Scholarship Information

Scholarship Information

New Zealand Scholarship is the highest academic award available to New Zealand students. Scholarship is available in nearly every senior subject, from Dance to Technology, History to Chemistry and there is a range of scholarship assessment types, from a portfolio of work to a written or spoken examination, that are designed to be challenging for the most able students.

To be awarded a scholarship students are expected to show a deep understanding of their subject and demonstrate high-level critical thinking and the ability to apply their understanding to complex situations.  There is no cost for students to enter these exams and students who achieve NZ scholarship receive a monetary award.

New Zealand Scholarship is a different assessment from NCEA.  Surprisingly, often students who gain a scholarship in a particular subject may not have taken the subject for NCEA or even gained Excellence. It is therefore highly worthwhile for our students to get involved with and commit to this academic challenge.

Note, the New Zealand Scholarship Examinations are different from University Scholarships which are applied for by individual students and awarded by the Universities.

MAGS has an impressive legacy of success in Scholarship. Each year we have hundreds of students attending extra scholarship classes alongside their usual classes, sometimes before and after school.

Our 2024 results were the best in school history, with MAGS gaining 192 Scholarships, including 16 Outstanding Scholarships. This puts MAGS fourth in New Zealand for Scholarship results. Some of the exceptional achievements from 2024 were:

• Two Top in Subject Scholar Awards for Accounting and Earth & Space Science, with each student awarded $6000 towards tertiary education
• 20 Scholarship Awards, with each student awarded $6000 towards tertiary education
• 2 Outstanding Scholarship Awards, each student awarded $15,000 towards tertiary education (top 55 candidates Nationally)
• 1 Premier Scholarship Award, with student awarded $30,000 towards tertiary education (top 12 candidates Nationally)

Our 2023 results saw MAGS gaining 127 Scholarships, including 19 Outstanding Scholarships. Some of the exceptional achievements from 2023 were:

• 10 Scholarship Awards, with each student awarded $6000 towards tertiary education
• 4 Outstanding Scholars Awards, with each student awarded $15,000 towards tertiary education (top 60 candidates nationally)
• Two Top Subject Scholar Awards for Technology and German, each awarded $7500 towards tertiary education

Our outstanding 2023 results built on the results from 2022, including,

• 1 Premier Award Winner to Girls Dux Deboprana Mallick – one of the top 11 scholars in the country in 2022. This is worth $10,000 a year for three years of study.
• 2 Outstanding Scholar Awards.
• 15 Scholarship Awards.
• Total of 118 Scholarships.

The Scholarship programme at MAGS is run by dedicated and passionate scholarship teachers. There are special assemblies with guest speakers and former scholarship winners, along with other top scholars to inspire, encourage and challenge our students.

We are very proud of the Scholarship success of our students at Mount Albert Grammar School and look forward to continuing this tradition of academic excellence with our current and future scholars.

FAQs:

Why should students attempt the NZ Scholarship examination?

The New Zealand Scholarship examination is the pinnacle of academic achievement. Students often express how much they enjoyed the different types of challenge it represents. There is also the academic journey of planning and attempting scholarship, regardless of the outcome. The preparation and study that goes with the scholarship exam, often with extra classes or tutorials at school, immerse students in academic learning. It is the process of learning for the scholarship assessment that is perhaps the most compelling reason to consider sitting the examination. Arguably, scholarship is the best preparation for students heading to university.

How do I enrol in a scholarship subject?

The first thing to do is to speak to your subject teacher or the Head of Department about your interest in sitting the scholarship examination. There is likely a class or tutorial session you can attend or materials to study. Once you are set up with the class then you can be enrolled in the exam with NZQA. There is no cost to domestic students to sit a scholarship examination.

When are the exams or classes?

The exams are all at the end of the year running alongside your NCEA exams. We have classes and tutorials which run across the week for different subjects. Some of these will be in the Year 13 study period, others before school, after school, or at lunch. Some subjects have such numbers that a separate scholarship course is an option.

Who should sit the scholarship exam?

Anyone who wishes to challenge themselves and deepen their learning of their subjects. You do not need to be in Year 13 nor do you need to be getting Excellences in NCEA. In fact, there are always some students who gain a scholarship in a subject but do not get Excellence in the equivalent NCEA exam. The scholarship exam is for you if you are willing to turn up, do some hard thinking, and give it your best effort.