Number of places available: 2 full year place

• University of Otago Exchange website
• General Contact: inbound.exchange@otago.ac.nz 
• For more information, please see Otago Factsheet 2025 and Study Abroad and Exchange Guide.

Dates

Term dates - Universities in New Zealand operate on a different calendar to the UK: 

• July to November then February to June

Requirements/Restrictions

A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or greater (USA), or have "credit", "good", or above average results in order to gain admission to the University of Otago.

The following courses are not open to exchange students: Medicine, Dentistry, Psychiatry, Physiotherapy, Pharmacology, Pharmacy or any other clinical course.

Some Otago courses such as Master of Business Administration (MBA), Wildlife Management and Marine Science are restricted in admissions.

Academic Information

Entry to any course is based on relevant academic background. Information on courses ('papers') available can be found on the Otago  University website.  

Students must enrol in between 54 - 72 credit points per semester. Further academic information for exchange students can be found here: Academic information for visiting exchange students, Student exchange | University of Otago.

Life at Otago

The beautiful university campus is based in Dunedin, Otago. Watch this video to find out more.

Otago offers university-managed accommodation for exchange students, off-campus but very close to the university. 

Discover more about exciting campus life on the Otago Students' Association website.

Student Support

A range of support is available at Otago including Career development, Counselling, Disability Information & Support and Student Health. More information can be accessed on their Student Services webpage. 

Other Information

Please find information on estimated living costs here: Living costs | University of Otago

All exchange students must apply for a student visa prior to their arrival in New Zealand.

It is a New Zealand government requirement that all international students must be covered by current medical and travel insurance. Exchange students will sign up for 'StudentSafe' as part of Otago's registration process. This is compulsory, and costs approximately $NZ810.00.

Summer Opportunities

Otago offers a number of fee paying Summer Opportunities. Please see the Otago Summer School webpages for more information. Durham's International Office can only offer advice on summer programmes, students are responsible for paying for the programme.