Kaitoko | First Year Student Advisors
Kaitoko provide academic, pastoral and holistic support for first year students to help them navigate UC and achieve their study goals. Appointments can be booked on their webpage.
10 Minute Student Advice Drop-ins
The Faculty of Science Advising team are on leave for the Easter break and will be returning on Monday 28 April. No student advising will be available during this period. If your query is urgent, please email the appropriate undergraduate or postgraduate email address and your email will be attended to on our return.
The Undergraduate Science Faculty Advisor team is running 10-minute drop-ins for quick questions.
Afternoon sessions: Monday - Friday, 1pm - 3pm
Location: Ground floor of Beatrice Tinsley
These drop-ins are for brief questions, such as the following:
- 2025 course planning (please do a draft plan yourself and bring it along)
- Checking eligibility to graduate
- Pre-requisite failure
- Third-time enrolment
- Entry requirement for postgraduate
For longer sessions, such as degree planning, credit transfer or changing a degree/major, please book an appointment below.
Make an Appointment
Student advisors are available 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday for face-to-face, phone or video conferencing appointments via Zoom. Please make an appointment using the links below.
Please note that if you have been unwell we would prefer you to book a phone or Zoom appointment.
Find answers to our most frequently asked questions here. For further queries or assistance, make an appointment with our student advisors.
To make an appointment please click on a profile below.
Undergraduate student advice
Postgraduate student advice
Postgraduate students should visit our Postgraduate advice and forms page or email directly at sciencepgadvice@canterbury.ac.nz
Students who are considering starting their first degree at UC should seek advice from our Future Students Office, Phone 0800 VARSITY (827 748), Email us.
First Year Students should visit the dedicated Kaitoko, First Year Student Advisors in Te Pātaka, level 3, Puaka James Hight. Information on how to book an appointment can be found here.
Students who are second-year and beyond should talk to the Faculty of Science. Please read below for more information on how we can help.
Our Advisors can help you with
Getting started:
- Degree planning, including double degrees and double majors
- Explaining your course options
- Understanding the University Calendar and degree regulations
Meeting requirements for graduation:
- Advice on eligibility to graduate
Transferring and cross-crediting:
- Transfer of credits from other tertiary institutions
- Permissions to take courses at other New Zealand universities for credit to a UC degree
- Cross-crediting between several undergraduate degrees
- Transferring between degrees
Dealing with changes in your circumstances:
- Exemptions, such as waivers of pre-requisites or core-requirements
- Withdrawal from courses
- Masters thesis suspensions
- Masters thesis extensions
- Part-time enrolment at postgraduate level
Dealing with study-related issues:
- Academic appeals
Some departments recommend having studied certain subjects at school. Find out more: Best Preparation for a BSc (pdf 57KB)
If you are unsure whether you want to commit to a 3-year or 4-year degree you can enrol in a Certificate in Science.
If you haven't already studied sciences at Years 12 and 13 you might find it helpful to enrol in the Science Headstart (Summer Preparatory Programme).
Māori students
Te Whare Wananga o Waitaha offers a welcoming environment for Māori students and provides support and encouragement for Māori to achieve academic excellence.
Pasifika students
The University of Canterbury provides a welcoming and supportive environment for students of Pacific heritage. Academic and cultural support services have been designed to ensure that you get the most out of both your studies and your free time.
Students with disabilities
For advice on support for students with a disability, please see the Equity & Disability Service.
Student Support
The Student Support team provides a range of services, support and useful information for students, both domestic and international students.
Student Care
Student Care is a free and confidential support service for all UC students.
Learn more about the Student Care team and their services.
Career advice and planning
UC Careers and Employment provides advice and resources for job seeking, (including CV development) and information about prospective jobs and employers.
Departments and Schools
Departments and Schools can help you with questions regarding their courses and course selection.
Academic support
The Academic Skills Centre is a free service that offers writing and study advice, resources and support for students from first-year through to PhD.
If you wish to add, change or discontinue any of your current courses you must follow the correct procedure.
A change of enrolment application should be submitted online and goes through an approval process via the relevant department/school and the Student Advisors.
Key dates for enrolment changes
Before you make the change, make sure you are aware of the key dates for enrolment and withdrawal from courses.
Course change process
To make changes to your current enrolment:
- Go to MyUC.
- Login using your University student "Username" and "Password".
- Click on the "Enrolment" button.
- Proceed with your change of enrolment application, following the instructions and make sure you complete the application by clicking on "submit".
If you have not heard anything about your change of enrolment application within one week, please contact the Enrolment Contact Centre or the Student Advisors to find out what the status of your application is.
What happens next?
Once a change has been approved, you will be emailed or posted a notification of change which must be accepted in order for the change to be finalised. Approvals are based on meeting the required prerequisites for a course, your workload (number of points enrolled in) and degree requirements.
If a change is not approved, your application will be declined. The Student Advisors may also contact you, in order to offer advice about your options.
How will my loan, allowance and fees be affected?
Changing or withdrawing from your courses will have implications for your fees. If you have a student allowance and/or loan, these may be affected as well. You should make sure you know exactly what the implications will be for you, BEFORE you put through an application for a change of enrolment.
Advice
Before you make a change to your enrolment, you may wish to get some academic advice. You can contact the relevant department or contact the Student Advisor.
Find out more about how degrees are structured is available on our undergraduate study page.
Forms
The following forms are pdf files. Click on the links to download. If you do not have acrobat reader installed, please email us for a copy of the form to be sent to your student email address.
Postgraduate students should visit our Postgraduate advice and forms page.
