School students are encouraged to apply for a limited number of Year-13 scholarships to study their chosen career at EIT | Te Pūkenga.

Students (ākonga) in their last year of school have been offered the opportunity to apply for a limited number of Year-13 scholarships to study their chosen career at EIT | Te Pūkenga.

The Year 13 Scholarship, which is offered annually by EIT | Te Pūkenga, covers one year of tuition fees including any course related costs which have been approved to be included as part of the scholarship.

Currently the Government Fees Free policy covers the fees for their first year of study and this scholarship could cover the student’s second year of study. This could mean two years of their degree are fees free.

To qualify, students must meet the degree (or eligible certificate or diploma) entry criteria, be accepted to undertake full-time degree study at EIT|Te Pūkenga, starting semester one, and any other terms and conditions related to the programme.

Meriama Taufale, the Team Leader – Engagement and Transitions at EIT | Te Pūkenga, says the scholarship offers school students in Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti the opportunity to remain at home and study what they are interested in.

“Some of our students are still surprised that they can study a degree locally. We’ve got some really specialised degrees which are well-renowned across the country.”

“Examples of this are our Bachelor of Viticulture and Wine Science; our Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts, which is based at Toihoukura in Tairāwhiti; or our Bachelor of Veterinary Nursing.”

“We’ve got some degrees that are open to students nationwide, but primarily we want to focus on our Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti students to keep them local.”

Meriama says that not only is it cheaper for students, because they can live at home, but they also have the wraparound support from whānau, which helps them succeed. They also benefit from a lower student loan at the end of the degree.

Applications close on Thursday, 19 October at 5pm and more information can be found at https://www.eit.ac.nz/students/year13scholarship/. To register interest in the Year 13 Scholarship email yr13@eit.ac.nz.