International Students take note
While New Zealand is a great place to study as an international student, it does have tuition costs involved.
Fees for arts, Business or social sciences range from NZ$16,000 a year.
Courses in science and engineering can cost from NZ$20,000 per year.
Dentistry and medicine tend to be the most expensive degrees – NZ$25,000 per year.
Also, there are few scholarships available for international students studying in New Zealand, and those that are on offer are for PhD students.
What about part-time work?
A student visa is condition on sufficient funds to pay for living and accommodation costs.
Being able to work while studying can certainly help finances to stretch a little further.
Full-time student are permitted to work up to 20 hours a week but must seek a variation in the conditions of their visa.
New Zealand's adult minimum wage is NZ$15.75 per hour starting 1st April 2017.
Here are some approximate costs of those all important student services in New Zealand :
Apartment rent, 1 bedroom: NZD120.00 to 240.00 per week on a sharing basis
Meal, inexpensive restaurant: NZD 8.00
Meal at McDonalds: NZD 8.00
Cappuccino: NZD 4.50
Coke/Pepsi (0.33 litre bottle): NZD 3.00
Water : NZD 2.00
Loaf of bread: NZD 2.00
Cigarettes: NZD 20.00 a packet
One-way ticket local transport: NZD 3.00 one stage for HOP card users
Cinema ticket: NZD 11.00 for students
Health and safety
Current medical and travel insurance is a requirement of the Ministry of Education's Code of Practice.
Student visa holders are generally not eligible for publicly funded health and disability services. Hence, it is advisable to get an insurance prior to travel.
People covered by New Zealand’s reciprocal health agreements with Australia and United Kingdom are entitled to publicly funded health care for immediately necessary medical treatment only.
Helpful links
All of the requirements for obtaining a student visa to study in New Zealand, and a checklist of the application process, can be found at Immigration New Zealand.
More information can be found in this guide to education in New Zealand.
