Prospective student information
Check out the information below to see if there are opportunities, ideas and support services to make your study experience with us even better.
Why study at Ara?
- You Belong Here - Ara
- Smaller classes
- Great tutors with lots of industry experience
- Practical courses that prepare you for the workforce
Scholarships
- Ara Scholarships - Ara
- Ara Advantage scholarships provide $4000 to spend how you want (fees, rent, transport etc)
- Ara Advantage scholarship applications open September 15th and close on November 15th
- Check out all the community scholarships too
Conditional offers / First-in, first-served
- Many of our courses are allocated on a ‘first completed application in, first served’ basis, so complete your application and get it in sooner rather than later
- You can still apply if you haven’t got the credits you need yet, or if you won’t know until mid-January if you’ve met the entry criteria
- We can give you a ‘conditional offer’, which means we hold a space for you and can offer it to you when you meet the conditions (e.g. getting UE)
Student Experience Opportunities / Events
- Mentoring opportunities - Māori & Pacific mentor groups
- Freshies week at the start of semester
First Year Fees Free
StudyLink
- StudyLink - StudyLink
- Apply before 16 December
- Studylink provides info on course-related costs, loans and weekly payments
Support Services
- Support Services (A to Z) - Ara
- Comprehensive support services available
- Older students can mentor/tutor you and specific Māori and Pacific mentoring is available
If you’re still at school
Dual Enrolment
- Dual Enrolment programmes - Ara
- Earn NCEA credits and get a feel for studying at Ara while you’re still in school
- One or two-days a week at Ara across the year
Experience Ara
- Experience Ara - Ara
- Taster days, info sessions and STAR courses
- Let’s you “try before you buy”
- Gives you a feel for tertiary study with us while you’re still in school
Entry Requirements
- Get A Strong Head Start brochure - Recommended NCEA subjects for Ara degrees
- You can look at the specific entry requirements for a course under ‘academic requirements’ to make sure you are on track with the right subjects