New Zealand Refugee Health Scholarship

The New Zealand Refugee Health Scholarship Programme was developed in 2025 by the National Leadership and Coordination Service (NLCS), a joint function established through a partnership between the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) | Immigration New Zealand, the Ministry of Health, and the Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora). The scholarship is available to both undergraduate  and postgraduate applicants and the first year of the award will be for study commencing first semester or first trimester of 2026.

The purpose of the scholarship is to create more equitable access to health-related education and training for former refugees to increase refugee representation in the refugee health workforce. This is to improve health outcomes for former refugees and their families.

This scholarship fund will assist recipients to commence or complete their undergraduate, post-graduate or other health-related education and training. The qualification could be a Bachelors, Masters, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Graduate Certificate, or Graduate Diploma.

Eligibility

Applicants must be:

  • Be a former refugee or the child of a former refugee. Former refugees include those who resettled in New Zealand through one of the following pathways:
    • Convention Refugee,
    • UNHCR Quota programme
    • Community Organisation Refugee Sponsorship.
    • Child means people who were born in New Zealand, but their parent(s) or guardian(s) resettled in New Zealand as former refugees.
  • Have successfully completed at least one year of tertiary study, and
  • Be enrolled or intending to enrol in full time study in a health-related qualification with at least one year of full-time study remaining at the time of the award. Eligible qualifications must be at level 7 or above and offered by a NZQA-accredited
  • tertiary providers with at least one year of full-time study remaining at the time of the award.
  • Have the potential to complete their chosen qualification.
  • A New Zealand Citizen, Permanent Resident or Resident visa and ordinarily resident in New Zealand.

Value and number awarded.

The number of scholarships available in any given year will be determined by the Selection Committee, valued up to $25,000.

This scholarship is currently under review.

Read the Regulations and confirm your eligibility to apply for this scholarship.

Apply online - the link is here.