Fees for domestic students
Your tuition fees depend on the individual courses you’ve chosen—learn how much you’ll pay if you are a domestic student at undergraduate or postgraduate level.
Your tuition fees for the year are the total of the fees for the courses you’ve enrolled in. We calculate the fee for each individual course based on:
- the level it is taught at (undergraduate or postgraduate), and
- the per point cost of the subject area, and
- the point value of the course.
As well as tuition fees, you’ll also need to pay some other costs and levies.
If you are facing difficulties in paying your tuition fees on time, contact the Student Fees Advisors as soon as possible, email student-finance@vuw.ac.nz.
Domestic student eligibility
You are eligible to pay domestic fees if you are:
- a New Zealand citizen, or a citizen of Niue, Cook Islands, or Tokelau Islands, or
- a New Zealand resident or permanent resident, or
- an Australian citizen or permanent resident currently living in New Zealand, or
- a diplomat or consular assigned to live in New Zealand, or an immediate dependent.
You can find a full definition of a domestic student in section 17 of the Fees Policy (PDF).
Estimate your fees
We will calculate the final amount for your fees when we accept your enrolment application, but you can estimate the cost of your studies.
- Find the webpage for your qualification—it shows the average cost of a year’s full-time study.
- Use the course finder to locate course outline pages—each outline shows the domestic and international fees for that course.
- Use the fees estimator tool—you can select your courses to get an estimate of the cost of your programme of study.
- Use the cost per point in the tables below combined with the point value of your chosen courses to estimate your fees.
Fees-free tertiary study
If you are a domestic student and have only studied a small amount at tertiary level (or not at all), you may be eligible to study without paying tuition fees.
Other costs and levies
The Student Services Levy and the Student Assistance Levy are compulsory fees for all students. They fund services for students that are not covered by tuition fees and assist students suffering exceptional financial hardship.
Some courses have additional costs for items such as study materials, equipment, or field trips. These additional costs are typically described in the online course outline —use the course finder to look up individual courses.
The University may charge you a fee to cover the cost of administrative tasks such as replacing your student ID card or processing a late payment.
Domestic tuition fees for 2023
For each subject area, the following tables show the cost per point and the average tuition fee for a year’s full-time study. All costs include GST.
| Undergraduate-level study | Cost per point, including GST ($) | Cost of average year of full-time study (120 points), including GST ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities and Social Sciences | 50.05 | 6,006.00 |
| Education | 50.05 | 6,006.00 |
| Music | 63.34 | 7,600.80 |
| Health | 61.54 | 7,384.80 |
| Midwifery | 69.66 | 8,359.20 |
| Commerce | 58.89 | 7,066.80 |
| Law | 58.89 | 7,066.80 |
| Mathematics and Statistics | 55.03 | 6,603.60 |
| Architecture | 69.60 | 8,352.00 |
| Design | 62.55 | 7,506.00 |
| Psychology and Computer Science | 62.55 | 7,506.00 |
| Chemical, Physical, Biological and Earth Sciences | 63.22 | 7,586.40 |
| Engineering | 73.28 | 8,793.60 |
For postgraduate study, there are two different sets of per point rates—for coursework-based qualifications and for thesis-based qualifications.
Tuition fees for Professional Master’s programmes, such as the Executive MBA, are set individually. Find out more about our Master’s programmes.
| Postgraduate (coursework) | Cost per point, including GST ($) | Cost of average year of full-time study (120 points), including GST ($) |
|---|---|---|
Humanities and Social Sciences | 69.60 | 8,352.00 |
Education | 69.60 | 8,352.00 |
Music | 73.33 – 81.49 | 8,799.60 – 9,778.80 |
Health | 78.01 | 9,361.20 |
Commerce | 76.52 | 9,182.40 |
Mathematics and Statistics | 78.23 | 9,387.60 |
Architecture and Design | 79.45 | 9,534.00 |
Psychology and Computer Science | 79.45 | 9,534.00 |
Chemical, Physical, Biological and Earth Sciences | 79.94 | 9,592.80 |
Law | 85.23 | 10,227.60 |
Nursing and Midwifery | 79.82 | 9,578.40 |
Engineering | 79.45 | 9,534.00 |
| Postgraduate (thesis) | Cost per point, including GST ($) | Cost of average year of full-time study (120 points), including GST ($) |
|---|---|---|
Humanities and Social Sciences | 65.49 | 7,858.80 |
Education | 65.49 | 7,858.80 |
Music | 73.33 | 8,799.60 |
Health | 74.71 | 8,965.20 |
Commerce | 72.77 | 8,732.40 |
Law | 72.77 | 8,732.40 |
Mathematics and Statistics | 73.46 | 8,815.20 |
Architecture and Design | 75.77 | 9,092.40 |
Psychology and Computer Science | 75.77 | 9,092.40 |
Nursing and Midwifery | 76.28 | 9,153.60 |
Chemical, Physical, Biological and Earth Sciences | 76.28 | 9,153.60 |
Engineering | 75.77 | 9,092.40 |
Money matters guide
Our Managing Your Money publication is a ‘financial survival’ guide designed to help you plan for the costs of studying and manage your money as well as possible.