Program Reviews

My time at the University of Otago is something that I will cherish forever! Between the people I met, the adventures I went on, and the classes available, I had a wonderful time. I appreciated the support and effort that went into welcoming the international students in UniFlats. They must have a pretty good roommate matching system as well- I got paired up with some of my forever friends. I liked that the housing was close to campus and oriented in communities- it led to a lot of fun hangouts in our neighborhood! I enjoyed that I was able to knock out a couple of gen-eds such as physics, while also taking really cool and quite rigorous lab courses that were relevant to my majors. The city of Dunedin is awesome and there are plenty of activities. If you want to leave the city for a weekend, it's feasible/attainable and there are no bad choices for backpacking or other outdoor adventures. Again, I met some of my best friends here and had a great experience. Overall, the country, culture, and university are wonderful, and I could not recommend it more!

Truly this was one of the best experiences of my life. I had no idea what to expect but truly I would not change a thing. I loved my papers, professors, my living situation, my flatmates and the location. I was able to explore every weekend for a pretty reasonable price, and I felt that there was always something to do, and see. I can't recommend this program enough! I have met so many, many people through this program that are now lifelong friends. Just go and see for yourself! I can not recommend this enough.

University of Otago made it super easy to come to NZ for exchange, especially through exchange student specific housing (Uniflats). The student culture at Otago and in Dunedin provides an environment where there's always lots of events going on, people excited to meet you, and trips to go on. I met some awesome people, got to rediscover what I enjoy doing, and spend a lot of time hiking and camping outside of Dunedin. There's lots to do and see (and it's hard to miss info about it), but it's also easy to take a breath and relax!

I started at Otago as a study abroad student from USA in 2023 and loved it so much that I transferred to a full degree! This is seriously the best decision I ever made. I have made the best friends here and I am so thankful for this opportunity! I met New Zealand friends straight away and became best friends with my Kiwi host in Uniflats! Living in uniflats really made my study abroad experience because it connected me with so many people. It is such a unique feature that not many other universities offer. Through uniflats, I immediately made friends with like 15 other abroad students and we hung out all semester! It was awesome meeting people from all over the world, one of my best friends was from Hungry! It's been so amazing getting to experience other cultures, it's truly eye-opening. There are so many activities to do that are so close to the University! The beach is 15 minutes away, there are so many hiking trails, and tons of clubs you can join! There's a snow sports club that goes on trips every weekend to ski and snowboard and you can decide which ones you want to attend! The transportation is SO easy. You can get to so many places using the intercity buses and it's very comfortable and affordable. I've used it like 5 times already to go to Queenstown and Christchurch! It's so crazy beautiful here, you have to come!

I’m so pleased to have such an opportunity coming here. Everything here is amazing and seems like quite different experience for me!

The university of Otago is so big, students with multi-background gathered here, campus here is beautiful, Gothic architecture looks cool.
I visited the building for the business school and enjoy the extraordinary view on the 9th floor.

We had two guides helping us know the campus ,that’s pretty nice and thank them for their kindly help.

By the way, my homestay here is amazing, they are so so so nice, and it’s my great honor to meet them!!!!!!!

Thank for the great chance and I have fantastic time here. I will always keep the memories here!!!!!

I’m sure I’ll come back again soon!
Thank you all the way.
:)

i m here for a two-week exchange programme from ShangHai. This is my first time visiting Dunedin. My home stay family is very considerate.They drop me off and pick me up everyday and also cook for me Chinese food.I spent 5 days working in a lab to help them build a frame of a two-wheel car.The professor and student here are really nice to me,very patient.The life here is quite different from the life in ShangHai. Most of the people in ShangHai live under high pressure but the people here in Dunedin seems to be more relax in their daily life.The scenery here is amazing as well and i think Dunedin is one of the most beautiful city in the world.The habor,Baldwin street,St Clair Beach all impressed me a lot. I would strongly recommend this programme to my friends when i go back to China.

We are very lucky to have the opportunity to spend two weeks in the beautiful Dunedin and visit the University of Otago.This program offered us excellent condition so that we can fully experience the local customs and sceneries.Although it is cold winter in Dunedin now,but we still feel extremely warm because of the warm hospitality of the local people.Also we spent time participating in professional activities and that is good for our career planning.
Walking in the beautiful campus of the University of Otago,we can see the hardware facility is really good so that students at here can pour full attention into acadamic.And after taking few classes in the university ,the friendly and enthusiastic atmosphere also impressed me a lot,no matter to visitors or study.Everyone is patient to guide us.
All in all,we were able to exchange the cultures with our friends in New Zealand and make contributions to the friendship of our two countries.

I'm a junior student of Fudan University who lives in Shanghai, China. This year I was luckily chosen to be one of the 12 winners of the Dunedin Mayor Scholarship, so I have an opportunity to go abroad to Dunedin and have an internship at the International Office of University of Otago.
On the first day, we visited on campus and the scenery was very beautiful. The University of Otago has a very long history. On the campus, majestic and exquisite ancient buildings can be seen everywhere.
Then I went to the international office of the University of Otago to have an internship. The colleagues there were very friendly and carefully taught me how to work. I have a good communication with them. The internship there is very pleasant and I do learn a lot from that.

The University of Otago has an excellent research reputation, International recognition with its amazing campus.
Otago Business Schools is accredited with two international agencies – EQUIS and AACSB – this is a reassurance to of the quality of education available from the Business School, a degree from UO, is an incredibly valuable qualification.
It is located in Dunedin, only ten minuted walking from the city centre, the people here are friendly and enjoy helping international students.

I highly recommend this program and would do it all over again. I believe it was the perfect length of three weeks, where you could get away during the summer, not miss any schooling, and travel the world. New Zealand is one of the most beautiful places in the world to go and I already want to go back. The people and staff are amazing there, very helpful, and I felt very safe everywhere I went and at all times. I recommend traveling when you can on the weekends and road tripping with the friends that you will meet there and friendships that will last a lifetime. The course if great, including lots of field trips and diving into the culture there. One of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. Also 100% recommend sky diving and the canyon swing and snowboarding.