The Year 13 Scholarship supports school leavers across the Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti regions to study any one of our degrees or selected diploma programmes that lead into a degree by providing one year of free study. 

Applicants must be Year 13 students currently enrolled at a secondary school in Hawke's Bay or Tairāwhiti/Gisborne.

The Year 13 Scholarship covers one year of tuition fees. When combined with the Government's final-year Fees Free initiative, some EIT Year 13 Scholarship recipients are studying fees free for two years of their degree.

Applications close: Sunday, 30th August 2026 at 11:59pm.

Eligibility criteria:

• You must be a New Zealand Citizen or Permanent Resident
• You must be a year 13 student currently enrolled in a Hawke's Bay or Tairāwhiti/Gisborne secondary school.
• You must meet the degree (or eligible diploma) entry criteria and intend to undertake full-time study at EIT, starting semester one 2027.

 
Your submission must include:

A Character Reference from a community group or organisation (e.g. church, sports team, or club you are part of), Trades Academy or from your current school.

• The character reference should highlight your personal qualities, leadership capabilities, and general character. It should focus on your contributions to the community or activities outside the classroom, rather than academic performance.
• You may provide a character reference from someone at school, as long as this person is different to your school referee contact.

The contact details of your school referee. Once you submit your scholarship application, an email will be sent to your referee requesting:

• A reference letter in support of your scholarship application
• A summary of your NCEA results 

If you are unsure who should act as your referee, please speak with your Year 13 Dean or Careers Advisor before submitting.

Important: Please ensure your school referee is aware they will receive this request from EIT after you submit your application and that their reference must be completed by Thursday, 3rd September 2026.

Application outcome:

All applicants will be notified, via email, of the outcome of their application on Monday, 28th September 2026.

When selecting our scholarship recipients, we will consider your future career aspirations, academic and personal achievements, any challenges you may face, your financial need and your overall character.

*Priority will be given to applicants planning to study a bachelor's degree programme and who have submitted their enrolment by the scholarship closing date. 

If you have any questions about the Year 13 Scholarship please email: Y13@eit.ac.nz

Please provide the contact details of a referee from your current high school. Please check with your Year 13 Dean or Careers Advisor who you need to put down as your scholarship reference. We will contact them directly to request a scholarship reference and your NCEA results to support your application.

Please note: You cannot use the same person for your Character Reference as your School Reference Contact.