Unistart :: University of Waikato

Eligibility and entry requirements

Unistart is open to all year 13 secondary school students who:

Have met the criteria for discretionary entrance to the University.
Have New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency.
Have their NCEA Level 2 Certificate or above endorsed with Merit or Excellence.
Are between 16 and 20 years old at the start of the Unistart paper, and
Have approval from their school.

How to apply for Unistart

Complete the school approval form

We need to know your school is onboard, talk to your school about whether the Unistart programme is right for you. Then complete the school approval form with them and upload it to your MyWaikato account.

- Complete the Unistart Secondary School Support form

- Have your school complete and sign their approval section

Then create a MyWaikato account and apply for the Unistart programme online (instructions below).
Download Unistart Secondary School Support Form
Apply online for the Unistart Programme

Visit MyWaikato to complete your online application and enrol in the Unistart programme. Use the instructions below to help.

a. New Unistart students need to Create an Account for MyWaikato

b. Complete your personal details and list the email address you use most, under your account details. Click 'Create account' button once finished

c. Upload completed Unistart Secondary School Support form to the My Documents section of MyWaikato account

d. From the Type of Qualification drop down box, select Individual Paper Credit and click Search

e. Two results will be listed after the search. Select Unistart Paper Credit

f. Select your start date

g. Answer all the questions to complete your application

h. We will be in touch once your application has been reviewed

Application closing dates: Applications for Unistart students enrolling in A Trimester 2027 or D Teaching period close 5 February 2027.

If you need help with your application please email unistart@waikato.ac.nz
Visit MyWaikato and apply

Start dates and study location

Study dates

A Trimester: 1 March–22 June 2027
B Trimester: 12 July–5 November 2027
D Teaching Period: 1 March–5 November 2027

Where will I be studying Unistart?

All papers except Music101 are in Hamilton or dual mode papers that are taught online. This means you can study from anywhere in New Zealand if you have a computer and internet access.

Unistart papers for 2027

Subject	Paper code	Paper title	Trimester(s)

Climate Change	CLIMT101 27A (SEC)	Introduction to Climate Change Science	A
Computer Science	COMPX101-27B (SEC)	Introduction to Programming	B
	COMPX102-27B (SEC) Students must pass COMPX101 to study this.	Object-Orientated Programming	B
Engineering Students will need the support of a maths teacher from their secondary school to enrol in these engineering papers	ENGEN101-27A (SEC) Students must have 14 credits in Level 3 Calculus	Engineering Maths and Modelling 1A	A
	ENGEN102-27B (SEC) Students must pass ENGEN101 to study this.	Engineering Maths and Modelling 1B	B
English	ENGLI100-27A (SEC)	Telling the Story	A
Forensic Psychology	FPSYC101-27A (SEC)	Forensic and Criminological Psychology	A
Management	LEADR101-26I and 26X (SEC) Students must be part of the Leadership Academy Programme	Introduction to Leadership	I and X 8 March–4 July 2027
Law	LEGAL105-27A (SEC)	Introduction to New Zealand Law and Society	A
Music	MUSIC101-27D (SEC)	Secondary Performance Studies 1	D
Philosophy	PHILO106-27A (SEC)	Social and Moral Philosophy	A
Social Policy	SOCPY100-27A (SEC)	Introduction to Social Policy	A

Study flexibility and workload

Study flexibility

There are 12 papers to choose from, many of which are taught online or at our Hamilton campus. Completed Unistart papers can be credited towards an undergraduate degree at the University of Waikato.

Workload

Unistart papers usually run over one trimester and are worth 15 points. The workload is around 8-10 hours a week, which can include time spent online in classes or on campus, participating in tutorials, reading course materials, lab work or preparing for assignments and tests.

Unistart scholarship

The University of Waikato Unistart Scholarship covers the cost of up to two Unistart papers for domestic students. Students will automatically be considered for this scholarship if they meet the entry criteria and are accepted into the Unistart Programme, so no additional application is required.