Paying your fees

Find out about paying your fees and insurance as a new international student, and what to do if you have a scholarship or student loan.

When to pay

Once you have received an Offer of Place you can pay your fees. You must pay your tuition fees when you apply for a student visa or by the Friday before the start of trimester.

Paying for insurance and student levies

The cost of your Studentsafe Inbound University insurance and student levies is included in your Offer of Place.

We recommend you pay for your insurance when you pay your fees to avoid unnecessary delays to your enrolment. If you haven’t paid your student levies and insurance in advance, these payments are due the Friday before the start of trimester. Either way, you will be insured for your travel to New Zealand.

What to pay

Your fees depend on what you are studying—your Offer of Place will estimate what you need to pay. Your final tuition fees will be calculated once you have chosen your courses and completed enrolment.

Annual fee increases

The University’s fees are reviewed annually. The estimated fees in your Offer of Place are based on the fees at the time of issuing the Offer. Tuition, insurance, and levy fees are subject to increase each academic year.

Paying by instalment

New international students or students starting a new degree or programme need to pay most initial study costs upfront.

If you are paying by an international student loan, email our financial administrator to see whether you can apply for an instalment plan.

Paying by scholarship or student loan

If you have:

  • a scholarship from Victoria University of Wellington, you should pay your tuition fees less the confirmed scholarship amount
  • a scholarship from an external organisation, you should pay your tuition fees in full; we can discuss payment plans if your scholarship funds will not be available to you before the start of trimester
  • a private bank loan or government loan that is not administered by Victoria University of Wellington, you should pay your tuition fees in full.

If your study is being funded by a scholarship or loan, you will need to provide your scholarship or loan letter to Immigration New Zealand when you apply for your student visa.

Proof of fees for your visa application

Once we have received and processed your fee payment, we will issue you a Summary of Deposit. This may take up to six business working days after you pay. Use this as proof of payment when you apply for your student visa.

We will send your Summary of Deposit to the email address provided in your application. If you have applied through an agent, they will also receive a copy of your Summary of Deposit.

We can provide your Summary of Deposit directly to Immigration New Zealand on your behalf. Email your Immigration New Zealand visa application number and the email address of the immigration officer dealing with your student visa application to international@vuw.ac.nz.

After you have paid

If it has been longer than six days since you made your payment and you have not received your Summary of Deposit, contact student-finance@vuw.ac.nz.

Getting a refund

Once you have paid your fees, you are covered by the refund policy as stated in the University’s Fees Statute. Read our terms and conditions of enrolment.

To apply for a full refund of any tuition fees, you must withdraw by the course withdrawal dates. You may also be eligible for a refund of your student levies.

If you withdraw from all of your courses after you arrive in New Zealand, you may have to pay a NZ$1,000 administration fee.

If you are enrolled in the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programme and withdraw within two weeks of the start of the programme, you will receive a full refund of fees less an administration fee (if applicable).

You must request a refund in writing—email student-refund@vuw.ac.nz. All refund requests are processed after the withdrawal cut-off date for that trimester.