NZ Scholarship Statistics

Students enrolled in a consented New Zealand secondary school can enter, and you do not have to be working towards NCEA to do so. Entry is arranged through your school, so ask your statistics teacher: not all schools enter students for Scholarship, and some enter only a small number of subjects.

Scholarship assessment is by written or spoken examination, or by submission of a portfolio or report of work produced throughout the year. NZQA states that assessments have between 3 and 5 parts, and your score for each part is added up to give your final result. Confirm the Statistics format with your teacher.

Markers give a score of 0 to 8 for each part. A score of 8 is outstanding in all respects, showing integration and synthesis and being accurate, comprehensive, coherent, lucid and perceptive; 1 shows little relevant understanding; 0 is for blank or irrelevant answers. Scores are added, and you must reach a cut score for Scholarship or Outstanding Scholarship.

It is deliberately challenging, aimed at the most able students in the subject, and expects deep understanding, high-level critical thinking and application to complex situations. The number of Scholarships in a subject is limited to around 3% of students achieving 14 or more credits in that subject at NCEA Level 3, with some variation, mainly where few candidates take it.

The source does not describe a retake or resit process. It states that students who score below the cut score do not receive NZ Scholarship in that subject. If you believe a marking error was made, you can apply for a reconsideration or review, but only within a limited time from when your assessed work is available or your portfolio is returned.

NZ Scholarship results are released in mid-February each year. Soon after results are released, your assessed work becomes available through your learner login. Visual Arts portfolios are returned in December, following the completion of marking, so the timing differs for portfolio-based subjects.

Awards range from a one-off $500 payment for a single subject award to $10,000 per year for up to 3 years for premier award winners. To be paid, you must be enrolled in tertiary study at an approved New Zealand provider in a course approved by StudyLink for Student Allowance or Student Loan.

Yes. It is possible to defer the monetary award for up to 4 consecutive years if you are still at school or not planning to enter tertiary study straight away. For awards with payments across more than one year, you must maintain a 'B' grade average in your tertiary study each year.

There is no charge for domestic student entry for NZ Scholarship. If you are an international student, you need to find out how much you will need to pay to enter; NZQA directs international students to its secondary education fees information rather than quoting a figure on the Scholarship page.

Talk to your teacher early about whether your school enters candidates and what the Statistics assessment looks like, since the dedicated subject page was not available to check. Because marking rewards integration and synthesis, practise full multi-part questions under time and work on applying statistical reasoning to unfamiliar, complex contexts rather than memorising routine procedures.