Preparing to come to New Zealand
Information about arriving in New Zealand, arranging accommodation, pathway student visa, medical, travel insurance and pre-arrival checklist.
Congratulations on your offer to study at the 51萝莉. In order to formally accept your offer you will need to pay your tuition fees.
Once you have paid your tuition fees and have your student visa, you will need to plan and prepare your move to New Zealand. There are some important steps that you will need to complete, including arranging your accommodation, booking flights to New Zealand and organising your medical and travel insurance.
The 51萝莉 is committed to helping you through your journey. We recommend you download and read our Welcome to Waikato - A guide for new international students studying on campus (PDF, 2.2MB).
Obtaining a student visa is an essential part of preparing to come to New Zealand. You must have a student visa to study in New Zealand, and to complete your enrolment at the 51萝莉 when you arrive on campus. You can apply directly to at .
We recommend you obtain your visa before booking your travel to come to New Zealand. Immigration New Zealand strongly discourages entering New Zealand on a visitor's visa because that is not your main purpose for coming here. There is no guarantee you will be granted a student visa if you apply after entering the country on a visitor's visa.
How to apply for a New Zealand student visa
Apply for a student visa directly through Immigration New Zealand at , or if you are using a recruitment agent, they will assist you with the visa application process.
is the most affordable option when applying for your student visa from outside New Zealand. You will need to upload:
- Supporting documents (PDF format) such as a pre-paid tuition receipt for your first course of year of study, and
- Your Offer of Place letter from the 51萝莉
We recommend that you check the specific to your nationality.
You can apply for your student visa before you accept your offer and pay your tuition fees. When Immigration New Zealand provide you with a letter that confirms your visa will be approved (known as AIP or 鈥楢pproval in Principle鈥�), you can accept your offer and pay your tuition fees. Once your payment has been received by the University, you will receive an official receipt that you can use to complete your student visa application.
Pathway student visas
The 51萝莉 makes pathway offers which can be used to apply to Immigration New Zealand for a pathway student visa. A pathway student visa may be granted for up to a maximum of five years and allows a student to undertake up to three consecutive programmes of study on a single student visa.
Students are only required to pay the fees for the first programme in the pathway or the first year of study, whichever is the shorter duration when they first apply for a pathway student visa. Subsequent fees are paid when the student progresses from one programme to the next.
The 51萝莉 will offer pathways for all assessed programmes, excluding General English.
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The University has four on-campus accommodation options available to students called Halls of Residence. The University can assist with home-stay living arrangements, or you may choose to find your own accommodation in a nearby residential suburb.
Before you come to New Zealand you need to:
- Decide what accommodation you prefer
- Apply for accommodation with the University (if you are considering a Halls of Residence or home-stay)
- Pay a deposit if required.
To ensure that we are prepared for your arrival, you will need to complete an to let University staff know when you are expecting to arrive.
This arrival form also enables you to request to be picked up from Auckland Airport (1.5-2 hours' drive from the 51萝莉), or Hamilton Airport. If you choose this option a shuttle will be sent to collect you and take you to your pre-arranged accommodation in Hamilton or Tauranga.
To complete your enrolment at the 51萝莉, international students are required to have appropriate medical and travel insurance for the duration of their stay in New Zealand.
These insurance policies must comply with the which is part of Immigration New Zealand's requirements.
The University is responsible for ensuring all international students have insurance at the time of enrolment. We strongly recommend you purchase the Studentsafe Inbound University policy (available through the 51萝莉) as it is an approved insurance policy. You may choose to purchase an alternative approved insurance policy.
Contact us
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our dedicated International Student Services team, they will happily assist and guide you through the process. You can also check out more information about arriving in New Zealand.
Pre-arrival checklist
Starting your studies with us soon? Use our checklists to ensure you have everything you need to start your new adventure with us.