NZAID

Commonwealth Scholarships


Eligibility criteria

Commonwealth Scholarship applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria before their application will be considered against any further selection criteria.

To be eligible to be considered for a Commonwealth Scholarship, an applicant must:

  1. have citizenship of a participating developing Commonwealth country (i.e. permanent residents are not eligible to apply)
  2. be residing in their country of citizenship, preferably for at least two years prior to application
  3. not have citizenship or permanent residence status of
    New Zealand, Australia or another developed country, except
    where their country does not issue passports and they hold a New Zealand passport (i.e. applicants from the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau)
  4. not be married or engaged to be married to a person who holds, or who is eligible to hold, citizenship or permanent residence status of New Zealand, Australia or another developed country, except where their country does not issue passports and they hold a New Zealand passport (i.e. the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau)
  5. be aged 17 and over before the scholarship state date and be under 40 years of age at the time of application
  6. be applying to commence a new qualification and not be seeking funding for one already commenced in New Zealand or another country
  7. not have completed, or nearly completed, a qualification at a similar level (i.e. applicants must be applying to commence a qualification which is at a higher level than any previously attained), unless strong developmental relevance is demonstrated
  8. satisfy the admission requirements of the New Zealand education institution in which the qualification is to be undertaken, including English language criteria
  9. have been working in their country of citizenship, preferably for at least two years prior to application
  10. hold a Bachelors degree of upper second class standard, or higher, relevant to the proposed postgraduate qualification (Note: NZAID gives preference to candidates who do not already hold a degree from a developed country)
  11. be able to take up the scholarship in the academic year for which it is offered.
  12. not be transferring from another tertiary scholarship (either in New Zealand or in another country) to a Commonwealth Scholarship
  13. not hold, or have held, a New Zealand Government or Australia Government scholarship in the 24 months preceding the scholarship start date
  14. not have been terminated from a New Zealand or Australian Government scholarship previously.

Applicants may also have to meet country-specific criteria determined by the nominating agency in their home country. It is expected that applicants will continue to reside in their country of citizenship during the Commonwealth Scholarship application and selection process. If offered a Commonwealth Scholarship, candidates must:

  1. be able to satisfy Immigration New Zealand requirements for international student entry to New Zealand (i.e. medical examinations and police clearances/character checks, etc)
  2. not hold another scholarship during the period of the Commonwealth Scholarship
  3. agree in writing that they will return to their country of citizenship for a minimum period of two years following completion of their scholarship in order to contribute to their country’s social or economic development.

 

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