New Zealand Government Announces Scholarship For Indian Students

NEW DELHI: The New Zealand government has announced a partial scholarship package of NZ Dollar 260,000 under the New Zealand Excellence Awards (NZEA) 2025.

The New Zealand Excellence Awards (NZEA) is a unique scholarship scheme designed exclusively for Indian students. They are a joint initiative of Education New Zealand and New Zealand’s eight universities which are among the best in the world. As per the QS World Rankings 2025, all of them rank within the top 2% of universities worldwide, says the official website of NZEA.

The scholarships were announced by New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at an event at IIT Delhi. The event celebrated the New Zealand Centre, a flagship initiative that brings together all New Zealand universities in collaboration with IIT Delhi.

The event also acknowledged the significant contributions of joint research initiatives between New Zealand and India in fields such as artificial intelligence, sustainability, disaster resilience, and advanced engineering.

As per the information shared by IIT Delhi, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon stated, “New Zealand and India share a reciprocal education partnership, built on academic excellence and cultural exchange. As we navigate an increasingly interconnected world, we remain committed to equipping students with the skills needed to succeed on the global stage.”

The number of scholarships being offered are 29. The registration process for the scholarship began on March 18 and the last date to submit application is 1 May 2025 6:29 AM (New Zealand time zone).

The university offering the scholarships under the programme are AUT University, University of Auckland, Lincoln University, Massey University, University of Canterbury, University of Otago, University of Waikato and Victoria University of Wellington.

Eligibility criteria

• Students should be at least 18 years at the time of application.
• Should hold current citizenship of India (and not be a citizen or permanent resident of New Zealand or Australia).
• Must meet Immigration New Zealand’s requirements for a student visa.
• Applicant should be residing in India at the time of application.
• Hold an unconditional offer for the one of the NZEA eligible courses.

To see the information bulletin of NZEA, click here

For direct link to apply for the scholarship, click here.

Virtual Internship Programme

Meanwhile, the New Zealand government has announced a unique Virtual Internship Programme providing 30 IIT Delhi students with the opportunity to intern remotely with New Zealand companies.

The programme offers cross-border industry experience and insights into New Zealand’s innovative work culture.  As part of ongoing academic engagement, New Zealand and Indian institutions are set to sign series of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to strengthen collaboration in areas such as student mobility, joint research, and academic exchange.

A collaborative project between the University of Canterbury and IIT Delhi is leveraging geospatial data for climate change mitigation, aligning with India’s national sustainability goals and demonstrating a shared commitment to tackling global challenges through innovation and research.