Trimester Exchange

Explore the world, experience new cultures and make friends from around the globe! Choose from a wide variety of universities around the world and tick off your global experience with Waikato.

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Where in the world do you want to go?

We have over 50 exchange partners in more than 20 countries!

Search through our programme pages in our Global Experiences portal - filter by subject/area of study, duration, language and many more to find programmes that suit your academic needs.

Each programme page has key information on available papers, housing, costs and budgeting.

Once you have had a look at your options, register for a Waikato Global Experiences 101 session. There, we will help guide you through the next steps.

Discover exchange destinations.

Note: not all USA opportunities are in the portal at the time of publishing this webpage. We expect them to be finalised by 10 October 2025.

Who's eligible for an exchange?

Undergraduate Domestic and International students who have studied at the University of Waikato for at least one year and achieved at least a B-grade average are eligible for a trimester exchange.

Some exchange partner universities will accept postgraduate students taking taught papers. Requirements for postgraduate exchange are:

  • Apply in the last year of undergraduate study
  • Studying a 180 or 240-point Masters programme.

Unfortunately, professional programmes are not eligible for a trimester exchange.

Transfer your points

Points you earn during your exchange will be transferred over to your Waikato qualification. The maximum number of points you can transfer per trimester is 60, which is equivalent to the standard trimester workload at the University of Waikato.

Costs

Tuition

When you go on exchange, you will be enrolled as a University of Waikato student. This means you will pay tuition fees to Waikato, not the host university. Instead of being billed for four individual papers (60 points), you are billed a fixed exchange fee which is the average of four Waikato papers at your level of study. That means tuition is the same as you would pay staying in NZ!

Other expenses

You will be responsible for other costs including airfares, overseas living costs, accommodation, and course materials.

Funding your exchange

There are funding options available to help support you undertake an exchange. If you are currently eligible for a student loan and/or student allowance support you will be eligible for these while on your exchange. There are also some scholarships and awards available.

Check out our Scholarships, Funding, and StudyLink page to learn more.

When to go on exchange

The best time to go on an exchange will vary depending on your degree and your remaining time until graduation.

You can go on an exchange for one or two trimesters, depending on your programme.

Check out our Academic Planning page to get the information you need to know to plan your exchange.

Applying for a trimester exchange

For instructions on how to get started, check out our step-by-step guide on how to apply.

Contact us

Waikato Global Experiences