New Zealand expands international student recruitment with focus on Vietnam

The New Zealand government is investing up to NZ$2.5 million to support secondary schools in recruiting and caring for international students starting in 2027. This initiative aims to assist schools that currently lack the personnel, experience, or international partnerships required for overseas recruitment and homestay arrangements.

Vietnam has been identified as a key target market for this expansion. To support this, Education New Zealand (ENZ) is organizing scholarship programs and recruitment events. For the 2026 secondary school scholarship program, 56 schools are participating, offering scholarships that cover 50 percent of the first year's tuition specifically for Vietnamese students.

At the tertiary level, several New Zealand universities are offering significant scholarships for Vietnamese students for 2027. The University of Otago provides combined undergraduate awards of up to NZ$50,000 (approximately $28,500), while the University of Auckland offers foundation-program scholarships up to NZ$20,000 and tuition fee coverage for high achievers. Other institutions, including the University of Canterbury and Auckland University of Technology, also provide various undergraduate and master’s level scholarships to attract international talent.