2026 New Zealand School Scholarships launched in Viet Nam

Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) launched the New Zealand Schools Scholarships (NZSS) 2026 programme, recording the highest level of participation since the programme’s inception in 2019.

A total of 56 New Zealand secondary schools and 55 Vietnamese education agents have participated in NZSS 2026, reflecting strong education provider and market confidence in the programme.

Launched on 5 January, the programme will have applications close on 22 March 2026, with 56 scholarships available across a diverse range of state, private, single-sex and co-educational schools, offering NCEA, Cambridge or IB curricula.

To grow awareness and interest in the scholarships and New Zealand’s school study options, ENZ delivered a series of New Zealand School Scholarships information sessions in collaboration with six education agencies and one partner school in Viet Nam. This was in addition to two public webinars livestreamed on a partner media fanpage.

ENZ also strengthened agent capability through a dedicated six-part webinar series for Vietnamese agents, delivered from 3-18 December 2025. The series featured 36 speakers from New Zealand secondary schools, NZQA and SIEBA, and focused on building agent knowledge of the New Zealand school system, regional school offerings, and NZSS promotion guidelines.

The agent webinar series attracted over 160 registrations, with 60-98 agents attending each session, indicating strong engagement across the market. The sessions were designed to equip agents with practical tools to confidently advise parents and students and to support consistent, accurate promotion of NZSS.

ENZ’s Market Manager – Viet Nam, Van Banh said these activities aim to provide prospective school students and their parents clear, consistent information about the NZSS programme and application process.

“With the programme’s record school participation this year, expanded market outreach, and a strong focus on education agent capability-building, NZSS 2026 is a significant step forward to strengthen awareness of New Zealand’s secondary education offering in Viet Nam and support its long-term, sustainable growth.

“It’s fantastic to see a sustained level of commitment and contribution from education providers for this programme, it really highlights the strategic value of the NZSS as a pathway programme to study in New Zealand and underlines the sector’s continued confidence in Viet Nam’s secondary school market,” Van said.

Above: Students from Ban Mai School (Ha Noi) attend a workshop about New Zealand education and opportunity with NZSS

Collectively, participating New Zealand schools have committed an estimated $441,702 NZD in scholarship investment, with each school offering a scholarship valued at 50 percent of the first-year tuition fee.

Since its first launch in 2019, NZSS has awarded nearly 80 scholarships, enabling Vietnamese students to access high-quality secondary education in New Zealand and progress to positive academic and career outcomes. Alumni achievements continue to reinforce NZSS’ reputation as one of the most established and impactful government-backed secondary school scholarship programmes in Viet Nam.