,281.20
Health 67.05 8,046.00
Midwifery 75.90 9,108.00
Commerce 64.16 7,699.20
Law 64.16 7,699.20
Mathematics and Statistics 59.96 7,195.20
Architecture 75.83 9,099.60
Design 68.158,178.00
Psychology and Computer Science 68.15 8,178.00
Chemical, Physical, Biological and Earth Sciences 68.888,265.60
Engineering 79.849,580.80

For postgraduate study, there are two different sets of per point rates—for coursework-based qualifications and for thesis-based qualifications.

Tuition fees for Professional Master’s programmes, such as the Executive MBA, are set individually. Find out more about our Master’s programmes.

Postgraduate (coursework)Estimated cost per point,
including GST ($)
Estimated cost of average year
of full-time study
(120 points), including GST ($)

Humanities and Social Sciences

75.83

9,099.60

Education

75.83

9,099.60

Music

79.90–88.79

9,588.00–10,654.80

Health and Wellbeing

85.00

10,200.00

Commerce

83.37

10,004.40

Mathematics and Statistics

85.24

10,228.80

Architecture and Design

86.57

10,388.40

Psychology and Computer Science

86.57

10,388.40

Chemical, Physical, Biological and Earth Sciences

87.10

10,452.00

Law

92.86

11,143.20

Nursing and Midwifery

86.97

10,436.40

Engineering

86.57

10,388.40

Postgraduate (thesis)Estimated cost per point,
including GST ($)
Estimated cost of average year
of full-time study
(120 points), including GST ($)

Humanities and Social Sciences

71.35

8,562.00

Education

71.35

8,562.00

Music

79.90

9,588.00

Health and Wellbeing

81.40

9,768.00

Commerce

79.28

9,513.60

Law

79.28

9,513.60

Mathematics and Statistics

80.04

9,604.80

Architecture and Design

82.56

9,907.20

Psychology and Computer Science

82.56

9,907.20

Nursing and Midwifery

83.11

9,973.20

Chemical, Physical, Biological and Earth Sciences

83.11

9,973.20

Engineering

82.56

9,907.20

Money matters guide

Our Managing Your Money publication is a ‘financial survival’ guide designed to help you plan for the costs of studying and manage your money as well as possible.

Managing Your Money (PDF)