Kia ora koutou katoa,

We are reaching out with an important update regarding our undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programmes commencing in 2026.

As you may be aware, like many other New Zealand institutions, we have experienced unprecedented demand for these programmes this year. Given this demand and the limited availability of mandatory school placements required as part of the programmes, we have made the difficult decision to bring forward our closing date for new applications for all 2026 intakes (January and July) to Wednesday 27^th August 2025. This will cover both our Hamilton and Tauranga campuses.

Programmes affected:

• Bachelor of Teaching
• Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education
• Graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning in Primary
• Graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning in Secondary
• Postgraduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education
• Postgraduate Diploma in Primary
• Postgraduate Diploma in Secondary
• Master of Teaching and Learning in Early Childhood Education
• Master of Teaching and Learning in Primary
• Master of Teaching and Learning in Secondary

For those students who have already submitted visa applications or paid tuition fees for the January start, there is no change to their status, and they can continue preparations to join us then. With Immigration New Zealand moving international student visas to their new online application system, they have advised the universities that we will not have access to any reporting for a few weeks, so please advise your Waikato contact person of any students who are submitting visa applications.

For all other students who have already applied for January 2026, we are currently working with the Admissions team and the Division of Education to process these applications to provide certainty and clarity on next steps. Applications may appear as “on hold” as we complete our review and updates will follow.

Depending on where applicants are in the selection process, we may contact students to ask if they would be interested in an offer for July (B-Trimester) for both our Hamilton and Tauranga campuses, instead of a January start in 2026. Our ability to offer places is also dependent on applicants' learning areas, as we have limited placements in schools for some of these areas.

While we appreciate this decision may result in disappointment for some students, we are committed to ensuring the best possible experience for our students, so we are making these necessary decisions early to provide clarity for all concerned. We will be communicating to each group of applicants over the coming weeks on what their next steps are and providing further information.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support. If you have any questions, please contact your Waikato recruitment lead or manager and we will also continue to provide further updates in the coming weeks.

International Office
University of Waikato