Situated overlooking Wellington’s beautiful natural harbour, Victoria University of Wellington offers unique opportunities to live and study in New Zealand’s cultural, political and intellectual capital. Victoria is built on a tradition of teaching excellence lasting more than a century and is one of New Zealand’s leading research institutions. The University is home to over 22,000 students, including 2,800 international students.

Victoria has four campuses, three of which are within ten minutes walk of each other. The main Kelburn campus is in an idyllic setting, with stunning views over the harbour. The downtown Pipitea campus includes the Faculty of Commerce and Administration and the Law School, which is housed in historic buildings opposite Parliament. The Schools of Architecture and Design occupy a large, award-winning building in the midst of the cafés, galleries and old bookstores in the central city’s heart, while the Karori campus, a short distance from Kelburn, is the home of the Education faculty.

Faculties and programmes

The University has seven faculties: Architecture and Design, Commerce and Administration, Education, Engineering, Law, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Science.

Within these, VUW offers undergraduate programmes in more than 100 different subject areas and over 220 postgraduate degrees and diplomas. Academic strengths include music, politics, management studies, law, MBA, economics, engineering, government studies, architecture, design, psychology, earth sciences, materials science, film and theatre, linguistics, computer science and information technology, and bioscience. Study programmes at Victoria are flexible and diverse.

Student support

Victoria has one of New Zealand’s most successful student networks. Support is available for all aspects of university life – academic, social, cultural and personal. Victoria International provides specific support for international students.

The Wellington Lifestyle

Wellington offers a healthy lifestyle in a mild and temperate climate. The region offers many recreational and sporting activities including water sports, hill and bush walking and fishing, while skiing is only four hours drive away. As the nation’s cultural capital Wellington offers access to major museums, libraries and national institutions. The city hosts regular cultural festivals, such as the Wellington International Film Festival and the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts, and is the chosen venue for many international conferences, sporting events and concerts. Wellington is also home to many of New Zealand’s cultural institutions, including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the National Opera, the Royal New Zealand Ballet and the national museum – Te Papa.