Scholarships and Bursaries
Laidlaw College provides access to a number of scholarships, bursaries, and funds for students. All are annual unless otherwise stated. Before you submit your scholarship or bursary application you will need to have applied for or be enrolled in a programme of study at Laidlaw College.
Scholarships and bursaries applications are submitted to the Laidlaw College Scholarships Committee. The Scholarships Committee normally consists of:
- The Academic Dean (Chair)
- The Postgraduate Committee Chair
- Academic staff members from Counselling, Education, and Theology
- A representative from the Rūnanga
- A representative from the Pasifika Council
The Scholarships Committee makes its recommendations to the National Principal/CEO who authorises the awarding of the scholarships and bursaries. All applicants will be notified of the outcome. The recipients of scholarships and bursaries will be advised how payment will be made.
Completing an application does not guarantee you will receive a scholarship or a bursary. Decisions regarding the awarding of scholarships or bursaries are affected by available funds, quality of applications, and the number of applicants each year.
Applications must be received by 1 December for the following year's scholarships.
Māori Student Bursary
Amount: Up to a maximum of $500 per semester
Eligibility: Any undergraduate or postgraduate Māori student who is a citizen or permanent resident of Aotearoa New Zealand and is enrolled in a Laidlaw College recognised programme of study.
This fund is set up by Laidlaw College to recognise and value Māori students and their communities through the provision of funds to support those students in their studies. It is the College’s desire to affirm the implications of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to offer education and an environment in which Māori students can flourish.
The basis of selection will be academic achievement, community involvement, and a personal statement on why the candidate has chosen to study at Laidlaw College. The bursary will be awarded by the Laidlaw College Scholarships Committee.
Applications should include:
- A completed application form
- Evidence of prior academic achievement and/or standing
- Personal statement on why the candidate has chosen to study at Laidlaw College
The application form is found here
For more information please contact the Scholarships team.
Pasifika Student Bursary
Amount: Up to a maximum of $500 per semester
Eligibility: Any undergraduate or postgraduate Pasifika student who is a citizen or permanent resident of Aotearoa New Zealand and is enrolled in a Laidlaw College recognised programme of study.
This fund is set up by Laidlaw College to recognise and value Pasifika students and their communities through the provision of funds to support those students in their studies. It is the College’s desire to see the flourishing of Pasifika students and graduates who will become leaders in their spheres of influence in all aspects of life in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The basis of selection will be academic achievement, community involvement, and a personal statement on why the candidate has chosen to study at Laidlaw College. The bursary will be awarded by the Laidlaw College Scholarships Committee.
Applications should include:
- A completed application form
- Evidence of prior academic achievement and/or standing
- Personal statement on why the candidate has chosen to study at Laidlaw College
The application form is found here
For more information please contact the Scholarships team.
David Stewart Scholarship
Amount: Up to $1,500
Eligibility: Any undergraduate student going into their second or third year of undergraduate study
This fund was set up on the retirement of former Principal David Stewart, our College’s longest serving Principal (24 years). Funds are held by the Laidlaw College Foundation, and controlled and distributed by the Laidlaw College Scholarships Committee. Its purpose is to provide scholarships for needy students of promise in their second or third year of study at Laidlaw College. Where possible the contribution of the Nelson Christian Trust to this fund will be taken into account when considering applications from students from the Nelson region.
To qualify for consideration of the award of a scholarship, students will have met the following criteria:
- Be able to show evidence of academic achievement in your first year of study at Laidlaw College, and involvement in the Laidlaw community
- Demonstrate genuine financial hardship
The application form is found here
For more information please contact the Scholarships team.
McGregor/Kirk Scholarship
Amount: Up to $2,000
Eligibility: Any undergraduate or postgraduate student from the Pacific Islands (excluding New Zealand), or any student planning to undertake missionary service in the Pacific Islands
The purposes of this scholarship is to aid and assist:
- Students from the Pacific Islands including the Islands of Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Papua New Guinea (but excluding New Zealand) embarked on or proposing to embark on full or part-time courses of study at Laidlaw College
- Laidlaw College students who have evidenced an intention of performing missionary service in the Pacific Islands (as described above)
To qualify for consideration of the award of a scholarship, students will have met the following criteria:
- Be able to show evidence of a high level of academic achievement in your secondary schooling, or previous tertiary study history in completed qualifications, and a high level of community involvement
- Demonstrate evidence of being from the Pacific Islands, or intent to perform missionary service in the Pacific Islands
The application form is found here
For more information please contact the Scholarships team.
One Semester Fees Scholarship for Education students, Henderson and Christchurch campus
Amount: Tuition Fees for One Semester (semester two only)
Eligibility: A Laidlaw student currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Education (Primary) programme going into their second or third year or a first-year student who is not eligible for the New Zealand Government’s Fees Free scheme going into their second semester; a Laidlaw student currently enrolled in the Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) going into their second semester.
To qualify for consideration of the award of a scholarship, applicants will have met the following criteria:
- Be of good moral character
- Demonstrate community leadership
- Demonstrate dispositions to be a teacher in Aotearoa New Zealand
- Academic grades demonstrating the ability to complete the programme successfully
- Be a NZ citizen or permanent resident
Limit up to one semester fees scholarship for second semester is available per programme, per campus each year.
The application form is found here
For more information please contact the Scholarships team.
External Scholarships
TeachNZ offer a range of scholarships for students who are currently enrolled or wish to enrol in a teaching programme such as Laidlaw’s Bachelor of Education (Primary). For more information, please refer to the TeachNZ website: https://www.teachnz.govt.nz/studying-to-be-a-teacher/scholarships/
TeachNZ Te Huawhiti Career Changer Scholarship
Are you wanting to change careers and become a teacher or Kaiako? A TeachNZ Te Huawhiti Scholarship could support your journey. With a Career Changer Scholarship, students could study for their teaching qualification, have course fees paid and receive an allowance of $30,000 per year for up to three years. To be eligible:
- You must be changing your career or profession to teaching
- You must have at least 12 years work experience or equivalent experience (either paid and unpaid) since leaving school
Applications can be made for any subject or sector, however priority is given to applications for:
- Science, Hard Technology, Maths, and te reo Māori
- Early Learning and Māori Medium
- Applicants who have a Limited Authority to Teach (LAT) or are Teacher’s Aides, Kaiāwhina, or Kaiārahi i te reo
The 2022 TeachNZ Career Changer Scholarships will close to applications on 15 November 2021. Further scholarship types will open for application from 1 February 2022 – 28 February 2022.
The programme is available for any student planning to enrol, or already enrolled, in Laidlaw’s Bachelor of Education (Primary) and Laidlaw’s Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary).
Applicants can apply for as many different scholarships as they wish, but only accept one.
To apply for a scholarship, applicants must complete an online application form, available on the TeachNZ website.
If you have any questions, contact TeachNZ by calling 0800 165 225 or emailing [email protected]
Farmer Fund Postgraduate Scholarship
Amount: 100% tuition fees (excludes Student Services Fee)
Eligibility: Any student engaged in full-time research through Laidlaw College in conjunction with the Laidlaw College MTh, AUT MPhil, AUT PhD, or ACT postgraduate programmes
With the generous assistance of the Farmer Fund, Laidlaw College offers up to six annual tuition scholarships to students researching in an area of applied or practical theology. This could include an interdisciplinary project engaging with theology and one or more other disciplines such as education or counselling, or could be an application of theology to a particular sphere of life. A central requirement of these scholarships is the expectation that a practical report or professional resource will be produced alongside the thesis or dissertation itself for the benefit of the church and/or wider community in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Research projects within the Laidlaw College MTh, AUT MPhil, AUT PhD or ACT postgraduate research programmes may be eligible. Securing the support of an approved Laidlaw College research supervisor for the project is a requirement of the scholarship. Students within research programmes spanning multiple years of full-time study, such as PhD or DMin programmes, may apply annually for subsequent tuition funding.
Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of academic and leadership potential and project suitability. Laidlaw College reserves the right not to award any scholarship in any given application round.
Please complete the online application form, and attach the following:
- Evidence of eligibility, including institution, programme of study, and supervisor(s) name(s)
- A full academic transcript
- A research plan
- A written reference from an academic referee, and the name of a second referee.
The application form is found here
For more information please contact the Scholarships team.
Master of Theology Matt Alexander Postgraduate Scholarship (Māori)
Amount: $5,000 per semester plus 100% of tuition fees (excludes Student Services Fee)
Eligibility: Any Maori student entering their thesis research year within the MTh programme
With the generous assistance of the Longview Trust, Laidlaw offers one Master of Theology scholarship to a Maori student each year. Each Scholarship is worth $10,000 per year, to which Laidlaw will add a full fees scholarship.
The priority will be students entering the thesis research year. In such cases the scholarship will be for a period of one year (two semesters). In exceptional cases up to three semesters of full-time study (including coursework) may be approved – i.e. $15,000 plus tuition fee).
- Applicants will be theology or ministry graduates, engaged in or qualified to enter Laidlaw’s Master of Theology programme. The scholarships will be for full-time study at Laidlaw for a thesis-based Master of Theology degree
- Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of academic and leadership potential. Laidlaw reserves the right not to award either or any scholarship in any given round
Please complete the online application form, and attach the following:
- evidence of eligibility
- A full academic transcript
- A study plan
- A written reference from an academic referee, and the name of a second referee.
Successful applicants may be asked to meet with members of the Longview Trust to discuss their plans and study.
The application form is found here
For more information please contact the Scholarships team.
Master of Theology Matt Alexander Postgraduate Scholarship (Pasifika)
Amount: $5,000 per semester plus 100% of tuition fees (excludes Student Services Fee)
Eligibility: Any Pasifika student entering their thesis research year within the MTh programme
With the generous assistance of the Longview Trust, Laidlaw offers one Master of Theology Scholarship to one Pasifika student each year. Each Scholarship is worth $10,000 per year, to which Laidlaw will add a full fees scholarship.
The priority will be students entering the thesis research year. In such cases the scholarship will be for a period of one year (two semesters). In exceptional cases up to three semesters of full-time study (including coursework) may be approved – ie $15,000 plus fee).
- Applicants will be theology or ministry graduates, engaged in or qualified to enter Laidlaw’s Master of Theology programme. The scholarships will be for full-time study at Laidlaw for a thesis-based Master of Theology degree
- Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of academic and leadership potential. Laidlaw reserves the right not to award either or any scholarship in any given round
Please complete the online application form, and attach the following:
- Evidence of eligibility
- A full academic transcript
- A study plan
- A written reference from an academic referee, and the name of a second referee
Successful applicants may be asked to meet with members of the Longview Trust to discuss their plans and study.
The application form is found here
For more information please contact the Scholarships team.
International students may be eligible for the scholarships listed below. The following scholarships are exclusively for international students. Note that international students must study on a campus to be eligible. International scholarship applications will only be considered if an application to study at Laidlaw has been received.
International Undergraduate Scholarship
Amount: DipCEd, DipCS, GradDipTh, GradDipEd (Sec) = $3,000 (excludes Student Services Fee). BCouns, BEd, BTh = $5,000 (excludes Student Services Fee)
Eligibility: Any undergraduate international student
The presence of international students at Laidlaw College adds significantly to the richness and vibrancy of our classrooms, scholarship and community life. We are committed to being an intercultural college and welcome participation in our programmes from students from abroad.
To qualify for consideration of the award of a scholarship you should meet the following criteria:
- Demonstrate a commitment to what it means to being a Christian
- Be able to show evidence of a high level of academic achievement in your secondary schooling, or previous tertiary study history in completed qualifications, and a high level of community involvement
- Be able to provide an academic reference as to your ability from a suitable academic leader
- Have applied for and been accepted to a programme of study at Laidlaw College
Please complete the online application form, and attach the following:
- A written reference in support of your scholarship application from a suitable academic leader.
The link for the scholarship application form will be sent on receipt of a completed application to study.
International Postgraduate Scholarship
Amount: PGDip = $3,000 (excludes Student Services Fee). MTh = $5,000 (excludes Student Services Fee)
Eligibility: Any postgraduate international student (Postgraduate Diploma in Theology and Master of Theology students)
The presence of international students at Laidlaw College adds significantly to the richness and vibrancy of our classrooms, scholarship and community life. We are committed to being an intercultural college and welcome participation in our programmes from students from abroad.
To qualify for consideration of the award of a scholarship you should meet the following criteria:
- Demonstrate a commitment to what it means to being a Christian
- Be able to show evidence of a high level of academic achievement in your previous tertiary study history in completed qualifications, and a high level of community involvement
- Be able to provide an academic reference as to your ability
- Have applied for and been accepted to a programme of study at Laidlaw College
Please complete the online application form, and attach the following:
- A written reference in support of your scholarship application from a suitable academic leader.
The link for the scholarship application form will be sent on receipt of a completed application to study.
Liddle Scholarship for current International Students
Amount: Up to $1,500
Eligibility: Any current undergraduate/postgraduate (PGDipTh & MTh) international student
The presence of international students at Laidlaw College adds significantly to the richness and vibrancy of our classrooms, scholarship and community life. We are committed to being an intercultural college and welcome participation in our programmes from students from abroad.
To qualify for consideration of the award of a scholarship you should meet the following criteria:
- Be able to show evidence of academic achievement in your first year of study at Laidlaw College, and involvement in the Laidlaw community
- Demonstrate genuine financial hardship
The application form is found here
For more information please contact the Scholarships team.