New Zealand universities announce a series of special policies for Vietnamese students

Education New Zealand (ENZ) said all New Zealand universities will increase support for Vietnamese students studying for Masters and PhD degrees, especially Project 89 candidates, demonstrating their commitment to promoting educational cooperation between the two countries.

Previously, at the end of February 2025, during the visit to Vietnam of New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, representatives of the New Zealand Universities Council (UNZ) and the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam signed a Cooperation Agreement to support the implementation of Project 89. The Agreement was signed under the witness of the two Prime Ministers at the Government Office .

All 8 New Zealand universities are in the top 2% of the world's best universities, with research investment of up to 1.4 billion NZD/year.

Immediately afterwards, New Zealand universities simultaneously announced additional support policies specifically for Project 89 candidates. The support packages include a 3-month English scholarship, living allowance for accompanying families, research funding, international conferences, health care services, psychological counseling, academic publishing support, and research capacity building training courses...

“We believe that Vietnamese lecturers and educators have great potential to contribute to global education,” said Ben Burrowes, ENZ’s Regional Director for Asia.

Supporting Project 89 candidates not only helps improve expertise but also opens up opportunities for long-term cooperation between the two countries.

Of the more than 1,500 PhD students graduating each year, approximately 57% are international students.

In terms of costs, New Zealand currently has a PhD tuition fee of only about 3,600–6,000 USD/year, meaning the total maximum cost is about 24,000 USD for 4 years of study – much lower than the support level of 25,000 USD/year of Project 89. Living expenses of about 12,000 USD/year are also consistent with the support level of more than 13,000 USD/year in Vietnam.

New Zealand also allows international students at Master's and PhD levels to bring their spouses and children along and to work full-time during the course - favorable conditions that help students feel secure in developing their academic careers.

All New Zealand universities are currently in the top 2% of the world's best universities, meeting the standards for accepting Project 89 scholars of the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training. Many of the universities' training majors are highly ranked such as Engineering, Education, Medicine, Agriculture, Public Policy, Sustainable Development...

During a recent mission, ENZ, New Zealand universities and the New Zealand Embassy in Vietnam worked directly with the Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam National University in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang to promote the implementation of Project 89 and introduce scholarship opportunities to university lecturers and staff.

Representatives of Education New Zealand (ENZ), New Zealand universities work with the Ministry of Education and Training, and Vietnamese universities to provide the best support for Vietnamese students who want to pursue a PhD in New Zealand.

Currently, up to 15% of international students in New Zealand are studying for a PhD. Each year, the country trains more than 1,500 PhD students, of which nearly 60% are international students. New Zealand universities spend about NZ$1.4 billion a year on research.

In addition to special preferential policies, Vietnamese students can also access many scholarship programs such as Manaaki (government-funded), full PhD scholarships and partial Master's scholarships from schools.

MINH ANH

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/dai-hoc-new-zealand-cong-bo-hang-loat-chinh-sach-dac-biet-cho-sinh-vien-viet-nam-ar945522.html