These scholarships are intended to encourage and support doctoral study (PhD) at Victoria University of Wellington.

Application process

Information on applying to do a Doctorate at Victoria University of Wellington and how to apply for funding is also available from the Wellington Faculty of Graduate Research website. General information about doctoral study is also available from this website.

History

To encourage postgraduate research Victoria University of Wellington offers scholarships to those about to begin their doctoral studies. These scholarships are awarded on academic merit and are open to New Zealand and international students in any discipline.

Selection process

The Victoria Research Scholarships Committee makes the final selection of applicants put forward by the relevant school and faculty.

Offers of Wellington Doctoral Scholarships will be made approximately six weeks after each closing date in March, July, and November of the year of application. As some applicants may decline an offer further offers may be made, it is possible that some applicants will not be finally notified of the success or otherwise of their applications three months after application.

Additional information

To encourage postgraduate research Victoria University of Wellington offers scholarships to those about to begin their doctoral studies. These scholarships are awarded on academic merit and are open to New Zealand and international students in any discipline.

All offers of Wellington Doctoral Scholarships consist of a $32,000 per annum stipend plus domestic tuition fees for up to three years.

The scholarships are offered to the top-ranked candidates in any Doctoral admission and scholarship application round throughout the year. To be considered for a Wellington Doctoral Scholarship the applicant needs to:

• have a strong academic record and excellent academic references, or
• demonstrated potential for high-quality research, or
• a record of publication in high-quality journals commensurate with experience and education.

Other considerations may be taken into account such as the alignment between the applicant's research interests and those of the School, Institute or Centre. Strategic interests including collaboration between institutions or research involving potential joint initiatives with the research and business communities may also be factors in determining offers of scholarship.

Applicants other than those who have completed all of their study at Victoria University of Wellington must include a copy of their academic record from other institutions with the application form.

Currently, the closing dates are 1 March, 1 July, and 1 November. All applicants for the scholarship will be notified by email of the outcome within six to eight weeks of the closing date for applications.

Conditions

These terms and conditions apply to Victoria Doctoral Scholarships awarded from 2015 and Wellington Doctoral Scholarships from 2020.

• Application deadline: A completed online application must be submitted by 4.30 pm on the closing date. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. Any required supporting documentation (including references) must also be received by 4.30 pm on the closing date in order for the application to be considered.
• Eligibility: Applications are accepted from those who are eligible at the time of application, or who reasonably expect to become eligible within three months of their application, to register as a candidate for a Doctoral degree at Victoria University of Wellington.
• Prior experience: Applicants would normally be expected to have completed a Bachelor's or Master's degree with academic distinction equivalent to a First Class Honours degree at a New Zealand University.
• Award criteria: Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of academic merit by the University Research Scholarships Committee (the Committee), a sub-committee of the University Research Committee.
• Need to enrol: All offers of the Scholarship will be conditional upon the recipient being fully enrolled in a full-year programme (full time will be at the level of points considered by Studylink as full time) within the stipulated criteria and tenure of the scholarship. No payment of the Scholarship will be made until this condition is met.
• Need to sign a contract: Scholarship recipients are required to sign a Wellington Doctoral Research Scholarship Contract. The primary or Victoria University of Wellington supervisor will also sign the contract to indicate that they are aware of the terms and conditions of the scholarship.
• Start date: The tenure of every scholarship shall commence on a date to be determined in each case by the Faculty of Graduate Research after discussion with the appropriate school and supervisor. The date of commencement shall normally be no later than six months after the scholarship has been accepted by the scholarship recipient for domestic students and nine months for international students.
• Deferral of start date: Scholarships cannot be deferred to a later year and it is not normally possible to defer the start date beyond what is specified in the previous paragraph. The Committee may grant a scholarship recipient a deferment of the commencement of the scholarship for longer periods, in exceptional circumstances, if it considers that such a deferment would benefit the scholarship recipient’s programme of research and the University.
• Need to proceed from provisional to full enrolment: The scholarship offer shall lapse in the event that the scholarship recipient does not proceed from provisional to full enrolment as a Doctoral student within 15 months of first enrolment.
• Withdrawal: Should the recipient withdraw from Victoria University of Wellington during the tenure of this scholarship or fail to achieve satisfactory progress, partial repayment of the Scholarship will normally be expected. Recipients must advise the Faculty of Graduate Research if they intend to withdraw.
• Length of scholarship: Every scholarship shall be tenable at Victoria University of Wellington for a period of up to three years except as otherwise provided in these terms and conditions. If a recipient submits within the tenure of the Scholarship, stipend payments will cease no more than one month after submission.
• Reduction in length of scholarship: If an applicant has already been enrolled for a PhD at Victoria University of Wellington for more than six months at the time when the offer of a scholarship is made, the maximum length of tenure of the scholarship will be reduced at the discretion of the Committee.
• Holding other awards at the same time: The Scholarship may be held in conjunction with other awards. Scholarship recipients must inform the Faculty of Graduate Research of any other awards held.
• Reduction in value of scholarship when holding other awards: Approval for the co-tenure of awards of greater than a total of one-third of the value of this scholarship stipend may result in a reduction in the value of the Wellington Doctoral Scholarship stipend. Faculty Research Grants are not considered under these conditions to constitute an award.
• Need to be enrolled full-time: Scholarship recipients shall be required to maintain full-time enrolment and devote themselves full-time to their programme of research during the tenure of the scholarship and may not hold a position of emolument. However, domestic students for whom socially compelling reasons make part-time enrolment preferable may apply to hold the scholarship on a part-time basis pro-rated.
• Limits on paid part-time employment: Approval may be given for scholarship recipients to undertake paid employment for up to a maximum of 600 hours in any one calendar year. All requests to undertake part-time employment must be supported in writing by the supervisor(s) and Head of School.
• Suspension: Once the period of tenure of a scholarship has commenced, the Faculty of Graduate Research may grant a scholarship recipient a suspension of their scholarship for a period not exceeding six months or a total of twelve months during the first three years of registration. As the monthly stipend is paid in advance the recipient must provide notification in advance of the suspension. In most cases, the scholarship suspension will coincide with a formal suspension from their Doctoral enrolment.
• Termination after suspension: A scholarship shall be terminated if a scholarship recipient ceases to resume the aforesaid programme of research within one month of the last day of the period of the suspension.
• Progress reports: The scholarship recipient must complete six monthly reports outlining their progress to date using the reporting process specified by the Faculty of Graduate Research.
• Representing the University: Recipients are expected to act as Ambassadors for Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington and participate in appropriate events or marketing if requested.
• Academic staff not eligible: Academic staff at Victoria University of Wellington or any other University may not hold a Wellington Doctoral Scholarship while currently employed.
• Payment: Stipends are paid direct to the recipient via the recipient’s New Zealand bank account. Tuition fees are paid directly from the scholarship fund to the University fees office.
• Committee’s authority to suspend, terminate or vary scholarship: The Committee may at any time suspend or terminate a scholarship, or require the forfeiture of such proportion of the scholarship emolument as it may determine, if the scholarship recipient is not diligently pursuing their programme of research and is not making satisfactory progress, has violated the University Statute on Conduct, or has failed to comply with any of the terms and conditions on which the scholarship was awarded and of their Doctoral Scholarship Contract.
• Committee’s authority to vary terms or conditions: At the discretion of the Committee, the application of any of the terms and conditions of a Wellington Doctoral Scholarship may be modified or relaxed in special circumstances or in order to avoid hardship to any scholarship recipient or misuse of the scholarship funding.
• The Committee shall review these Terms and Conditions from time to time.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

Across scholarships and research funding, competitive proposals and applications typically demonstrate:

✔ Academic excellence: Strong GPA, honours or Master’s thesis distinction, and research potential. 
✔ High-quality research proposal: Clear research question, feasible methodology, and academic significance. 
✔ Alignment with priorities: For internal grants, alignment with faculty research strengths or strategic themes. 
✔ Institutional endorsement: Support from supervisors, research centres, or academic committees. 
✔ External relevance and impact: Especially for commercialisation and external funding pathways.

🛠 Practical Application Tips

✔ Apply early: For doctoral scholarships, target the scheduled three annual deadlines. 
✔ Engage supervisors and research networks: Early endorsement and alignment with active research projects increase competitiveness. 
✔ Use institutional support: Leverage the Research Office for help with external grant strategies. 
✔ Tailor proposals: Match eligibility and impact statements to the award’s goals and selection criteria.

📌 Summary: Victoria University of Wellington Competitive Support

🔍 When This Is a Good Fit

✔ You are a prospective or current PhD student aiming for academic research funding at a competitive university in NZ. 
✔ You need project-specific funding (e.g., travel, materials, fieldwork) beyond scholarships. 
✔ You are an academic or postdoc preparing for commercial impact or external grant applications. 
✔ You want access to institutional support services that enhance research competitiveness.