Program Reviews

Victoria University of Wellington itself is it's own little community within it's small campus. I always found some of the buildings homey, and there's a great amount of places to be social. Sometimes it is hard because a lot of the classes will refer to things people who have lived in New Zealand all their life would know, or assume you have knowledge of that is specifically related to New Zealand - especially in classes higher than 100 level.
The library at VUW is excellent, and has so many resources that you'd need. The view can be a bit distracting, but watching the sunset while you're stuck studying makes it all a little easier.
Go outside of the University, and you realize you couldn't have chosen a better place to be. The city of Wellington is a major city, but it's not too large. If you need to escape the city life, you can find bits of nature in every direction. The public transportation makes it easy to get around, and if you don't want want to spend money everything you need is walkable. It's a very livable city, and the fact that the university is there makes it perfect. But it's also a city that doesn't revolve around the university, so you can easily escape the university life if you need.
Wellington is a place to call home, if you make the most of it.

VUW is a very good university to go abroad with. Im an exchange student, and I have got good support and good housing through the university. They are always there to help with anything!
The school is very different from my home country, as there are internal assessments and several tests and assignments through out the year, and not just one final exam. But the lecturers have been very helpful in any confusion or if you have any questions.
Furthermore VUW is located very close to downtown Wellington, which is very nice, so you can literally walk everywhere. Also the housing through the university is located very nearby the school, so it only takes 10 minutes to walk there.

I picked New Zealand as I have always wanted to go. I wanted to see the world not just as a tourist, but as part of a new society. I considered Europe but felt that experiencing an entirely new part of the world and totally new cultures was the best way to make the most of my experience. That said, being so far from home was daunting which is why I chose an English speaking country – and New Zealand offered the best of both.

The university was very different to Liverpool which was great as it gave me a non Western view of psychology and some ideas for third year. It also had more contact hours which was good as the lectures were shorter, so I didn’t feel like I was losing concentration! Being so far from home definitely made me more independent and helped me understand my learning style, which is basically that I shouldn’t leave everything until the last minute!

I lived in international halls which was great to meet people from all over the world, even my roommate was Japanese! I made heaps of friends and went places and experienced things I never thought I would.

The university was very good and I would 100% recommend studying there. Wellington was a fantastic place and I will definitely be returning. I travelled all over New Zealand which increased my love for the country and culture!

Moving to New Zealand to pursue my Master's degree in Marine Conservation was one of my best decisions. This program is multidimensional and challenges you to think about conservation from the many different viewpoints of all stakeholders involved when it comes to the environment, from scientists to policymakers and local communities. Beyond providing networking opportunities through guest lectures, this program offered amazing field courses that allowed me to gain international experience as well as practical skills. Although in my opinion the best part of the program was the people. New Zealand is unique in its education and its scientific community in that everyone strives to build a collaborative environment. Coming from the US, where university felt like a competition, having all of my peers and professors wanting to and helping me succeed was refreshing. My research experience, knowledge, and connections gained through this program have allowed me to continue my education as I currently pursue my PhD in Marine Biology

I left a cold Sweden and my home university Uppsala in January and got a warm welcoming by the Kiwis. I travelled the south island for a month and I was not disappointed. Those views were exactly what I came to NZ for, with Mt. Cook as a favorite.

The workload during the semester was a bit more than expected, but the lecturers were great and I learned a lot from my marketing and management courses. It was easy to adapt to the study system with all courses running parallel, but the last month was very hectic.

On the weekends I went on hikes with the tramping club and enjoyed Wellington. Would recommend new students to join some of the clubs to get to know more Kiwis and experience fun events! During Easter break I traveled the North island, visiting Hobbiton, Tongariro, Mt. Taranaki etc. Epic adventures all of them.

After the finals, I went to Australia and Tonga to relax before heading home to Sweden. Well deserved and a great way to end a great semester abroad!

// Andreas

I am pleased that I chose Victoria University of Wellington to complete my Master's degree. The program provides many field courses that allow international students like myself to travel to places around New Zealand as well as other countries. I've met many students from all over the world during my studies and made long-lasting friendships. The field course to Indonesia was eye-opening. It provided an opportunity to immerse ourselves in a completely different culture and to learn about the marine ecosystems and conservation of those ecosystems.

I decided to study a at Victoria in 2014 and to do a Bachelor degree in Biomedical Science, majoring in Genetics.
For this program, there a compulsory courses and a couple of electives, each course running for one trimester with most of them having internal assessments and one final exam.
The first year courses cover a broad range of subjects without going into too much detail. They are nice introductions to the variety of topics and subjects and might give a good idea of what topics are going to be covered in second or third year.
The second year courses are stepping up a bit in how much detail they're covering which increases even more in third year.
A lot of locals think that the first year at University is very hard and difficult which I can understand from their point of view as high school is not very challenging here and transitioning from easy high school to a more academic approach can be difficult. For me personally, I thought that first year was a good revision of what we would learn in the last years of high school (Germany) and the transition into second year wasn't too difficult either as I found it nicer to concentrate on less diverse topics but to study them in detail which continued even further in third year.
Since I did a Science degree, all those courses have practical applications such as set hours of lab work throughout the trimester. The labs were a nice way to learn practical uses of the theory but could be improved by making them more challenging; all labs are provided with lab manuals and instructions on what to do but I think it would be nice to have a stronger focus on creative thinking and being able to establish lab protocols ourselves.
My favorite course at Uni has been Biol252, a second year course studying cell biology and cell development. While the academic staff in this course was very approachable, helpful and passionate, the labs were also designed very well and allowed us to study the development of sea urchins from the fertilized egg to the larvae state before they're ready for settlement. The course Biol219 - New Zealand Flora and Fauna was a great course too - a two week field trip course to study the native animals and plants of New Zealand. I enjoyed the course a lot as it was a nice approach of learning outside of the class room but also to include New Zealand's history and culture.
Academically I would say that Victoria University is a good university but certainly not as challenging as other Universities around the world. The assessments are good but if I'd compare it to the German standard that I am used to, then it is not competitive at all.
However, now I am doing a postgraduate degree at Victoria and I feel that this is way more challenging and with higher expectations of excellent academic delivery than there was in undergrad.
Over all, I enjoyed my time as an undergrad student, especially in such a great town as Wellington is. The view from the University is amazing, the academic stuff is very nice and approachable and everything is on a first name base. Victoria is offering lots of extracurricular activities such as the Victoria Plus Program or the Victoria International Leadership Program, lots of clubs and societies that make it easy to engage with academic and non-academic life of University. Victoria International is also hosting a lot of events to support international students.

I love it here at vic so far as an international student. I think one of the biggest things that made my transition so smooth was how great the uni hall housing is. It makes it easy to meet people and be independent in a new country, which is a really unique thing. I also thought people at vic international reception desk were helpful when I was trying to drop a course. Not to mention plenty of options for things to do on campus, in terms of student life. Additionally events only for international students making it even easier to meet people.

I completed a Master of Arts degree in Media Studies at Victoria University of Wellington and it was a fantastic experience which has irrevocably changed the direction of my life and forced me to reassess my values.

The University is large, but the relatively small size of the campus and the city of Wellington makes it feel like you aren't totally lost in the crowd. I experienced some health challenges while studying and everybody was incredibly helpful during that experience. I was able to make changes to my visa, file multiple complicated insurance claims, and work with my professors to adjust deadlines and academic expectations. This was a stressful time made easier by these people.

My academic program required a lot of research and the library and my professors were real assets in helping me get through it. If you do come to VUW for graduate work I'd recommend contacting your professors ahead of time to state your interests and passions, people are really relaxed and welcome proactive outreach students.

As far as lifestyle, Wellington and New Zealand are second to none. I became hooked on the super strong coffee, endless variety of outdoor activities, and the laid back attitude of Wellington. One thing which was not so great was housing. New Zealand houses are often not insulated, which sounds barbaric to people from colder climates like myself. It can be hard to find a house that is suitable, so once you decide to go to New Zealand look early and use social media to find good places. Cost of living is often complained about, but I found if you are a bit flexible with what you eat/purchase you can get by pretty easily (I'm also from a more expensive area of the U.S. so take my comments with a grain of salt).

I have absolutely no regrets about coming to Victoria, and I'm happy to answer any questions about it. I'm still in constant contact with friends I made there and New Zealand will never leave me, which is really awesome.

I did my Master's in computer science abroad at Victoria University of Wellington. The classes and professors were the best of several universities I have attended. I met amazing friends, wonderful industry contacts, and Victoria helped me land my dream job! New Zealand is a beautiful country to explore and live in. After graduation I became a resident of NZ, and never looked back! Definitely check this place out for your study abroad plans.