A sunset view of Queenstown, New Zealand — the town and Lake Wakatipu beneath the snow-capped Remarkables mountain range.

New Zealand Applications open Closes 15 January 2027

South Asia IT Innovator Scholarship

This is one of the few New Zealand scholarships that names Sri Lanka explicitly rather than leaving you to work out whether "international" includes you. Media Design School in Auckland reserves the South Asia IT Innovator Scholarship for students from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, and it cuts 25 per cent off the first year of the Bachelor of Information Technology. Media Design School is a specialist creative-technology institution — it is best known in the games and visual-effects industry, and its graduates work at studios doing animation, VFX and game development — so the IT degree sits in a distinctly production-oriented environment rather than a conventional computer-science faculty. For a Sri Lankan school-leaver with strong A/L results in maths or IT and an interest in software, games or digital production, this is a realistic, well-defined target with a named country list you are actually on. Two things to be clear about. The reduction applies to Year 1 only, so budget the full international fee for years two and three. And the award is forfeited if you become a New Zealand citizen while enrolled, which is a technicality for most applicants but worth knowing. Intake deadlines are firm: 15 January 2027 for the February 2027 start and 15 June 2027 for July 2027.

Open for the February 2027 intake (applications close 15 January 2027) and the July 2027 intake (close 15 June 2027)

Media Design School

University-funded

emoji_events Award Overview

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Value

25% off Year 1 fees

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Programme

Bachelor of Information Technology

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Country list

Sri Lanka named explicitly

info How this award actually works

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Who awards it

Media Design School — not Lanka Scholar. We are not the awarding body and cannot grant, reserve or guarantee this award.

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How you are considered

Through your admission application. Awards like this are usually assessed automatically from the application you already submit — there is typically no separate scholarship form to fill in.

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What it covers

25% Fee Reduction for Year 1 of the Bachelor of Information Technology. This is a reduction in tuition, not a full ride. You still fund the remainder, plus living costs and the balance your visa requires you to show.

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Where we come in

We make the admission application strong enough to be competitive — course choice, documents, references and deadlines. The funder makes the decision.

fact_check Eligibility Criteria

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Sri Lanka Is on the Named Country List

The scholarship is for students from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. This is not a generic international award — Sri Lankan citizens are a named target group.

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Not a New Zealand Citizen

You must not be a New Zealand citizen. The award is forfeited if you become one while enrolled.

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Enrolling in the Bachelor of Information Technology

The award attaches to the Bachelor of Information Technology specifically. Sri Lankan A/Ls, Cambridge or Edexcel A-Levels are assessed for entry equivalence — check the programme's subject requirements before applying.

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Year 1 Only

The 25 per cent reduction covers the first year. Years two and three are charged at the full international rate, so plan the whole three-year budget rather than just the first instalment.

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English Proficiency

Media Design School's degree programmes require IELTS around 6.0 or an accepted equivalent. Sri Lankan applicants from English-medium schooling should ask admissions in writing which alternative evidence, if any, is accepted.

account_tree Application Process

Apply for the Bachelor of Information Technology

Submit your Media Design School application with A/L results, school transcripts, passport copy and English evidence before the intake's application deadline.

Apply for the scholarship by the intake deadline

Submit the South Asia IT Innovator Scholarship application by 15 January 2027 for a February 2027 start, or 15 June 2027 for a July 2027 start.

Selection

Media Design School assesses eligible South Asian applicants and applies the 25 per cent reduction to Year 1 tuition for successful candidates.

Pay the reduced fee and apply for the student visa

Accept your offer, pay the reduced first-year fee, and apply to Immigration New Zealand for a student visa with your offer of place, receipt, and evidence of NZD living funds plus onward travel.

Why Media Design School?

Media Design School is Auckland's specialist creative-technology institution, with an international reputation in game development, animation and visual effects, and industry-standard studio facilities. Its IT degree sits inside that production culture, so students graduate having built things rather than only having studied them.

25%

Year 1 fee reduction

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South Asian countries named, including Sri Lanka

Auckland

Campus city

Looking for a scholarship because of the cost?

Then start here instead. Scholarships are competitive, usually partial, and decided by someone else — they are the least reliable way to make studying abroad affordable. Your destination and course choice move the number far more, and both are entirely within your control.

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