AUT celebrates 2026 UniPrep graduates
The high success rate of AUT’s pre-university programme for school leavers, UniPrep, shows the right learning and teaching environment enables students to thrive.
UniPrep is AUT’s free, Indigenous-led university preparation programme designed to support prospective students to transition into university life by strengthening both their sense of community and academic confidence.
One hundred and eighty-four school leavers have graduated from UniPrep 2026 and by doing so, have gained a head start in their first year at university as the programme’s academic component, Uni101, is the equivalent of a first year, university level paper.
AUT Vice-Chancellor, Professor Damon Salesa says UniPrep ensures students begin their studies with ambition and purpose.
“The programme’s high success rate reflects how invaluable it is to provide students with the right learning and teaching environment; one that honours the cultural backgrounds and experiences of its students, enabling them to thrive.
“From the first day UniPrep students arrive at AUT’s South Campus to start the course we ensure they have a strong sense of belonging to our university community, feel supported and see their cultures being meaningfully woven into different aspects of their academic and non-academic work.
“As a result, they are confident, have established valuable connections with AUT staff and Pou Whirinaki (teaching assistants), and are academically ready to start their tertiary journeys.
“We are immensely proud of them for taking these important first steps after leaving high school and grateful to their whānau who are walking beside them in their endeavours. The opportunities created by a tertiary education are life-long and the benefits span families and whole communities.
“The students know that they have AUT’s support to becoming the country’s future engineers, lawyers, teachers, physiotherapists, nurses, journalists and leaders across a wide range of fields,” says Professor Salesa.
For 2026 UniPrep graduate Isabella Palemene-Itunu, who is starting a Health Sciences (Physiotherapy) degree at AUT’s North campus, the programme provided clarity and confidence.
“UniPrep helped ground me, allowing me to regain confidence in my decisions, remind myself of why I want to attend university and added even more motivation to succeed in university - to walk the graduation stage alongside my UniPrep cohort, for my family and for myself.
“It gave me the time to look at what I have, a safe space to make mistakes and the support to get ahead of the game going into university,” she says.
“I chose to study physiotherapy so that I can help people through recovery, be the support that helps then in a time of restrengthening and a pathway that I am passionate about. This career fuses together my values, passion and some of the most memorable memories from my childhood,” says Isabella.
Find out more about UniPrep here.