Preparing to come to New Zealand
Information about arriving in New Zealand, arranging accommodation, pathway student visa, medical and travel insurance.
Congratulations on your offer to study at the University of Waikato. 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 University of Waikato 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 University of Waikato when you arrive on campus. You can apply directly to Immigration New Zealand at Immigration online.
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 Immigration Online, or if you are using a recruitment agent, they will assist you with the visa application process.
Applying online 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 University of Waikato
We recommend that you check the visa requirements 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 ‘Approval in Principle’), 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 University of Waikato 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 University of Waikato will offer pathways for all assessed programmes, excluding General English.
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 arrival form 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 University of Waikato), 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 University of Waikato, 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 New Zealand Government Code of Practice for Pastoral Care of International Students 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 University of Waikato) 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.