Computer Science

Scholarships and awards

Each year, The University of Auckland awards scholarships and prizes worth more than NZ$30 million to thousands of students. Computer Science students are encouraged to make the most of what is offered.

More than 300 undergraduate scholarships and awards are offered by The University of Auckland.

Students in the Faculty of Science can apply for a selection of science-specific scholarships, awards and prizes.

The Computer Science Department acknowledges the excellence of its students with the following scholarships, prizes and awards. A prize-giving celebration is held early in December every year.

Kiwiplan Scholarship
Eligibility	Awarded to three students in the second-to-last year of BSc, BSc(Hons), BE(SE) or BTech.
Award	NZ$4,500
Application	Apply to the Scholarships Office by 31 July.

Orion Award for Excellence in Computer Science
Eligibility	Awarded to the student in their final year of a GradDipSci (Computer Science), PGDipSci (Computer Science), BSc (Hons), BTech (IT), or MSc Degree in Computer Science and who demonstrates the greatest potential to become an outstanding professional in the area of Information Technology and Computer Science.
Award	NZ$2,500 and certificate
Application	Apply to the Scholarships Office by 10 August.

New Zealand Computer Society Cup
Eligibility	The Society’s Auckland Branch offers a cup annually to the top student in Computer Science at Stage III and IV.
Award	NZ$150 book voucher and cup
Application	The cup will be awarded in November. No application is needed.

Michael Lennon Award For Excellence in Information Technology
Eligibility	Awarded to the top student in the final year of the BTech in Information Technology degree.
Award	NZ$500
Application	No application is needed

J.C. Butcher Award in Theoretical Computer Science
Eligibility	Awarded to encourage outstanding performance in the study of Theoretical Computer Science. The award acknowledges a Stage III student who has demonstrated excellence in the field.
Award	NZ$250 and certificate
Application	No application is needed

Institution of Engineering and Technology Prize
Eligibility	Awarded to the best BTech (Information Technology) Stage III student
Award	NZ$300 (approx) and certificate awarded at the IET AGM in September
Application	No application is needed

Best PhD Thesis Award
Eligibility	Awarded for the best PhD thesis in Computer Science completed each year. The award will be based on the quality of the thesis, reference letters, and publications of the main results of the thesis.
Award	NZ$1,000 and certificate
Application	Candidates will be nominated by a staff member

Best student published paper award
Eligibility	Awarded for the best student written paper, whose lead author was supervised by a Computer Science staff member at the time of its submission.
Award	1st prize is NZ$1,000 and certificate, 2nd is NZ$500 and certificate
Application	Nominations must be submitted by a staff member before 1st of October.

Computer Science Poster Competition (sponsored by Orion)
Eligibility	Open to thesis students. Entrants produce a poster describing their research and the results are judged for both technical and artistic merit. The competition is open to all postgraduate students in the Department of Computer Science.
Award	1st prize is NZ$1,000 and certificate, 2nd is NZ$500 and certificate
Application	Postgraduate students will be emailed the details of the competition in Semester 2.

The Computer Science Graduate Student Travel (CSGST) Award
Eligibility	Open to graduate and postgraduate students enrolled in the department who have accepted papers at peer-reviewed conferences that were listed by the CORE / ERA and have at least the rank C if the applicant is the first author or at least B otherwise. The award cannot be used after ending the study term and can be obtained only once per teaching year. If the conference is not in the CORE list, a written justification of the need for participation has to be provided together with the application (this may include doctoral symposia).
Award	Every award covers half of the trip costs, but no more than $1,000 for local travel, $1,500 for Australian travel, and 2,000 for Europe, Asia or America travel. The remaining sum has to be covered from other fund sources (e.g. provided by the supervisor or other University funds). Awards are provided while the funds allocated for the current teaching year are still available.
Application	Any graduate or postgraduate student can apply for the CSGST Award as follows: MSc and Honours students, once during their study, PhD students, up to 3 times during their study, and no more than one application per year. Applications are being considered in succession of their arrival. Under otherwise equal conditions, applications of PhD and MSc candidates have a preference with respect to other applicants. The application has to be sent for consideration only after the paper submitted is accepted for presentation. The Award is supported from PBRF money and it is managed by the Research Committee. Expressions of interest should be sent to CSGST supervisor (currently: Associate-Prof. Georgy Gimel'farb: ggim001@cs.auckland.ac.nz; City Campus office 303.389). Applications are received at any time until the annual fund is exhausted. The CSGST Award is managed by the Department's Research Committee. The names of successful candidates and conferences they attended with support from the CSGST Award will be posted on the Research Committee Website.

The Computer Science Graduate Student Travel (CSGST) Award

Eligibility

Open to graduate and postgraduate students enrolled in the department who have accepted papers at peer-reviewed conferences that were listed by the CORE / ERA and have at least the rank C if the applicant is the first author or at least B otherwise. The award cannot be used after ending the study term and can be obtained only once per teaching year. If the conference is not in the CORE list, a written justification of the need for participation has to be provided together with the application (this may include doctoral symposia).

Award

Every award covers half of the trip costs, but no more than $1,000 for local travel, $1,500 for Australian travel, and 2,000 for Europe, Asia or America travel. The remaining sum has to be covered from other fund sources (e.g. provided by the supervisor or other University funds). Awards are provided while the funds allocated for the current teaching year are still available.

Application

Any graduate or postgraduate student can apply for the CSGST Award as
follows:

MSc and Honours students, once during their study,
PhD students, up to 3 times during their study, and no more than one application per year.

Applications are being considered in succession of their arrival. Under otherwise equal conditions, applications of PhD and MSc candidates have a preference with respect to other applicants. The application has to be sent for consideration only after the paper submitted is accepted for presentation.

The Award is supported from PBRF money and it is managed by the Research Committee. Expressions of interest should be sent to CSGST supervisor (currently: Associate-Prof. Georgy Gimel'farb: ggim001@cs.auckland.ac.nz; City Campus office 303.389). Applications are received at any time until the annual fund is exhausted. The CSGST Award is managed by the Department's Research Committee. The names of successful candidates and conferences they attended with support from the CSGST Award will be posted on the Research Committee Website.

CSGST Form (39 KB EXCEL)

CSGST Award rules (70 KB WORD)

Dalhousie Exchange Opportunity
If you are studying in the BSc – Computer Science at The University of Auckland you will have the option to study overseas at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, for one or two semesters in either the second or third year of your degree. Below is a full schedule of Computer Science courses available at Dalhousie University that can be credited towards your BSc – Computer Science. The courses may be offered in one or more semesters at Dalhousie, as shown in the schedule below. The required prerequisite courses from The University of Auckland are also listed.

Dalhousie Exchange Opportunity

If you are studying in the BSc – Computer Science at The University of Auckland you will have the option to study overseas at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, for one or two semesters in either the second or third year of your degree. Below is a full schedule of Computer Science courses available at Dalhousie University that can be credited towards your BSc – Computer Science. The courses may be offered in one or more semesters at Dalhousie, as shown in the schedule below. The required prerequisite courses from The University of Auckland are also listed.