UC Doctoral Scholarship at the University of Canterbury
- Deadline
- October 15, 2026
- Country
- New Zealand
- Institution
- University of Canterbury, Christchurch
- Value
- NZ$32,650 stipend per 120 points (per year full-time) plus tuition fees, up to 3 years
- Level
- phd
- Eligibility
- International Students
- Field
- Any/All fields of study
About
Quick answer: The UC Doctoral Scholarship funds research doctoral (PhD) study in any discipline at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch: a stipend of NZ$32,650 per 120 points (one year of full-time study) plus tuition fees, for up to 360 points — three years of thesis enrolment. There is no nationality restriction, so Nigerian applicants compete on academic merit like everyone else.
There are two rounds a year. The next one opens 20 August 2026 and closes 15 October 2026, for students starting their doctorate before 1 July 2027; the following round (opens 20 March, closes 15 May) covers second-half-2027 starts. Top-ranked applicants may have the stipend topped up by a “Prestige” award (e.g. to NZ$37,650).
Eligibility
- Open to domestic and international applicants for a research doctoral degree at UC, any discipline.
- Awarded competitively on academic merit and research potential — an excellent Bachelor’s plus research Master’s/Honours record is expected.
- You must also apply for doctoral admission through the myUC portal by the same closing date — the scholarship is not assessed without an admission application.
- Agree your research topic with a UC academic supervisor before applying.
Additional Information
How to apply: contact a supervisor in your field, then submit both the admission application (myUC) and the scholarship application on canterbury.ac.nz before 15 October 2026. Application is free — treat any “agent” charging for UC scholarship applications as a scam. Starting an undergraduate degree instead? See the UC International First Year Scholarship.