Payment of your New Zealand Scholarship award

Information on claiming your New Zealand Scholarship payment and how this is paid

Eligibility and entry requirements

You can receive New Zealand Scholarship monetary awards if you meet the eligibility and entry requirements in the Assessment Rules 2023.

Go to section 5 of the Assessment Rules 2023

Go to Schedule 1 and section 8.3 of the Assessment Rules 2023

To be eligible to receive your NZ Scholarship award, you must be studying at a 0.4 full-time equivalent or more and not enrolled in a secondary school.

If you're unsure, ask your study provider or StudyLink if you are eligible.

When to apply for your Scholarship prize

You should submit your application as soon as possible to make sure you're paid quickly.

You must apply for your NZ Scholarship payment by 1 April in the year after your Scholarship results are released

For example, if you sat NZ Scholarship successfully in 2023, and your results were released in 2024, you must apply to receive payment before 1 April 2025.

The Assessment Rules say you must apply by 15 January the year after your results are released, but to make it easier for students, we will accept applications for payment up to 1 April.

How to collect your Scholarship payment

icon showing person with a key
1

Log into the NZQA learner portal

Use your email address and password to log into your NZQA account

Log in
Icon shows a magnifying glass and an eye
2

Select View Awards

View Awards is a link on the right-hand side of your profile. Click on this link to see your Scholarships information.

icon showing a thumbs up
3

Apply to accept your award

Find the 'apply or decline award' link. Follow the instructions to accept your prize.

StudyLink account

You'll need to have a StudyLink account, because StudyLink make the payments.

Once you've applied for payment through your Learner login, Studylink will send you information through the post or online if you have an account. You'll need to return any forms or records to StudyLink for payment.

MyStudyLink login (external link)

Deferring your payment

You may defer, or delay receiving your New Zealand Scholarship payment for up to 1 year after you leave school.

To defer your payment, notify NZQA through the learner portal by 1 April the year after you get your results

Subsequent deferments

Subsequent deferments mean any time you apply to NZQA to defer payment, after your first request to defer payments.

For another deferment, you need to provide evidence of extraordinary circumstances. Circumstances are usually limited to illness, although requests are considered on a case-by-case basis through the Manager – Secondary Examinations.

Contact NZQA for deferments

How NZ Scholarship is paid

The first payment for New Zealand Scholarship awards happens on the morning of the award ceremony in early May

If all information you provided is received and processed prior to the ceremony day, you should expect payment on that day.

How the money is paid

New Zealand Scholarship money is paid into your chosen bank account from StudyLink.

You don't need to spend the money on course fees. You can choose how you spend this money.

More information

StudyLink information on payments

Go to StudyLink website

About New Zealand Scholarships

Find more Scholarship info

NZ Scholarship results

Find out more

Common questions about NZ Scholarships

Find out more

Questions or feedback?