UC Aho Hīnātore | UC Accelerator Scholarship

To be eligible, potential students must:

• Qualify for admission to the PhD at UC. In cases where a potential student demonstrates particular promise but does not yet meet the research experience requirement of the PhD (and by prior negotiation with the Dean of Postgraduate Research), accelerated admission to the PhD may be approved;
• Have completed their most recent study (within 5 years) at a New Zealand university, prior to April 2024;
• Exhibit a minimum GPA of 7 in the last two years of study; 
• Not be enrolled in a course during the project period, unless prior approval has been obtained from the Dean of Postgraduate Research.
• Be residing in New Zealand.

During the project, individuals must:

• Hold a valid visa, if an international student. Contact Immigration NZ for more information;
• Dedicate at least 25 hours per week to the project across a 12-week period;
• Attain a minimum of three learning outcomes from the 12-week project.
  • The learning outcomes must be detailed on the Aho Hīnātore Evaluation Form.
  • The student must report on the attainment of the learning outcomes at the completion of the project.
  • Attainment of these outcomes will represent successful completion of the project.
• Understand that if they successfully complete this project, they will be offered a UC Aho Hīnātore | Accelerator PhD Scholarship valued at $28K per annum plus tuition for a maximum of 360 points of PhD study.

During your project you will be enrolled in a zero credit course (SCHL590) which will give you access to the buildings and resources you require. Successful completion of this course, i.e. your project, will be the prerequisite of continuing on to PhD studies.

Towards the end of your project, you and your supervisor will sign off on the success of the project and this will be used as part of your application documents for the PhD programme. Individuals must submit the Aho Hīnātore Evaluation Form within one week of completion of the 12-week project to be eligible for the Accelerator PhD Scholarship.

After your admission has been processed and you have accepted your formal offer, the Scholarships Office will then proceed to arrange your Accelerator PhD Scholarship.

Successful recipients must commence their PhD studies by the 1st June.

Scholarship regulations should be the first point of call when trying to find out more information about a particular scholarship. 

UC Aho Hīnātore | Accelerator Project Scholarship Regulations

UC Aho Hīnātore | Accelerator PhD Scholarship Regulations

Please note: These scholarships are subject to funding availability and are reviewed each year. The UC Scholarships Office administers most of these scholarships. Please search our scholarships database for all scholarships currently available.

If these scholarships are available, the round typically opens mid-May and all proposals must be submitted by 5pm 4th August with decisions on awardees announced in the final week of September.

• Projects with a named student will need to apply through the Community Force system. Apply here using your myUC account.
• Where a project has no named student the supervisory team will need to complete the application form on paper and email it to the scholarships office (scholarships@canterbury.ac.nz) by the deadline. A limited number of projects without a proposed student will be considered but a student must be secured and ready to start by April 1st to retain the funding.