Doctoral scholarships
Our PhD students are at the heart of AUT’s research culture. To attract and recognise highly achieving research students and stimulate doctoral research in areas that enhance AUT’s capability, AUT offers a number of doctoral scholarships.
To qualify for a doctoral scholarship, you must have gained admission into an approved doctoral programme at AUT before applying for the scholarship.
2025 AUT doctoral scholarships you can apply for
Doctoral scholarships are awarded to applicants with an excellent academic record (normally first-class honours), strong academic references and the potential for high-quality research.
Each Vice-Chancellor’s Doctoral Scholarship consists of an annual stipend of $33,726, plus tuition fees and compulsory student services fee for up to three years.
Who can apply for an AUT Vice-Chancellor’s Doctoral Scholarship
To qualify, you must:
- Be applying as a new doctoral candidate
- Have an unconditional Offer of Place in the AUT doctoral programme
- Have a GPA of 8.0 or above in your most recent qualifying programme completed at a New Zealand tertiary institution
- Māori and domestic Pacific applicants: have a GPA of 7.5 or above from your most recent qualifying programme completed at a New Zealand tertiary institution, and be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
- You must enrol into the doctoral programme within three months after being offered the scholarship
Full AUT doctoral scholarship regulations
When to apply
Applications for a Vice-Chancellor’s Doctoral Scholarship are accepted at any stage during the year, apart from between 1 December to 15 January.
Each AUT Doctoral Scholarship consists of an annual stipend of $33,726, plus tuition fees and compulsory student services fee for up to three years.
Who can apply for an AUT Doctoral Scholarship
- Open to all applicants including those from countries other than New Zealand who meet the admission requirements for a doctoral programme
- You must have received an Offer of Place for the doctoral programme at AUT
Full AUT doctoral scholarship regulations
Other scholarships you will be considered for
If you’re applying for an AUT Doctoral Scholarship you will also be considered for one of the following faculty or school funded options:
- A full fee scholarship
- Full fees plus an annual stipend equivalent to at least $20,000 or the minimum living cost criteria for Immigration NZ student visa, whichever is the highest
These faculty doctoral scholarships include:
- AUT Doctoral Scholarships – Business Economics and Law
- AUT Doctoral Scholarships – School of Future Environments (fees only)
- AUT Doctoral Scholarships – Faculty of Culture and Society (fees only)
- AUT Doctoral Scholarships - Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences (fees only)
- AUT Doctoral Scholarships – School of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences
When to apply
There are three closing dates to apply for an AUT Doctoral Scholarship in 2025:
- 1 March
- 15 July
- 1 November
Applications open one month before the closing dates.
If you haven’t already applied for admission into the doctoral programme at AUT you must complete both steps below. If you’re a current PhD student at AUT or already have an Offer of Place to start your PhD at AUT, go directly to step 2.
1) Apply for admission into the doctoral programme at AUT
You need to have been accepted into the AUT doctoral programme to qualify for a doctoral scholarship. The admissions process may take up to two months, so you need to apply for admission to the doctoral programme at least two months prior to applying for this scholarship.
If you haven’t completed the process of applying for admission into the doctoral programme, you won’t be eligible to apply for the scholarship.
For information on how to start your application for admission to the doctoral programme email the AUT Graduate Research School at doctoral.and.mphil.admissions@aut.ac.nz
2) Apply for a doctoral scholarship
- Download the AUT doctoral scholarship regulations and familiarise yourself with the eligibility criteria and the conditions of acceptance
- Apply through the AUT online scholarships application portal – you need to register and select which AUT scholarship(s) to apply for
- Upload a two-page statement outlining your proposed research in up to 1,000 words plus references (longer documents won’t be accepted)
- Upload a brief CV (up to three A4 pages)
- Upload your academic transcript(s) for any tertiary study that was completed at a university other than AUT
- Upload a copy of your conditional or unconditional Offer of Place
- Provide details of your two academic referees and, via the scholarship application portal, ask them to submit a confidential report directly to the portal by the closing date
- If your proposed AUT primary supervisor or head of school isn’t one of your referees, provide a letter or evidence of AUT faculty support. If your supervisor is also a referee they need to provide only one statement covering both purposes. Your application will not be provided to the panel unless you can demonstrate that the AUT faculty support your application
- Submit your completed application via the online scholarships application portal once you have completed all the required sections. This can be done before your referees have submitted their reports
Application portal and supporting documents you may need
*You can find a thesis proposal template in the application portal or can upload the proposal document yourself.
Research at AUT
AUT research is focused on real-world impact, and we're proud of our reputation as a leading research university. We have more than 60 research centres and institutes delivering innovative research that addresses issues facing the environment, society and the world.
Meet some of our doctoral scholarship recipients

Claudine Nalesu
Doctor of Philosophy

Tanuj Wadhi
Doctor of Philosophy

Roxane de Waegh
Doctor of Philosophy

Jasper Wong
Doctor of Philosophy

Keegan Chessum
Doctor of Philosophy

Su Myat Kyaw
Doctor of Philosophy
Contact us
Stefania Patrone
Scholarships Officer
stefania.patrone@aut.ac.nz
How we assess applications
AUT uses a number of criteria when assessing scholarship applicants, including your GPA and research experience, and how your research aligns with AUT’s research priorities.
Apply to study at AUT
Before applying for a scholarship you need to have gained admission into AUT’s doctoral programme.
Applying to AUT is easy – submit your application online today.
Support for postgraduate research students
As a postgraduate research student at AUT you have access to a range of support and resources, including postgraduate study spaces, events and researcher development activities.