Mountain landscape reflected on Lake Wanaka, South Island, New Zealand.

New Zealand Always open — UC's regulations list no closing date, and awards are made as the annual budget permits. Register interest with UC's international team as early as you can in your application cycle

UC Deans Award

The UC Deans Award is the University of Canterbury's discretionary fee-assistance award for international students starting at Christchurch. It is worth understanding for what it is rather than what the name suggests. UC's own regulations describe the value simply as assistance with international fees, set by the selection committee and stated in your offer letter, with the number available each year being however many the budget permits. There is no published figure and no fixed percentage — so do not build a family budget around it. Treat it as a possible reduction on top of a plan you can already afford. What makes it unusual, and genuinely worth knowing about, is the access route. There is no separate application form and no closing date: the award is always open, and UC counts an expression of interest in studying at UC made to a student recruiter, or an application for any UC scholarship open to international students, as an application for this award. A Sri Lankan student who registers interest with UC's international recruitment team is therefore already in the pool. The award is tenable for one year and applies to your first year of enrolment, undergraduate or postgraduate, so it is a start-up discount rather than a multi-year package. One trap to avoid: UC's better-advertised High Achievers Scholarship is restricted to citizens of a specific list of Asian countries that does not include Sri Lanka, so a Sri Lankan applicant should not count on it. The Deans Award has no such nationality list.

University of Canterbury

University-funded

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Value

Assistance with international fees (amount not published)

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Tenure

One Year, First Year of Enrolment

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Application

No Separate Form — Always Open

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Full-Fee-Paying International Student

Recipients must be full-fee-paying international students. UC's regulations exclude citizens of New Zealand or Australia, permanent residents of Australia, and holders of New Zealand residence class visas. A Sri Lankan citizen on a New Zealand student visa is eligible.

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First Year of Enrolment, Any Level

The award applies to your first year of enrolment in a programme at UC and covers both undergraduate and postgraduate starters. Continuing students who are already partway through a UC degree are not the target group.

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Academic Achievement and Potential

Selection is made on the recommendation of a committee comprising UC's Director of Recruitment (or nominee) and the Associate Dean of the relevant faculty (or nominee), with academic achievement among the criteria considered. Strong A/L results or a good Sri Lankan bachelor's degree is what puts you in contention.

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Value Is Discretionary, Not Fixed

UC does not advertise an amount. The value is set by the selection committee and stated in the offer of the award, and the number of awards each year depends on available budget. Plan your finances on full fees and treat any award as a reduction you did not count on.

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Register interest with UC's international recruitment team

Under UC's regulations, an expression of interest in studying at UC made to a student recruiter counts as an application for this award. Do this early — before or alongside your programme application — so you are in the pool from the start.

Apply for admission to a UC programme

Submit your UC application with certified A/L results and transcripts, or your Sri Lankan degree transcript and final certificate for postgraduate entry, plus English evidence. UC accepts IELTS and equivalents; check the requirement for your specific programme.

Apply for other UC international scholarships as well

An application for any UC scholarship open to international students also registers you for the Deans Award, so applying for UC's other international awards costs you nothing and widens your chances. Check each one's own nationality rules — some are limited to countries that exclude Sri Lanka.

Check the award value in your offer, then apply for your student visa

If you are made an award, the value will be stated in the offer letter — read it before you pay any deposit. Sri Lankan students then apply to Immigration New Zealand online, evidencing tuition and living costs; the award letter reduces the fee figure you must prove. Allow a comfortable margin for processing time.

Why the University of Canterbury?

UC is Christchurch's research university and one of New Zealand's eight public universities, with particular strength in engineering, forestry, science and teacher education. Christchurch is markedly cheaper to live in than Auckland, which matters when the whole budget converts back into rupees, and the campus sits within reach of both the Southern Alps and the Canterbury coast. New Zealand's post-study work rights let eligible graduates stay on to work after a qualifying degree, which is a large part of why Sri Lankan families look at the country in the first place.