New Zealand Development Scholarships 2018/2019

New Zealand Development Scholarships (NZDS) give candidates from selected developing countries an opportunity to gain knowledge and skills through study in specific subject areas which will assist in the development of their home country.

NZDS are funded by the New Zealand Aid Programme, the New Zealand Government’s overseas aid and development programme. They are managed by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).

NZDS are for postgraduate study in New Zealand and are available to candidates from specific African, Caribbean and Latin American countries, and from Bhutan, Jordan, Mongolia, Nepal and Timor-Leste.

NZDS are also available for undergraduate study to candidates from Timor Leste.

Eligible countries

Region	Eligible countries
Africa (Commonwealth)	Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia
Africa	Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Dijbouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Asia	Bhutan, Jordan, Mongolia, Nepal, Timor-Leste
Latin America	Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Venezuela
Caribbean	Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago.

Qualification Types

New Zealand Development Scholarships are available for the following qualifications:

Postgraduate Certificate (6 months)
Postgraduate Diploma (1 year)
Master’s Degree (1 – 2 years)
PhD (3 – 4 years)

Financial benefits

Our scholarships provide the following financial support:

full tuition fees
living allowance (stipend) – NZ$480 per week. This is a contribution to basic living expenses
an establishment allowance – NZ$3000. This is a contribution to assist with set up costs in New Zealand – for example it can be used towards accommodation expenses, text books, study materials
medical and travel insurance
travel to and from your home country – this is for travel from your home country at the start of the scholarship, and for you to return to your home country at the end of your scholarship. Note that we offer our scholarships for the shortest amount of time needed for you to complete the academic programme.
home leave or reunion travel for some scholars
assistance with research and thesis costs for many postgraduate research students

Application Procedure:

Online applications

Online applications are for the following scholarship types:

New Zealand Development Scholarships

Make sure you are fully prepared before you begin your online application:

Complete all the steps in the Getting Started section (see above)
Make sure you read the Application Guidance – especially the section about Online applications.

We still find that many applications we get are low-quality and show that the applicant has not read the essential information and guidance on this website.

The online application process has four steps, all completed on an online application site (external link). The site will explain each step in more detail.

Step one: Confirm your eligibility

Complete the Online Eligibility Test. This will give you a number that you will need when you register (step three).

Step two: Create a Real Me login

This will give you a login and password that you will use through the application process.

Step three: Register with New Zealand Scholarships online

This creates your application account, and means you will be set up to complete an application.

Step four: Complete your application

This step will only become available when applications formally opens. Check application dates.

If you are interested in applying for a scholarship we encourage you to do all the things under ‘Getting started‘ before applications open. There is a lot you should do before you begin your application.

Start your online application process now:

Start your online application process here (external link)

About the Author

Aptly described by the Independent newspaper as “a man of many parts”, Prof. Mahfouz A. Adedimeji is a Fulbright scholar, interdisciplinary researcher, university don, public affairs analyst, communication consultant, peace advocate, interfaith worker and public intellectual. He obtained his academic degrees from the University of Ilorin, Ilorin, where he was a Professor of English (Pragmatics and Applied Linguistics) before his appointment as Vice Chancellor as the pioneer Vice Chancellor of Ahman Patigi, Nigeria, in February 2021. He started his academic career in 2000 at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, shortly after which he joined the services of his alma mater, the University of Ilorin. A man of eclectic academic background, Prof. Adedimeji was educated in Arabic and Islamic Studies at Markaz Shabaabil Islam, Iwo, Osun State and Markaz Ta’aleemil Araby, Agege, Lagos. He obtained advanced training in Education, Political Science, Communication and Media, Research and Peace Studies at the National Universities Commission’s (NUC) Virtual Institute for Higher Education Pedagogy (VIHEP); the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) Virtual Institute for Higher Education in Africa (VIHEAF); Governors State University, University Park, Illinois, USA; University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana; and Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, Notre Dame University, South Bend, Indiana, USA. Apart from serving as a cultural ambassador to the US under the auspices of the Institute of International Education (IIE), New York, Prof. Adedimeji had won or co-won the research and conference awards/grants of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) of the National Research Council, Nigeria, the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU). He has written extensively for a wide range of newspapers and periodicals including “Unilorin Bulletin”, “Unilorin Watch”, “DeLight”, “National Pilot”, “Daily Independent”, “Daily Newswatch”, “New York Parrot” and “New Telegraph”, among others. A versatile academic and award-winning scholar, Prof. Adedimeji has attended academic conferences and undertaken research in several universities across Nigeria as well as in Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, Malaysia, Sierra Leone, Australia, France and United States of America, among others. His hundreds of academic, Islamic and general/opinion articles have been published across outlets in Nigeria and beyond. He has also facilitated and participated in seminars and workshops both nationally and internationally. A former Head of the Directorate of Corporate Affairs of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Adedimeji was the Director of the Centre for Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, between 2013 and 2017. Apart from serving as Rapporteur-General to the Presidential Committee that organised the 2017 Federal Executive Council’s Retreat on Education in Nigeria, he has consulted for the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Nigeria Inter-religious Council (NIREC), the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence and Corps (NSCDC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). For years, he was a Coordinator and Facilitator of the Executive Management Course of the Nigerian Army Education Corps (NAEC) and Editor-in-Chief of the “Journal of Peace, Security and Development”, University of Ilorin. He has also served as a resource person to agencies like the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Orientation Agency (NOA), National Institute for Security Studies as well as a number of Civil Society Organisations. He is a recipient of several awards and honours including those of the International Chartered World Learned Society, American Biographical Institute, National Congress of Nigerian Students (NACONS), Union of Campus Journalists, University of Ilorin, the Nigerian Army Education Corps, Postgraduate Students Association, UNILORIN, Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), UNILORIN, Students’ Union, UNILORIN, and National Association of Osun State Students (NAOSS), just to mention a few. A Fellow of bodies like the International Association of Research Scholars and Administrators (FIARSA), Institute of Corporate Administration, Nigeria, (FICAN), Society for Peace Studies and Practice (fspsp) and World Institute for Peace (FWIP) , Prof. Adedimeji is a former Member of the Governing Council of the International Peace Research Association (IPRA) and until recently a Member of the Executive Council of the English Scholars’ Association of Nigeria (ESAN). He is a member of the Editorial Boards of Research in Pragmatics, journal of the Pragmatics Association of Nigeria (PrAN) and ANUJAT, an international multidisciplinary journal of the All Nations University, Koforidua, Ghana. He has about 15 books to his credit as author, co-author, editor and co-editor.