How to apply and enrol

Use these step-by-step instructions to guide you through applying for a place and enrolling as a student at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

To become a student at the University you need to complete these eight steps:

Create an account in Pūaha, our online application portal.
Check that you'll meet the admissions requirements to become a student.
Choose what you want to study.
Apply for admission to the University and a place in your chosen degree.
Receive an Offer of Place.
Select the courses for your first year.
Complete your enrolment by accepting your Enrolment Agreement.
Set up your new student account and get ready to start your studies.

There are separate application guides for international students and doctoral students. If you're a current or returning student, find out how to re-enrol for the next academic year.

Not sure where to start? Use this tool to find out.

Get help

If you need help applying for admission or selecting your courses, email info@vuw.ac.nz or call +64 4 472 1000 or 0800 04 04 04. If you’re a new student who needs course advice, book an appointment directly.

Step 1: Create an account in Pūaha

Pūaha is our online portal where you can create, track, and manage all your applications for qualifications and courses. It's also where you'll apply for accommodation and for scholarships.

Step 2: Check University admission requirements

To become a student at the University you need to qualify via one of the our admission pathways, for example, by achieving NCEA University Entrance. It's a good idea to check our requirements well before you apply to study, to make sure you’re on track to qualify.

Step 3: Choose what you want to study

Explore our programmes—our degrees and other qualifications, plus major, minor, and specialisation subjects—to find the right one for you. There are a lot to choose from, so you might want to get help from our Future Students team.

Each of our qualifications and major subjects has a webpage that provides an overview, a list of the courses you need to do to complete the programme (‘requirements’), and what you need to be accepted (‘entry requirements’).

Most of our Bachelor's degrees and first-year courses are ‘open entry’. This means that you'll be accepted if you have achieved a University Entrance qualification or been admitted via another pathway.
Our postgraduate qualifications typically require specific prior achievements, such as a Bachelor's degree in a particular subject.
Limited entry programmes and courses are constrained in the number of students they can accept, and therefore apply selection criteria.

Step 4: Apply to study

You'll apply at the same time for admission to the University and a place in a ‘programme of study’—the degree (or other qualification) and the major subject(s) that you’d like to study.

Apply now

Don't wait until you've received your final results. We'll make you a conditional Offer of Place, which will become unconditional after your results are confirmed.

It’s a good idea to apply well in advance of the final deadline, which is typically about a month before the start of your first trimester.

If you want to do any limited entry courses, you’ll need to apply by 1 December. This means you should apply for your chosen programme of study by early November.
Limited entry programmes, such as the Bachelor of Midwifery, Bachelor of Music with a performance major, or Master of Arts in Creative Writing, have their own application deadlines. You'll find this information on the web page for the qualification.
If you’ve chosen a limited entry qualification, you’ll need to apply for a place in the programme by 1 November.
If you want to do any limited entry courses, you’ll need to apply for them by 1 December. This means you should apply for your chosen programme of study by early November.

Apply online

You'll use Pūaha, our student portal, to submit and manage your application:

Create an account (note the email address and password you used).
Complete the application form within Pūaha. You'll be prompted to upload certified documents as required.
You can track your progress in Pūaha. You'll be able to see if any further documents or information are required.

You'll need your National Student Number (NSN) to complete your enrolment. If you've studied in New Zealand, your school can provide it or you can find out how to get it on the NZQA website. If you've never had an NSN, we can create one once you have applied to study.

Step 5: Receive an Offer of Place

We'll assess your application as quickly as possible. If you meet the requirements for admission to the University and you're accepted into your chosen programme of study, we'll send you either a conditional or unconditional Offer of Place by email. You'll also be able to view it in Pūaha.

Once you have either a conditional or unconditional Offer of Place, you can select the individual courses for your first year—once our online course enrolment system has opened in late September.

Being offered a place doesn't commit you to enrolling at the University or studying your chosen programme. You will be able to change, defer, or withdraw from your Offer of Place before your programme starts.

Step 6: Select your courses

The next step after receiving your Offer of Place is to select courses for your first year:

You'll be invited to select your courses once course enrolment is open—typically from late September to February (to start in Trimester 1) or June (to start in Trimester 2).
You'll need to apply for any limited entry courses by 1 December.
You can enrol in courses for one academic year at a time.
Look at the webpage for your chosen degree to find out which courses you'll need to complete in your first year.
You also need to check which first-year courses you need to do for your major(s) and any minor subject(s).
Log in to the Pūaha portal to select your courses (or go straight to the course enrolment system).

If you need help planning your programme or figuring out which courses you need to do, you can get help from our Future Students team.

Step 7: Complete your enrolment

You’ll receive an Enrolment Agreement once we’ve checked the courses you’ve selected:

We’ll send you a notification of your Agreement by email, typically within four weeks.
You need to accept your Agreement within Pūaha to become a fully enrolled student.
You may also need to meet any outstanding conditions or submit any missing documents—check in Pūaha to see if there's anything you need to do.
If you want to change your course selection after you receive your Enrolment Agreement, you can accept your Agreement 'with changes'. You'll have a limited time to make the changes.
Once you've accepted your Enrolment Agreement we'll send you an invoice for your fees.

Step 8: Set up your student account

Within 24 hours of completing your enrolment you’ll be emailed your student username and email address.

You'll use your student username to access student services and tools through the Pūaha portal and the Nuku online learning environment, as well as to log on to campus computers. You need to set a password for your student account.

Get ready for the start of your studies

Now that you're an enrolled student, you might also want to:

find out how to get your student ID card
learn about the University's IT and printing services
check out the timetable for New Students' Orientation week.

Tips for your application

Use a personal email account—an account issued by your high school may expire.
Track the progress of your application by logging into Pūaha.