A foreign city increases enrollment and awards scholarships to Vietnamese people, why?

Một thành phố nước ngoài tăng cường tuyển sinh, trao học bổng người Việt, vì sao?- Ảnh 1. — Parents and students listen to New Zealand school representatives advise on study abroad opportunities

Increase the number of exclusive scholarships

On May 17, the Christchurch Education Association (CE) in collaboration with Education New Zealand (ENZ) and Au Hannah Study Abroad Company opened a simulation class in Ho Chi Minh City. The event was attended by more than 20 education providers in Christchurch, New Zealand, and Ms. Stefi Porter, CE Partnership Director and Regional Director of International Education in ChristchurchNZ (Christchurch City's sustainable economic development agency).

This is also the second time a similar event has been held in Vietnam.

Speaking to Thanh Nien , Ms. Porter informed that in the context of some study abroad destinations cutting the number of international students, New Zealand in general and Christchurch City in particular always welcome international students from Vietnam - one of the key investment markets of New Zealand'seducation . The two countries' upgrading their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in February also contributed to deepening this spirit, Ms. Porter said.

A notable point of this city, according to the female director, is that in addition to living in dormitories, students can also live with local people on farms and experience the life of a farmer after class. "We believe that learning is not only about books or serious study hours, but also comes from doing what you love," Ms. Porter commented.

Một thành phố nước ngoài tăng cường tuyển sinh, trao học bổng người Việt, vì sao?- Ảnh 2. — Ms Stefi Porter, Director of Partnerships Christchurch Education Association and Regional Director of International Education ChristchurchNZ

"In addition, all New Zealand schools must comply with the New Zealand Government 's Code of Practice for the Care and Support of International Students, and the study abroad companies that sign contracts with schools are also responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of students," Ms Porter said. "When a student is not suitable for the school they are studying at, we also work together to refer them to another school that is more suitable."

In addition, the New Zealand government and universities are also increasing the number of scholarships for Vietnam. For example, 2025 is the first year that the New Zealand government will implement a university scholarship program exclusively for Vietnamese people with the participation of all 8 New Zealand universities. Also from this year, the University of Otago will launch its first undergraduate scholarship program specifically for Vietnam with a total value of up to 195,000 NZD (nearly 3 billion VND).

"This is the first time we have launched an exclusive scholarship package for Vietnamese students. Up to now, this is the most valuable undergraduate scholarship package from a New Zealand university. This demonstrates the university's strong commitment to attracting and supporting excellent Vietnamese students," said Ms. Tam Le, Regional Director of Southeast Asia at the University of Otago.

Ms. Tam added that in the first semester of 2025, there were 5 outstanding Vietnamese students who won scholarships worth 50,000 NZD (764 million VND) from the University of Otago.

Một thành phố nước ngoài tăng cường tuyển sinh, trao học bổng người Việt, vì sao?- Ảnh 3. — New Zealand Secondary School Costume Show

Simplify the admissions process

Ms. Annie Goh, Director of International Admissions at Lincoln University, emphasized that in the context of changing policies in some countries, the New Zealand government is still committed to prioritizing welcoming international students. "For a long time, we have not had any major changes in international education policy. We really need young talent to promote innovation. The government's commitment to international education has always been steadfast," she said.

“New Zealand has a population of only about 5 million, so we rely on international relationships to drive trade and promote the country. So connecting with international students is very important to help us spread the New Zealand story to the world,” Ms Goh explained. “In the future, there may be some adjustments from the government to shorten the processing time for student visas.”

The director added that her team is working to simplify the application process to make the admission process faster and more accessible. New Zealand does not require SAT or GMAT scores for undergraduate and master's degrees, and Lincoln University alone is offering scholarships worth NZ$7,000-15,000 (VND107-229 million) for international undergraduate and applied master's students, according to Ms. Goh.

Một thành phố nước ngoài tăng cường tuyển sinh, trao học bổng người Việt, vì sao?- Ảnh 4. — Ms Annie Goh (right), Director of International Admissions at Lincoln University, participates in a simulation class with students.

In addition to universities, international students can study at schools belonging to the New Zealand Institute of Technology, such as the Canterbury Institute. Both types of schools are public, said Andy Ge, the school's international marketing director. Unlike universities that focus on academic research, the institutes mainly offer vocational programs and applied bachelor's and master's programs.

"Our organization and operations are similar to applied universities in Vietnam, even though the word 'university' is not in the name," Mr. Ge shared. "However, the class sizes in the academy are usually smaller, with most having only about 20-25 students and a maximum of 30 students," he added.

One difference between the academy system and the university system is that tuition fees are more affordable. “Some universities may increase tuition fees and then reduce them with scholarships, but we don’t do that. We keep tuition fees reasonable from the start, so we don’t need to make up for it with expensive scholarship packages,” Ge said. “However, after enrolling, international students can still apply for scholarships if they have good academic results.”

Besides university education, which attracts the largest number of Vietnamese people, another education sector in New Zealand with the second largest number of Vietnamese people studying is secondary education.

According to statistics from ENZ, the number of Vietnamese people studying in New Zealand high schools is on the rise. This comes from two factors: Tuition fees are said to be lower than in some countries such as the US and Singapore, ranging from 35,000-40,000 NZD/year (535-611 million VND); and the education system orients students towards self-study and development, which is usually only seen at university level, according to analysis by Ms. Colleen Steyn, Principal of Middleton Grange School.

Another highlight is that New Zealand secondary schools respect cultural diversity. "We encourage students to keep their real names, unless they want to use an English name. We have two language days each year, where students can speak in their mother tongue on the school radio. We also have a food and culture festival where students dress up in traditional costumes and showcase traditional dishes from their country," she said.

Christchurch, New Zealand’s second largest city, currently attracts more than 7,500 international students, including 130 from Vietnam. The city is ranked 79th in the QS Best Student Cities 2025, and its three local universities are all ranked in the top 2% of universities in the world. Meanwhile, Vietnam currently has 1,736 people studying in New Zealand, according to ENZ.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mot-thanh-pho-nuoc-ngoai-tang-cuong-tuyen-sinh-trao-hoc-bong-nguoi-viet-vi-sao-185250518175803486.htm