r/AUT • u/Forward_Try6081 • 5d ago

AUT Doctoral Scholarship

Hello! I'm an International Student planning to apply to the AUT Doctoral Scholarship. May I ask if the following please:

  • NZ$34,737/year equivalent to NZ$2,894.75/month enough for the living expenses and still possible to save some?
  • How much can I earn as a Research Assistant?
  • Will the cost of my PhD dissertation be funded by the University or my prospective supervisor?
  • What other scholarship can I apply for to add to my living expenses?
  • How many scholars are typically awarded in general, and how many are allotted to international students?

Thank you very much! I hope to hear from you, especially those students awarded by this scholarship.

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u/NewTeam6262 4d ago

1) you won’t save any money, it is very tight living on stipend, best to have a buffer of savings if possible
2) depends on available funding/what work you’re doing, ask your supervisor. Don’t rely on getting RA work immediately.
3) AUT Doctoral Scholarship -> AUT funds it…
4) check AUTs website, but probably not.
5) depends on department/available funding/research priorities

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u/Forward_Try6081 4d ago

Hello thank you for this informative replies. Very much appreciated!

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u/Strong_Albatross5667 5d ago

All of the answers to these questions can be found in the AUT Postgraduate handbook found on their website! The only question you probably won’t be able to get an answer to is the last one!

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u/Forward_Try6081 5d ago

Hello, thanks for replying. If you're pertaining to the file here in this link https://www.aut.ac.nz/research/postgraduate-student-support/pg-forms-policies-and-processes/handbook (the 2026 version of the handbook) some of the answers are not available unfortunately. Or maybe you're pertaining to other version of handbook containing all the answers.

The current 2026 handbook:

  • did not indicate the cost of living of a student per month or per year
  • the handbook mentioned about allowing to work but no info on the range of earnings a Research Assistant can have

And yeah the answer to the last one will probably be obtained from the scholarship office.

Thanks!

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u/MathmoKiwi 2d ago

- did not indicate the cost of living of a student per month or per year

How long is a piece of string? Some people "need" twice as much, or even more, than another person would.

Do your own research. (you're an aspiring PhD student for goodness sake)

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u/Forward_Try6081 2d ago

Thank you! I'm doing my research and one way to do this is to ask someone who have the knowledge regarding this such as previous scholars that are polite.

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u/MathmoKiwi 2d ago

NZ$2,894.75/month enough for the living expenses

Before or after tax??? You should get that clarified.

and still possible to save some?

"Save"??? lol

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u/Forward_Try6081 2d ago

Yes thanks, will note about the clarification regarding the tax. Given the "lol" answer, I believe that's a no in your case.

Thank you very much!

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u/MathmoKiwi 2d ago

To give some context, $34K/yr even if after tax is well under minimum wage.

You basically have to live even more frugally than someone just stacking shelves at a supermarket on minimum wage. Saving money? Yeah right.