Why choose Waikato?
Our vibrant campuses and world-class teaching provide the ideal environment for learning. Discover why the University of Waikato is the place to study.
The University of Waikato will provide you with the foundational knowledge and experience you need to achieve your career and life goals.
With our focus on academic excellence and innovation, you will become part of a group known for making a big difference in the world around them.
Join our warm and welcoming community of students from all over New Zealand and the globe.
If you would like to talk to someone about studying at the University of Waikato, contact our team.
Have a question?
Why study at Waikato
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Waikato experience
Our campuses are bursting with life and energy. With smaller class sizes, better access to lecturers, affordable living, a wide range of support services, and with dozens of student clubs, your student experience at Waikato will be exciting and unique.
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Flexibility
Our flexible degree structures mean you can study a broad range of subjects to shape a qualification that matches your strengths and career interests. Enjoy learning that fits with your lifestyle.
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Internationally recognised
The University of Waikato is an internationally recognised university, with many of our subjects ranked highly in the QS World University Subject Rankings and a 5 star rating.
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Scholarships
We believe in rewarding success, which is why we offer hundreds of scholarships every year to our students to help fund study and study-related expenses.
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Teaching excellence
Our students learn from award-winning lecturers and researchers who are committed to delivering you a world-class, innovative education. Keep up to date with our latest research projects.
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Industry ready
Each year, we offer more than 2000 industry placements and internships. Whether you’re an undergraduate or postgraduate student, our partnerships and networks give you valuable opportunities to embed yourself in local and international organisations as part of your learning experience.
Graduate attributes
These five overarching themes and associated graduate attributes capture the qualities—the competencies—that the University community agrees all its graduates should develop as a result of successfully completing their university studies.
- Apply discipline-specific knowledge and ideas in professional and everyday situations.
- Appreciate how different discipline-specific knowledges come together, to create new lines of inquiry and new ways of understanding the world.
- Succeed within your profession and meet the technical standards within your role.
- Be systematic and creative, make connections between different pieces of information, and find solutions to challenges in familiar and unfamiliar situations.
- Apply specific research methods in creative and organised ways.
- Engage with technology to find and use information effectively and critically.
- Communicate clearly to diverse audiences through oral, written and digital formats.
- Successfully work with others.
- Communicate and work constructively with groups and individuals of differing cultural backgrounds.
- Communicate effectively with individuals of different cultures.
- Carefully consider Māori and indigenous perspectives when developing your knowledge.
- Learn and understand things from different points of view, both locally and globally.
- Behave in a way that is ethical and professional.
- Reflect on your own thoughts and actions, and learn from them.
- Put what you know to good use and learn to help others in your community and beyond.
Our region
Nestled in New Zealand’s heartland, Hamilton and Tauranga are two of our country’s fastest growing cities, both within an easy commute to Auckland. Enjoy the lifestyle you want without the expense of living in a major city.
And then there's the region beyond – some of the country's best beaches, mountains, lakes and attractions are on our doorstep for you to enjoy.
Studying in Hamilton
As a student at our Hamilton campus you will be welcomed into a diverse community. Our stunning campus is within an easy distance of the city centre and close to a range of adventure, sporting and cultural activities.
The main metropolitan hub of Hamilton is next to the banks of the Waikato River, and boasts some of the best restaurants, bars and clubs that New Zealand has to offer.
Need to take a break? Raglan is only a 40 minute drive from Hamilton and is one of New Zealand’s most scenic beaches. The town has a great community with picturesque scenery, plenty of cafés and a beach that is very popular for surfers and sunbathers alike.
The Waikato region has countless hikes for everyone, from casual walks to the most advanced tracks. Feel like getting the heart-rate up? Climb the Hakarimata stairs. Looking for a longer, more scenic hike? Head to the top of the Wairere Falls for one of the best views Waikato has to offer.
The University offers some of the best clubs and facilities in New Zealand, whether you want to play sport competitively or socially.
The Esports Arena on our Hamilton campus helps in providing experiences and career pathways into the rapidly growing esports industry.
Studying in Tauranga
Located in the heart of Tauranga city, our campus lets you combine world-class university study with a relaxed lifestyle surrounded by stunning beaches.
The new central city campus offers a modern, multipurpose space where students, researchers, the community and industry can work together. Part of an ever-growing educational precinct, the campus includes state-of-the-art science and engineering labs, marine science research centre, aquaculture research facility, high performance sports facility, and a tech innovation lab.
The Bay of Plenty region lives up to its name and offers an enviable coastal lifestyle, including the gold-sand beaches of Mount Maunganui and Pāpāmoa, while still being close to Auckland and Hamilton. Venture to the downtown waterfront precinct to enjoy a meal or drink at one of the lively bars or restaurants. Bustling with arts, cultural, sporting and recreational activities, Tauranga has everything you need.
Tauranga boasts the busiest port by cargo volume in New Zealand, is home to global export giants including Zespri (kiwifruit) and Comvita (mānuka honey), and is prospering in the engineering and robotics sectors. The region offers great opportunities for work placements and future employment.
To help support our presence in the Bay, the University of Waikato currently provides brand-new accommodation near our campus. Find out more about our accommodation options.
Research and Enterprise at Waikato
The University of Waikato is one of New Zealand's major research organisations, playing a key role in the economy and making a significant contribution to the international innovation system.
Driving innovation
With a continuous drive for academic excellence, we are proud to be an innovator in engineering, environmental science, computer science and applications of artificial intelligence, in marine and freshwater science, and in law.
Delivering for tomorrow
Our traditional areas of strength in Education, Social Sciences, Indigenous Studies and Management form part of our strong contribution to New Zealand industry and society. When it comes to the arts, University of Waikato students have access to quality performing arts programmes utilising the purpose-built Gallagher Academy.
Leading the pack
Our academic environment is evolving with the needs of our region and country, as demonstrated by new programmes in health, sport and human performance, as well as nursing.
The Adams Centre for High Performance in Tauranga provides a state-of-the-art facility for advancing in sport and human performance.
Real-life experience
The University of Waikato has a strong focus on preparing students for their chosen field of work. All students are required to participate in work-integrated learning to complement their academic knowledge. This experience and connection with industry sets up each student for their career after university.
