Admission

This page is designed to give you a quick overview of the requirements for admission to the University of Waikato. If, after reading this section, you are still unclear about your eligibility for admission, please contact our Enrolment Staff.
Here you can find useful information and links to:

Admission for School Leavers
Admission for International Students
Admission from an Overseas Secondary or Tertiary Institution
Admission for Adult Students
Admission to Programmes with Restricted Entry
Articulation Agreements
Credit for Previous Study
Transcripts and Academic Records
How to Apply
Re-entry for Returning Students
Further Information

School Leavers

Currently University Entrance is gained through the NCEA Level 3 and Level 4 examinations. For further information check out the 'How do I get in' section, and in particular the NCEA University Entrance Standards.
For advice and further information contact your Careers Adviser or the University's Student Recruitment Office.

International Students

The Enrolment Office works with Waikato International to handle matters relating to admission, enrolment and enquiries of an academic nature for all International students, education agents and partner institutions.
We aim to provide a comprehensive and complete administrative service to International students wishing to enrol at the University of Waikato.
For further information on international student admission and enrolment, please visit the Waikato International website.
If you have already submitted your application to enrol, please contact the relevant Enrolment Office staff member directly for further information, and quote your Waikato student ID number.

Admission from an Overseas Secondary School or Tertiary Institution

Each year we receive applications from people who have completed part or all of their secondary school study or tertiary study overseas. The Enrolment Office can assess whether your qualifications gained overseas are sufficient for admission to University of Waikato undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Some examples of our admissions requirements from overseas secondary schooling can be found on the Waikato International website. If your secondary school qualification is not listed, the Enrolment Office will be happy to assess your eligibility for admission when you apply.
Applicants who are not New Zealand Citizens, Australian Citizens, or Permanent Residents of New Zealand or Australia are classified as International applicants. Further information for applying to study at Waikato as an International student, including application to enrol forms, is available on the Waikato International website.
We are also happy to assess eligibility for admission to our graduate programmes. Applicants should Include academic transcripts (notarised and translated into English if required) of all prior study as part of their application to enrol. Further guidelines for document requirements are available on the Application to Enrol.

Adult Students

If you did not gain university entrance while at secondary school, but are now over the age of 20, a range of other factors are considered in addition to your secondary school results. These include any other relevant study you may have done, your general life experience and preparedness for academic study. Successful completion of any tertiary study preparation courses, such as our bridging courses or the Te Timatanga Hou programme, will assist your application.

Programmes with Restricted Entry

Admission to certain degrees is very competitive. For this reason, you cannot be guaranteed a place in your preferred degree even if you meet any of the criteria listed above. Check the Prospective Student webpages for the Faculty/School of Studies information and their specific entry requirements.
You should still apply for your preferred degree in expectation of being accepted. If you are not accepted into your first choice, then we have a range of other qualifications for which you can still be considered.

How to Apply

All you need to do is Apply Online or complete an Application to Enrol form and return it to us with copies of your secondary school and tertiary study records.
If you would like us to post you an Application to Enrol you can contact the Student Information Centre by phoning 0800 WAIKATO.
The Application to Enrol package contains information on qualifications, first year papers offered, and this is usually available in July.
You can access information on all undergraduate and graduate level papers, including timetable details, in the online Catalogue of Papers.
A timetable can be created online to help organise your programme of study.

Re-entry for Returning Students

All University qualifications have regulations which state the points you need to pass during the year to be automatically eligible for re-entry in the following year. The criteria for re-entry are set out in Part 3 of the Criteria for Admission to Particular Qualifications in the Calendar.
If you are not eligible for automatic re-entry you can appeal this. For more information on this process see the Admission Appeals Brochure