Fund your study
Media Design School offers a range of undergraduate entrance scholarships to prospective students who display the potential for academic excellence in specific areas of digital design.
Click on the scholarships below to see whether you're eligible to apply:
Media Design School 2021 Scholarships
If you are currently a New Zealand secondary school student and you have consistently achieved high marks throughout your education, then you should definitely consider applying for a Media Design School Academic Excellence Scholarship.
Media Design School’s Academic Excellence Scholarships give four students with exceptional academic potential in digital design $2,000 to put towards their first year of undergraduate degree-level tuition fees with Asia Pacific’s No.1 digital design school.
Selection Criteria
To be eligible to apply for an Academic Excellence Scholarship, you must:
- Have finished Year 12 and be in the process of completing Year 13 at a New Zealand school;
- Apply for the first year of the Bachelor of Creative Technologies (Game Art);Bachelor of Software Engineering (Game Programming); Bachelor of Media Design (February intake only); or the Bachelor of Art and Design. Please note that one Media Design School Academic Excellence Scholarship will be awarded for each of these qualifications.
- Demonstrate the potential for academic excellence at degree-level by providing your Academic Transcript;
- If you are applying for the Bachelor of Creative Technologies, Bachelor of Media Design, or the Bachelor of Art and Design you will need to supply a portfolio demonstrating your artistic ability.
How do I apply?
To be eligible for this scholarship, you will need to explicitly state that you are applying for this scholarship in your Letter of Intent, which is part of your official Media Design School application.
It would be beneficial for you to highlight any notable academic achievements in digital design (or a related field) in your Letter of Intent.
Additional Information
Applicants must be New Zealand Citizens or Permanent Residents.
Scholarship Recipients will be determined on the merits of the student’s portfolio and their demonstrated academic excellence.
The submissions will be judged by Media Design School’s Academic and Admissions Panel, which will consist of representatives from the degree that the student is applying for as well as members from the Admissions department. The Academic and Admissions Panel’s determination of the scholarship recipients will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
If you are currently a New Zealand secondary school student and you have consistently achieved high marks throughout your education, then the Māori Academic Excellence Scholarship may be right for you.
Media Design School’s Māori Academic Excellence scholarships provide two Maori students with exceptional academic potential in digital design a 50% discount on year 1 and 50% discount on year 2 the tuition fees of their chosen programme of study at Asia Pacific’s No.1 digital design school.
Selection Criteria
To be eligible to apply for an Academic Excellence Scholarship, you must:
- Have finished Year 12 and be in the process of completing Year 13 at a New Zealand school OR be an existing Digital Creativity foundation programme student;
- Identify yourself as New Zealand Māori ethnicity when applying for Media Design School;
- Apply for the first year of the Bachelor of Creative Technologies (Game Art); Bachelor of Software Engineering (Game Programming); Bachelor of Media Design (February intake only); OR the Bachelor of Art and Design.
- Demonstrate the potential for academic excellence in digital design by providing your Academic Transcript;
- If you are applying for the Bachelor of Creative Technologies, Bachelor of Media Design, or the Bachelor of Art and Design you will need to supply a portfolio demonstrating your artistic ability.
How do I apply?
To be eligible for this scholarship, you will need to explicitly state that you are applying for this scholarship in your Letter of Intent, which is part of your official Media Design School application.
It would be beneficial for you to highlight your involvement in your school or the wider Māori community as the Academic board will also take leadership and community service into consideration when awarding these scholarships.
Additional Information
Applicants must be New Zealand or Australian Citizens or New Zealand Permanent Residents of Māori descent.
Scholarship Recipients will be determined on the merits of the student’s portfolio and academic transcripts as well as their community involvement and demonstrated leadership skills.
The submissions will be judged by Media Design School’s Academic and Admissions Panel, which will consist of representatives from the programme that the student is applying for as well as members from the Admissions department.
When considering your application, the Academic and Admissions Board may ask you to provide evidence of your whakapapa (such as the names of your parents, grandparents and in some instances great grandparents) as well as information relating to your iwi, hāpū and marae.
The Academic and Admissions Panel’s determination of the scholarship recipients will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
If you are currently a New Zealand secondary school student and you have consistently achieved high marks throughout your education, then you should definitely consider applying for a Pacific Academic Excellence Scholarship.
Media Design School’s Pacific Academic Excellence scholarships provide two Pasifika students with exceptional academic potential in digital design a 50% discount on year 1 and 50% discount on year 2 the tuition fees of their chosen programme of study at Asia Pacific’s No.1 digital design school.
Selection Criteria
To be eligible to apply for an Academic Excellence Scholarship, you must:
- Have finished Year 12 and be in the process of completing Year 13 at a New Zealand school OR be an existing Media Design School Digital Creativity foundation programme student;
- Identify yourself as being of Pacific Island descent on your official application when applying for Media Design School;
- Apply for the first year of the Bachelor of Creative Technologies (Game Art); Bachelor of Software Engineering (Game Programming); Bachelor of Media Design (February intake only); OR the Bachelor of Art and Design.
- Demonstrate the potential for academic excellence in digital design by providing your Academic Transcript;
- If you are applying for the Bachelor of Creative Technologies, Bachelor of Media Design, or the Bachelor of Art and Design you will need to supply a portfolio demonstrating your artistic ability.
How do I apply?
To be eligible for this scholarship, you will need to explicitly state that you are applying for this scholarship in your Letter of Intent, which is part of your official Media Design School application.
It would be beneficial for you to highlight your involvement in your school or the wider Pasifika community as the Academic board will also take leadership and community service into consideration when awarding these scholarships.
Additional Information
Applicants must be New Zealand Citizens or Permanent Residents who are of Pasifika (Pacific Island) descent.
Scholarship Recipients will be determined on the merits of the student’s portfolio and academic transcripts as well as their community involvement and demonstrated leadership skills.
The submissions will be judged by Media Design School’s Academic and Admissions Panel, which will consist of representatives from the programme that the student is applying for as well as members from the Admissions department.
When considering your application, the Academic and Admissions Board may ask you to provide evidence of Pasifika descent.
The Academic and Admissions Panel’s determination of the scholarship recipients will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Media Design School was the first school in New Zealand to provide specialised gaming degrees for aspirational game developers. Since then, we’ve been committed to supporting emerging female game developers showcase their talents, both in New Zealand and internationally. If you’re interested in studying Game Art or Game Programming, then this scholarship may be the right one for you.
The Girls in Games scholarship will give one female Game Artist and one female Game Programmer $2,000 to put towards their first year of undergraduate tuition fees at Media Design School.
Selection Criteria
To be eligible for the Girls in Games scholarship you must:
- Identify as female;
- Apply for the first year of either the Bachelor of Creative Technologies (Game Art) or the Bachelor of Software Engineering (Game Programming);
- Demonstrate the potential for academic excellence in games by providing your Academic Transcript;
- If you are applying for the Bachelor of Creative Technologies (Game Art) scholarship, you will need to supply a portfolio demonstrating your artistic ability.
How do I apply?
To be eligible for this scholarship, you will need to explicitly state that you are applying for this scholarship in your Letter of Intent, which is part of your official Media Design School application.
Additional Information
This scholarship is open to both domestic and international students. The Game Art scholarship is also open to existing Media Design School students undertaking the Digital Creativity foundation programme.
The submissions will be judged by Media Design School’s Academic and Admissions Panel, which will consist of representatives from the Game Development degrees as well as members from the Admissions department. The Academic and Admissions Panel’s determination of the scholarship recipients will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Unity is the leading game and experience creation platform in the world, with over 5.5 million registered developers. At the moment, 31% of the top 1000 grossing mobile games are made with Unity.
Media Design School is currently Unity's exclusive Training and Certification Partner in New Zealand and is working to ensure that all their students graduate as Unity Certified Developers to help them get one step closer to successful careers in Game Development.
Thanks to Unity Technologies, Media Design School will offer one aspiring developer the opportunity to study game development with the number one ranked 3D animation, visual effects and game school in the Asia Pacific region by contributing $2000 towards their first year of tuition.
Selection Criteria
To be eligible for the Unity® Games Scholarship you must:
- Apply for the first year of either the Bachelor of Creative Technologies (Game Art) or the Bachelor of Software Engineering (Game Programming);
- Demonstrate the potential for academic excellence in games by providing your Academic Transcript;
- If you are applying for the Bachelor of Creative Technologies, you will need to supply a portfolio demonstrating your artistic ability.
How do I apply?
To be eligible for this scholarship, you will need to explicitly state that you are applying for Unity® Games Scholarship in your Letter of Intent, which is an official part of your Media Design School application.
Additional Information
This scholarship is open to both domestic and international students.
The submissions will be judged by Media Design School’s Academic and Admissions Panel, which will consist of representatives from the Game Development degrees as well as members from the Admissions department. The Academic and Admissions Panel’s determination of the scholarship recipients will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Students come to Auckland, New Zealand, from all over the world to study with Asia-Pacific's No.1 digital design school.
If you currently live overseas and are thinking of studying with Media Design School, then this scholarship will help contribute to the costs associated with studying abroad.
The International Student Scholarship offers recipients up to NZ$5,000 applied to your second year of tuition fees at Media Design School.
Selection Criteria
To be eligible for the International Student Scholarship you must:
- Be considered an international student;
- Apply for any one of Media Design School’s Bachelor degree programmes;
- Demonstrate the potential for academic excellence by providing your Academic Transcript;
- If you are applying for the Bachelor of Creative Technologies, Bachelor of Media Design (February intake only) or the Bachelor of Art and Design degree programmes, you will need to supply a portfolio demonstrating your artistic ability;
- Provide evidence of English language proficiency by supplying a valid IELTS (Academic) certificate (or equivalent) of 6.0 overall.
Applicants must clearly state in their Letter of Intent that they are applying for a Media Design School International Scholarship and indicate which intake they would like to be eligible for.
Additional Information
This scholarship is not open to New Zealand Citizens or Permanent Residents.
The submissions will be judged by Media Design School’s Academic and Admissions Panel.
All entries will be judged solely on the merit of the student’s portfolio, academic excellence, and ability to fulfil Media Design School’s entry and English language requirements.
The Academic and Admissions Panel’s determination of the scholarship recipients will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
The Scholarship Recipients are responsible for organising their own international travel.
The Scholarship Recipients MUST have valid documentation, including but not limited to valid passports and Visas, which meet the requirements of Immigration New Zealand and/or other New Zealand government authorities.
External Scholarships
Scholarships for Māori Students
Careers NZ provides answers for many FAQs and suggestions to help you find the best way to fund your studies.
https://www.careers.govt.nz/courses/scholarships/scholarships-for-maori-learners/
Māori Education Trust provides many options for scholarships that you can apply for through the website.
https://maorieducation.org.nz/undergraduate-maori-scholarships/
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei offers help and support for the community in a variety of fields, including education. There are scholarships that may become available throughout the year.
Scholarships for Pacific Students
Careers NZ provides answers for many FAQs and suggestions to help you find the best way to fund your studies.
https://www.careers.govt.nz/courses/scholarships/scholarships-for-pacific-learners/
Pacific Education Foundation offers scholarships at the beginning of the year, with scholarships for both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
Ministry for Pacific Peoples provides support and guidance for Pacific peoples needing assistance or to find like-minded communities.
https://www.mpp.govt.nz/funding/
Other Options
Careers NZ provides answers for many FAQs and suggestions to help you find the best way to fund your studies.
https://careers.govt.nz/courses/scholarships/where-to-find-scholarships
