Step Up Scholarship Responsibilities
Find out about your responsibilities if you have a Step Up Scholarship.
On this page:
Bonding requirements
As part of the Budget announcement made on 28 May 2009, the Government has decided to relax some of the Terms and Conditions of the Bonded Merit Scholarship. Previously, once you completed your qualification you were to be bonded to remain in New Zealand for a period equivalent to the length of your scholarship, up to a maximum of four years.
The Government has now removed your bond obligations. This means:
- If you have gained the qualification that your scholarship was paid for and are currently bonded, you can leave New Zealand without having to repay any of your scholarship.
- If you are currently studying to complete the qualification your scholarship has been awarded for, you won’t have an obligation to remain in New Zealand once you gain your qualification.
However, if you travel overseas while studying and this travel breaches the Terms and Conditions for continuing eligibility to the scholarship, you may lose your right to any future scholarship payments.
Passing more than half your course
You need to pass more than half the work of a full-time tertiary course each year to continue to get the scholarship.
Not passing over half of your course may affect whether or not you are able to continue to receive the scholarship.
Contact us talk about your situation.
Postponement
Once you have started your chosen course, you can postpone your Step Up Scholarship for a maximum of one academic year.
If your postponement is for reasons beyond your control you can continue to receive the scholarship when you return to study. Postponing your course for reasons within your control may affect whether or not you are able to continue to get your scholarship.
The Step Up Scholarship will not be paid for the year it is postponed.
If you don't return to study you won't be eligible for any further payments.
Contact us to talk about your situation.
Studying part-time
You may be able to study part-time with Limited Full-time approval if you are unable to study full-time. If you study part-time, and you're not eligible for Limited Full-time status, you will not be eligible for any further scholarship payments.
To be eligible for Limited Full-time status you must be:
- completing your qualification
- studying part-time due to circumstances beyond your control which temporarily prevent you from studying full-time, e.g. illness or accident.
- you're finishing a recognised programme and to do this you need to study less than full-time but more than half of a full-time course.
OR your education provider supports your application to study less than full-time for one of the following reasons:
- you have an illness that stops you studying full-time or
- it's in your best interests to study less than full-time or
- you can't study full-time where there is a sufficient cause outside your control. (This could include a disability which stops you studying full-time.)
You will need to complete a Limited Full-time application, and be approved by StudyLink as a limited full-time student to continue to receive the scholarship while you are studying less than full-time.
Withdrawing from study
If you withdraw from your study, and don't intend to return you will not be eligible for any further scholarship payments.
You will need to contact us to let us know.
Changing courses
If you're getting a Step Up Scholarship and want to change your course of study you need to call us to talk about it. You may be able to change courses, but you'll need to be changing to another course that's approved for the scholarship.
From 28 May 2009 the Government has relaxed a restriction on the types of course you can apply to transfer your scholarship to. You will now be able to apply to have your scholarship transferred to any other bachelor degree that is a recognised course for Student Allowances purposes. Previously, we would approve a transfer only if the new qualification was in the same Step Up Scholarship stream as the original qualification.
You will only be able to receive Step Up Scholarship payments for the usual length of your course. For example, if you are changing from a three year degree to a four year degree, you will only receive the scholarship for a total of four years.
If your course transfer is not approved you will not be eligible for any further scholarship payments.
Terms and Conditions
When you applied for your Step Up Scholarship you signed an Agreement to the Terms and Conditions of the scholarship. As part of the Budget announcement made on 28 May 2009, the Government has decided to relax some of the original Terms and Conditions of the Step Up Scholarship.
Recipients of the Step Up Scholarship were sent a letter outlining these changes and they are outlined above under ‘bonding requirements’ and ‘changing courses’.
We recommend you review the original Terms and Conditions of your scholarship taking into account the changes. Make sure you review the terms and conditions relevant to the year in which you were awarded a scholarship.
