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Commonwealth Scholarship Plan - New Zealand
NOTE: this competition is closed. A new competition is expected to be announced in August 2010.
Award
Student
Application process
Award
Award Types
- Awards are for study at the master’s or doctoral level in all disciplines, but programs with higher than normal fees (e.g. MBA) are not supported under a Commonwealth Scholarship.
- Awards are tenable at University of Auckland; University of Canterbury; Lincoln University; Massey University; University of Otago; Victoria University of Wellington; University of Waikato
Award Value
Allowances and entitlements are in the list provided by participating universities: Value of scholarships for New Zealand * *This link leads to a site belonging to an entity not subject to the Official Languages Act. Information on this site is available in the language of the site.Duration
- For master's study, awards are for up to two years, with possibility of a three-month extension.
- For doctoral study, the maximum length is four years.
Background
The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan is celebrating 50 years. The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) was established in 1959, with the first scholars selected in 1960. The Plan was suggested in an influential speech by Sidney Smith, a former President of the University of Toronto and later Canadian Minister of External Affairs, in September 1958. The goal of the Plan is to nurture educational links among Commonwealth countries and to strengthen the ideals upon which the Commonwealth was founded. Over 25,000 Commonwealth citizens have held awards - many going on to reach the very highest levels of their profession. For further background on the CSFP, visit: www.csfp-online.org/ * *This link leads to a site belonging to an entity not subject to the Official Languages Act. Information on this site is available in the language of the site.
The chief contributors of awards with the Plan are Canada and the UK, but 20 countries have offered awards over its 50-year lifespan.
Currently New Zealand universities offer awards to Canadians for master’s or doctoral study under the Plan which is managed in New Zealand by the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors' Committee* *This link leads to a site belonging to an entity not subject to the Official Languages Act. Information on this site is available in the language of the site.
Each university's Scholarship Committee is responsible for final selection, academic matters, payments to scholars and for arranging travel, reception and her services.
Student
Eligibility
Applicants:- Must be Canadian citizens residing permanently in Canada.
- Already studying in New Zealand are eligible to apply.
- Must have completed a university degree no more than five years preceding year of application or expect to obtain a university degree prior to commencement of the award.
- Who have completed an appropriate qualification three or more years ago, must show relevant related work experience.
- Must have a minimum A- average.
- Whose native language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)*.
- In Business, Management and related fields must take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)*.
- In Economics and related fields should note that some universities require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)*.
Conditions
- The New Zealand’s Vice-Chancellors’ Committee will require a medical report before an award can be confirmed. Where applicable, spouse and children must also meet all requirements for entry to NZ.
- Scholars will be required to sign an undertaking to return to Canada as soon as their award comes to an end.
- A Commonwealth Scholarship covers fees, fares and personal maintenance; other awards covering similar benefits may not be held concurrently.
- Scholars must be able to commence study in New Zealand in February/March following pre-selection (i.e. a year after the competition).
Obligations
- Scholars must follow the approved course of study and abide by the rules of the institution in which they are placed.
- Scholars will be expected to reside in NZ throughout their award, and to seek prior approval for any proposed visits abroad.
- Scholars may not undertake paid employment during their award without prior consent.
- Scholars may not serve on the staff of the Canadian High Commission or Consulate in NZ.
- An award may be terminated at any time for reasons of a scholar's unsatisfactory progress or conduct or for breach of conditions or obligations of the award.
Application Process
How to Apply
Applicants must complete the Online Application.- Enter your data in the fields provided, following the instructions for each item.
- Upon completion, verify your data prior to submitting.
- To obtain a hard copy for your records, prior to submitting, you may print the form using the print function of your browser. Note that CBIE does not require a hard copy.
- SUBMIT to provide your application electronically to CBIE.
- Proof of Canadian citizenship: one certified copy of one of the following: birth certificate, citizenship card or passport (do not include original documents). A certificate of baptism is not accepted as proof of Canadian citizenship. Photocopies of certified copies are not acceptable.
- Signed Declaration by Applicant found at the end of the online application.
- Three letters of recommendation.
- Six recent passport-size photographs. Write your full name on the back of one photograph.
- Official transcript (one) of all post-secondary studies to date, including those at university, community college and Cégep, either sent directly from the issuing institution or included in your application package in the sealed envelope provided to you by the institution.
- Proof of registration for studies in progress, including courses being taken.
- One copy of your letter(s) of acceptance (if applicable).
- Two sets of artwork samples for applicants in Fine Arts, Music and Architecture. Applicants in the history or theory of art, music, or architecture are not required to submit samples.
- Applicants in the Fine Arts* (painting, graphic arts, sculpture and photography) must submit up to 20 slides of 20 original works. Film-makers and video artists must submit at least one recent film, indicating when it was made, how the applicant was involved in its production and the running time. These must be provided on CD/DVD, be dated, and clearly identified with the applicant’s name.
- Applicants in Music* must submit CDs of three works totaling no more than 30 minutes. The recordings of singers and instrumentalists must be chosen from three different musical periods, except in the case of Baroque musicians, who must include movements from three different types of pieces. Piano accompaniments may be included. Composers must submit scores and recordings of three different types of works composed by them. All recordings must begin with a spoken declaration by the applicant's music professor that the samples on the recording were performed or written by the applicant and are unedited.
- Applicants in Architecture* must submit up to 10 reproductions of drawings, provided on CD/DVD.
Deadline
The online application must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. EST, December 21, 2009. Supporting documents must be postmarked on or before this date.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that supporting documents are submitted by the deadline. The selection committee will not accept incomplete files. All required information must appear in the space provided: supporting documents other than those specifically requested will not be accepted.
We strongly recommend that you collect all the required supporting documents in sealed envelopes and send them to CBIE in one package by a method which will provide you with confirmation of its delivery, such as courier service or registered mail.
If you are unable to collect all the required supporting documents, please ensure that your referees and institution(s) issuing transcripts submit the documents directly to CBIE by the deadline. Be sure to identify the name of the scholarship program for which you are applying on all documentation sent to CBIE.
Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE)
Attn: Commonwealth Scholarships – New Zealand
220 Laurier W/O, Suite 1550
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5Z9
Notification
Applicants who are pre-selected by the Canadian Scholarship Selection Committee will be notified in February by CBIE that their applications will be forwarded to the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors’ Committee as “nominees”.
Those who are not pre-selected will also be notified in February by CBIE.
