Study Abroad at Victoria University of Wellington

Study Abroad at Victoria University of Wellington

Location
  • New Zealand
    • Wellington
Term
Academic Year, Fall, Spring
Subject Areas
Arts Biology Business Chemistry Communications Computer Science Cultural Studies Design Ecology Economics Environmental Studies Film Finance Gender Studies Geology Global Studies History Humanities Indigenous Cultures International Business International Relations Māori Studies Marine Biology Marketing Music Natural Sciences Pacific Studies Photography Political Science Psychology Public Health Public Policy Sociology Theater Web Design +25
Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships
Health & Safety

Program Details

Program Type
Direct Enrollment
Degree Level
Bachelors Masters
Housing
Apartment Dormitory
Language
English

Pricing

Starting Price
8300
Price Details
Study Abroad program students pay a single flat fee which covers tuition and fees for a full-time program of study.

Please note that insurance, student levies, accommodation costs and other living expenses are additional to this fee.

Our university offers a Study Abroad Scholarship for up to NZ$1,000.
What's Included
Classes
What's Not Included
Accommodation Activities Airfare Domestic Airfare Airport Transfers Meals SIM cards Transportation Travel Insurance Visa
Sep 11, 2025
Sep 16, 2025
62 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Located on the southern tip of New Zealand’s North Island, between a beautiful harbor and rolling green hills, the vibrant and cosmopolitan city of Wellington is the political, cultural and creative capital of New Zealand. Study in New Zealand's safest city, coined the 'Coolest Little Capital'!

Wellington’s central location serves as a perfect home base from which to explore the rest of New Zealand. A diverse and welcoming country, New Zealand has an endless list of adventures awaiting any who dare to be bold.

Victoria University of Wellington has a variety of courses available for study abroad students in Science, Architecture and Design, Education, Engineering, Health, and Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as AACSB-approved Business and Economics courses. Take advantage of our support services such as airport pickup and International Orientation week, join the international buddy program, or grow your leadership skills in the Wellington International Leadership Program.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS SUMMARY

Students appreciate the supportive professors, approachable staff, and strong international community, especially through housing and buddy programs.

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion 💙

Victoria University of Wellington's population includes people from a diverse range of communities. We have student support networks like our VIC. Without. Barriers community for Refugee-Background Students, and Māori and Pasifika Hubs for Indigenous students looking to connect with their communities on campus. Student are encouraged to join clubs like the Victoria International Students Association and the Tramping (Hiking) Club, among 100+ other student clubs at the university!
At Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual/agender (LGBTQIA+), and takatāpui communities are known as the Rainbow community. The University's rainbow and inclusion service supports LGBTQIA+ and takatāpui students and works with our community to make sure our campuses are a safe and inclusive environment for students of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and sex characteristics.
Te Amaru—Disability Services works in partnership with staff, students and the disability community to strengthen Victoria University of Wellington’s culture of inclusion, celebrate disability and ensure students can fully participate and achieve their aspirations. We encourage students with accessibility concerns to register with Te Amaru—Disability Services to receive individualized tailored support and access to key services such as a Disability and Inclusion Advisor, Access Suites, Inclusive Learning Software, Adaptive Technology, and more.

Impact 🌎

Victoria University of Wellington is championing a sustainable future by fostering the leaders of tomorrow, delivering world-class research, and building a sustainable campus. Our university is committed to becoming a net zero-carbon organization by 2030.

We rank #1 in New Zealand for Climate Action and Affordable Clean Energy (THE Impact Rankings). On campus, reusable cups are the norm, and we even have a recycling wall where you can take empty packaging that can be difficult to recycle at home. When you study with us, there are numerous ways you can contribute to our sustainability initiatives, including participating in the University's annual "Growing our Future" tree planting initiative to help restore native forests around the Wellington region.

Program Highlights

  • Engage in student life with over 130 clubs and societies.
  • Centrally located, making Wellington the best place to start your exploration of all of New Zealand.
  • Impact locally and globally, take advantage of our extracurricular leadership program, the Kitea Impact Programme.
  • Study Abroad Scholarship for up to NZ$1,000.

Popular Programs

Students at the waterfront

The Kitea Impact Programme is a free, self-paced program aimed at making participants more globally aware by advancing your ability to engage with global issues. Choose from a wide range of interactive seminars delivered by academics from across the university and visiting experts; experiential learning and volunteering opportunities both on campus and beyond; and speaker events hosted by the University, the diplomatic community, and other international organizations.

Program Reviews

4.74 Rating
based on 130 reviews
  • 5 rating 75.38%
  • 4 rating 23.85%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0.77%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Academics 4.05
  • Support 4.25
  • Fun 4.45
  • Housing 4.2
  • Safety 4.8
Showing 113 - 120 of 130 reviews
Katherine
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Studying at Vic

Not only is Wellington the ideal location for a city, but it is also the perfect place to have a university! I am studying for one trimester at Victoria University of Wellington. So far it has been wonderful. The courses are challenging, yet exciting, and all of my professors are extremely supportive. I am taking a paper on the Treaty of Waitangi and my professor has not only answered my endless questions, but also reached out to me on her own to make sure I was understanding the terminologies and concepts because I am foreign. UniHall is also an amazing place to live. The housing team at Vic is efficient and welcoming, I have never felt like I was on my own when it came to housing. Any issue I have is dealt with immediately, but issues are rare anyway! I have really been enjoying my time here at Vic, there is so much to get involved in club wise, as well! I recommend Victoria's canoe club and all of the international programs that are offered!

89 people found this review helpful.
Kristoffer
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Definitely worth it!

In general I'd say the exchange programme at Victoria is excellent, and the International office really does a lot to help you settle in Wellington. The university has a lot of great offers and facilities, that you can take advantage of either for free or for what I would consider a cheap fee. I feel well taken care of and when I had an accident that resulted in an injury I could even go to the doctor and get physiotherapy at the Kelburn campus. Awesome!

New Zealand itself is a beautiful place and Wellington certainly is as well. It's very different from what I am used to from Europe, which is great. Just be prepared to walk up and down hills all day :)

What would you improve about this program?
The housing is rather poor, especially considering the price, and it's even worse in the winter because of the lack of insulation, which most international students will probably be used to from home. I'd also like to see the university trying to provide more opportunities to mix with the locals, as it often ends up being just a lot of international students getting to know each other. Nothing wrong with that, but it would be fun to get to know more locals as well.
80 people found this review helpful.
Bernice
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Overseas study at Victoria University of Wellington

Wellington is a great city with a very special atmosphere and I enjoy living here as if it is my second home! The VIC staff is very professional and easy to approach, which makes it feel like a big family. Also the Uni Hall housing is great!

113 people found this review helpful.
Montse
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Feeling at home

Wellington is you place if you want a small touch, reachable by foot. A town that appreciates culture and that is absolutely in love with rugby (remember we are in New Zelanad). If you love outdoor activities this is your place!
Since the beginning VUW has organised different activities to help us to meet other internationals students. We travel, we party and we study having loads of fun together. Definitely a very good option. I've met other students from all around the world and that is really enriching.
The classes are quite good, I study engineering an I have a 4h lab every week of each of the subjects. So you always get to see how the things you learn in theory can be applied in real life. The teachers have been very helpful since the beginning and have offered me help with some extensions at the start of the course when I was a bit lost with uni.
Travelling: there are many things to see in NZ!!! Renting a car is the best option an is quite cheap compared to the prizes in Europe (around 33NZ$ per day). In the weekends you have time to travel but things are quite far away and normally the rides are very long. But there are some amazing places to visit in the North island and the north of the South island that can be visited in a weekend. Also, there is a mid-term break of two weeks that would give you plenty of time to see the places that are further away.
For living I recommend Uni Hall, they are flats really near to uni of around 5 roommates and you have space to organise parties and stuff. However, for those that don't want to buy, cook and clean I strongly recommend you to go to TPV(Te Puni Village). It is like 3' walk from Kelburn campus. This residence hall is full of first-year kiwis and it is good to get to know locals because living in a flat means going with international students 90% of the time. So I am very happy in TPV.

I would therefore recommend anyone to come here!! You are going to enjoy the program a lot!!

What would you improve about this program?
Organise trips for all the students. When the trimester continues everyone starts to go only with their friends, it would be good to keep on having some organised excursions.
106 people found this review helpful.
yang
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Cultural Exchange

Coming here from another continent and get settle down in a new country is not easy. However, with the great help from the school and the well arranged programmes, it makes this exchange really smooth and a lot of opportunities are provided for us to meet new friends and exploring the wonders of new zealand. I have really enjoyed my time here as an exchange student.

102 people found this review helpful.
Laurens
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

More than just a study

I've been in Wellington for a few weeks now and haven't regret my choice for a second. Wellington is a nice city with beautiful surroundings. Many other beautiful places easy to go to and are perfect for a weekend trip.
Living in the UniHall is also great. You get to know a lot of new people before the study even starts. The Uni service is also great and they reply quickly when you have any questions.

What would you improve about this program?
Some parts of the introduction for international students could've been better organised.
Many seminars and speaker events are early in the afternoon, when most students still have class and thus can't attend.
95 people found this review helpful.
Response from

Hi Laurens, thanks so much for your comments! Orientation is an important day for all students and we're always looking for new ideas to make it more even more valuable and fun. If you have ideas on what might be improved, please feel welcome to give us some feedback at victoria-international@vuw.ac.nz.

Re: the Victoria International Leadership Programme seminars and speaker events, VILP try to hold these at different times throughout the trimester, so remember to keep an eye out on CareerHub or in the VILP newsletter for upcoming events at times that better suit your schedule.

Nicole
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My experience in Wellington

There are so many amazing things to do and see in Wellington and the Victoria University Staff and atmosphere enhances that experience greatly! Everyone is so friendly and willing to help. I felt at home the second I got here.

106 people found this review helpful.
Anne
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great university and experience

I am currently doing an exchange at Victoria in Wellington and having the best time! I am studying Industrial Design and the students and teachers are very nice and supportive. I did not have all the skills the students have here since my study back home is focussing on other things but everyone is very helpful and I have no problems adjusting.

Also the international program is really nice, the international office organizes a lot of events to make you meet new people and to get to know the university and culture. I am living in a house organized by uni hall, which is also very nice because I am living with other internationals. We are all experiencing the same and trying new NZ things so it is nice to share. The uni hall team also organizes a lot of activities which are very nice and make it easy to meet new people, especially when just arriving here.

All in all I would recommend studying at Victoria to everyone. It is the best experience for me until now.

What would you improve about this program?
It is hard to think of something to improve. The only thing I could think of is that it is sometimes hard to come into the real kiwi community (we are with internationals most of the time) and it would be nice if there were more possibilities for this.
82 people found this review helpful.
Response from

Hi Anne, thanks for your awesome review! It can be tough meeting locals when you study abroad. Do you know about our International Buddy Programme? If you would like a local student buddy, please contact vi-buddy@vuw.ac.nz.

Also check out the 'Get Connected' section on our website: http://www.victoria.ac.nz/study/why-victoria/getting-connec… or come see us at Victoria International for ideas on how to connect with more of the university and city community.

Questions & Answers

Tuition for study abroad students is $13,500 NZD per semester - typically between $8,000 - $9,000 USD. This does not include student fees, insurance, or living expenses.

Depending, courses are 15/20 points. The normal thing is to choose 3 or 4 depending on the number of points it has. So around 50/60 points would be the normal thing

How was the workload in maor 123? I'm currently taking it, hoping it won't be too difficult. I have a chem lecture that sadly has a final exam... which sucks but hopefully I should be able to do alright.

The hall is around 4.000 NZ $ and you have to pay it all together at once before coming and obviously the flight is also a bit expensive but once here you won't spend much. Traveling is cheap, food is at european price more or less... But there is always a cheap option. It depends on you. I live in a catered hall so food is included so i don't spend more than 50$ per month.