The University of Waikato – located in heartland New Zealand – is a modern university with a unique attitude. It represents the best of New Zealand; a small country on a big roll. Waikato offers outstanding teaching and research opportunities and a unique university experience. The University’s qualifications are recognised and respected around the globe.

New Zealand has shown it can take on the world with its agile and innovative businesses. Waikato University is a major contributor to innovation, and punches well above its weight in global terms. Some major businesses have grown from University projects, while we work alongside others to develop new products and markets. Dairy giant Fonterra is expanding into nutraceuticals, such as chocolate cheese; Comvita has cornered the global market with its manuka honey-based health products, while Endace is a world leader in internet traffic monitoring equipment. All these businesses combine knowledge and innovation, and all are based near the University. The University outperforms US peers in research commercialisation, with the highest return on investment against all US universities, according to 2005 data.

Hamilton and the Waikato region

The University’s main campus is in Hamilton, the fifth largest city in New Zealand and home to a wealth of education, science and research, alongside parks, fine dining, ethnic cafés, arts and culture, and a variety of sporting and cultural events. An hour and-a-half’s drive south of Auckland, the region is named after the river that flows through it. It’s an area of lush green hills, farmland, bush, lakes and rivers, in between two stunning coastlines.

The University is in the heart of adventure country. Raglan, with the southern hemisphere’s best left-hand surf break, is just 40 minutes away, while the Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty have some of the country’s best beaches. Waikato is the closest university to Ruapehu ski resorts, and there are forests, lakes and thermal hot pools within easy drive. South Waikato has rock climbing, mountain biking and motor sports; while adrenalin junkies can try jet boating, quad biking or white water rafting. Taupo is famous for extreme sports, like wakeboarding and sky diving. University clubs cater for all of these activities, making it easy to have a go at something new.

The Waikato Experience

Waikato University delivers a wide range of programmes from seven schools: Arts and Social Sciences, Computing and Maths, Education, Law, Management, Māori and Pacific Development, and Science and Engineering. In the most recent Performance Based Research Funding (PBRF) national research ranking by New Zealand’s Ministry of Education, it was ranked premier research programme in ten key academic categories, and several schools ranked first in the country.

Waikato’s teaching is informed by research benchmarked against the world’s best, and it recruits and retains world-class staff who excel at teaching, research and management. Its objective is to provide a full and dynamic university experience which is distinctive in character and pursues strong international linkages to advance knowledge.

The University of Waikato offers undergraduate degrees in arts, communications, business analysis (financial), computing and mathematical sciences, computer graphic design, electronic commerce, engineering, law, Māori and Pacific development, management studies, music, science, science technology, social sciences, social work, sport and leisure studies, teaching and tourism. It offers masters as well as graduate and postgraduate diplomas and certificates in most subjects, plus a thriving PhD programme.

The University is committed to the academic and social welfare of its students. There are dedicated support staff in each School and special services for international students. In 2009 Waikato was home to over 1,800 international students from 70 different countries.

Waikato’s campus has outstanding sport and leisure facilities, state-of– the-art laboratories, wireless internet connections, computers, and all the equipment and resources students need for their studies and research.

An introduction from Professor Roy Crawford, Vice-Chancellor

"One of New Zealand’s most innovative universities, the University of Waikato offers a university experience to remember and benefit from for the rest of your life.

“Our qualifications are recognised all over the world, and our graduates are sought after for a range of academic and commercial roles. We offer all students an outstanding quality education. But we also provide an introduction to our unique New Zealand culture and the opportunity to make friends and connections.

“Our vision for the future embraces our key strengths; excellence, distinctiveness and international connectedness. We commit to the delivery of a world-class education and research portfolio, providing a full and dynamic university experience that is distinctive in character and pursuing strong international links to advance knowledge. Our excellence is self evident in the individual experiences of students and our successes are reflected in our research achievements.

“We value our commitment to sustainability, our close connection with Māori, and our leadership role enabling and inspiring people toward their full potential and in the enhancement of shared social, economic, cultural and environmental outcomes.

“We pursue international linkages to advance knowledge, foster international alliances to enhance our reputation, build staff capability with academic collaboration, enhance student learning through shared curriculum development and student exchange, and collaborate in quality assurance, best practice and benchmarking.

“The University of Waikato experience is unique, stimulating, challenging and rewarding – we look forward to sharing it with you.”