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Victoria International

Welcome to Victoria University of Wellington New Zealand!

Victoria is a thriving community of over 19,000. Most, of course, are students – of all nationalities, from all walks of life – who have come to learn in the vital, open environment that only university study can offer.

The remainder are the 1,500 members of staff, all here for one reason. Whether they are an academic at the cutting edge of international research, a Faculty advisor, a Vic Volunteer helping a student with a disability, a librarian, the International Students’ staff member who met you at the airport, a campus gardener, the Maori Studies Ruahine, the Honours student taking your tutorial, the Vice-Chancellor or the one who serves you latte at Vicky’s – they are here to help you get the very most out of your time at Vic.

The experiences you have at Victoria will remain with you for the rest of your life. Not only in the new-found knowledge and understanding you gain, but in the people who help you find it – new friends, fellow students, tutors and lecturers. University study really does change people’s lives.

At Victoria you have access to the very best University education in New Zealand. You will join a warm, open and diverse community of students from over 70 different countries, and have access to excellent support networks built up over 50 years of looking after the needs of international students.

New Zealand is fast becoming a popular and favoured education destination for students from all around the world. With world-leading academic research, competitive costing, safe cities, and a beautiful environment, it’s easy to see why.

Victoria, Wellington, New Zealand – Truly a new world class!

History

Wellington’s Victoria University was created through an Act of Parliament inspired by Premier Richard Seddon in 1897. His desire was to establish a "College in Wellington in commemoration of the sixtieth year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria".

The University’s four pioneering Professors – Brown, Mackenzie, Easterfield and Maclaurin – arrived in the capital two years later to take up their duties.

For the first few years, lectures took place in rented accommodation in the city while a debate raged over where the new institution’s home should be built. The College Council finally chose the present site on the corner of Salamanca Road in Kelburn, and in 1904 the first stage of what is today known as the Hunter Building was opened by the Governor General, Lord Plunket.

A pattern of growth was quickly established. Student numbers rose from 254 in 1905 to over 700 in 1923, with constant additions being made to the original red brick building over the same period. A reputation for fine teaching and research also grew, thanks to the efforts of early academics such as Professors ‘Tommy’ Hunter, J C Beaglehole and George von Zedlitz.

For more on the University's story, and its expansion into three additional campuses, see The Campuses.

What Can I Study?

Victoria offers you excellent opportunities to study a range of academic disciplines.

From here, we’re able to give you a brief introduction to Victoria’s 80 plus Bachelors degrees, 20 specialist Masters programmes and many other Graduate and Postgraduate Diplomas.

The Faculties

The University’s academic body is made-up of five faculties, responsible for the administration of academic programmes and the awarding of degrees. The five faculties are Architecture and Design, Commerce and Administration, Humanities and Social Sciences, Law and Science.

Each faculty consists of a number of schools committed to an academic specialisation. These schools are responsible for the research and teaching within their field.

Victoria's 5 Faculties Planning Your Study