University of Auckland

Areas of Study: Auckland has a wide range of courses, including Anthropology, Art History, Asian Studies, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Computer Science, Criminology, Dance Studies, Development Studies, Drama, Economics, Engineering (Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Environmental, Mechanical, Software), English, Environmental Science, Fine Arts, Film Studies, Forensic Science, Geography, Geology, Geophysics, Greek & Roman Studies (Classics), Health Sciences, History, Latin American Studies, Linguistics, Marine Science, Mathematics, Museum & Heritage Studies, Music, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Science, Social Work, Sociology, Sport & Exercise Science, Statistics, Urban Design, Visual Arts, Viticulture, Women's Studies and more.
Find courses open to incoming Exchange or fee-paying Study Abroad students here.

Closed Programs: "Stage 1" Architecture, Planning, Fine Arts, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Nursing courses. Graduate School of Enterprise courses which are shown as "Graduate Programmes" are also closed. Some restrictions apply to courses ending with letter codes such as A, B, E and F (e.g. Arthist 315A, Policy 250B, History 91F, Maorihlth 14H). Finally, note that Psychology and Biology programs have limited enrolment availability; students wishing to take Psychology and Biology courses must be flexible in their course choices.

Course requirements: Exchange students are expected to take 50-60 Auckland Points per semester. 1 UCalgary Half-course Equivalent = 12 Auckland Points. Course selection is typically done before arrival. 

Student Experience: "New Zealand is very rich in Maori Culture. Even in some of my classes they would sing Maori songs at the start."

The academic year is divided into 2 semesters:

• First Semester runs from late February to late June 
• Second Semester runs from late July to mid-November.

Students can start in either semester, however full-year students must start in February and continue to November. 

Exchange students to Auckland are guaranteed housing if they apply by the deadline, the university will place them in an on-campus residence hall, flat, or apartment. Auckland integrates their housing so that international students are mixed with local students and students from other countries.

Residence halls offer single or double rooms; depending on the hall, there may be a fully-catered meal plan at the campus cafeteria available, or self-/semi-catered plans. Flats and apartments typically house 2-5 students in private bedrooms with a shared kitchen. Because of the range of housing types available, rental fees can vary greatly. Students are encouraged to look into the detailed information provided.

If students do not want to live in university housing and would like assistance finding housing on the private market, it is encouraged they look into the services offered by Auckland's Accommodations Solutions Advisory.

Student Tips: "Auckland is a beautiful city and a lot warmer than Calgary, but still do bring some warmer clothing. During the winter it rains a lot and can get decently chilly, around 5 to 10 degrees celsius."

"The recreation center (gym) fee is included if you live on residence."

"Sunscreen was expensive, so bring that if you can. Also, I brought deodorant, but many of my friends made the realization that they don’t have the same style of stick deodorant in NZ, only spray on or roll on."

This exchange is open to regular, full-time students in any faculty at UCalgary, who have completed at least 1 full year (10 courses) at the post-secondary level, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.

For applicants from the UCalgary Faculty of Law, an academic reference letter is required. Please click here to view the reference letter guidelines & submission instructions. It must be submitted at the time of your application to UCalgary.

Note: There is extremely limited space for exchange students at the University of Auckland. When submitting your application, we strongly recommend applying for a 2nd and 3rd choice university. If you are applying for a full-year (two-semester) exchange, it may not be possible at Auckland, so having a 2nd and 3rd choice university is especially important.

What resources are available for new students?

Auckland offers an Orientation Programme at the start of each semester with a variety of informative and social activities for international students. There is also an International Student Handbook published online every year.

Throughout the year, there are cultural events and social gatherings held at the "iSPACE" student commons on-campus, as well as various informative workshops. 

Auckland also offers a free airport pickup service, which must be requested at least 7 days prior to arrival in Auckland. Information on this is provided in Auckland's offer of admission. 

Student Tips: "Student clubs were amazing, every and anything you could imagine."

What supports or services are available at Auckland?

Auckland's Equity Office and Student Disability Services provide comprehensive academic support for students with disabilities. 

What's special about Auckland?

Student Tips: "The University of Auckland is a city campus so it’s located right in the heart of the downtown core and had basically anything you could think of within walking distance. Since I lived in student accommodation I had access to the recreation center but other wise you would need to pay, I think it’s a few hundred dollars for the semester. The gym was nice to have especially when winter came as it was harder to stay active in the city. The campus has a large library and plenty of study/computer areas. There are a few food vendors on campus and countless options nearby, further towards the core. Plenty of clubs on campus and club days so you can check them all out at the start of the semester."

"Hiking boots, hiking back pack, sleeping bag and mattress pad are very useful even if car camping. Rain pants would have been nice. The Tramping Club [organises] day and weekend trips and has gear for lending (tents, stoves, maps, ect.) membership was 20$ and also gave 15% off at bivouac (outdoor store)."

Auckland has a smoke-free campus policy. Smoking on campus is not permitted.