University of Otago

Deadlines

1. 1 November 2026*

   Decide between a July 2027 and a February 2028 start
   Your own plan

   Details

   Not published by anyone, and the decision the rest of this page depends on. A mid-year start means applying before you have any results at all; February 2028 means eight months between your last exam and your first lecture. Not every degree admits mid-year, and the professional ones generally do not.

2. 30 April 2027

   International applications close for Semester 2 2027 (12 July start)
   Hard deadline

   Details

   Published with its year attached as the "Deadline for international applications commencing in semester 2, 2027", and it is the earliest of the three published mid-year dates — five and a half weeks before Auckland's and more than two months before IB results exist. Otago's international application round for 2027 opened on 1 May 2026, so this is the closing day of a twelve-month window rather than a sudden date. Formal classes begin 12 July 2027 and compulsory international orientation runs 5 to 9 July 2027, which is the same week IB results are released. Otago's page gives "5 July 2026" as the recommended last day to arrive for students starting in semester 2, 2027, directly above "5-9 July 2027" for that semester's compulsory orientation, so the arrival year is probably a misprint. Plan to be on campus before 5 July 2027 so that you make the orientation week Otago does date unambiguously, and confirm the day with Otago's international office before booking flights.

   Source

3. 15 November 2027*

   University of Otago — offshore international applications close for semester 1, 2028
   Hard deadline

   Details

   Otago splits its international applicants in two and gives them different days, and the split is the trap for a student applying from Denmark. An offshore applicant — one applying from Denmark — closes on 15 November; an onshore one, already in New Zealand, has until 10 December. Take the later date and you have missed by twenty-five days. Otago published these as 15 November 2026 and 10 December 2026 for semester 1, 2027; the 2028 equivalents are not published, but Otago states that "The main international student application period is 1 May–15 November, for most studies commencing in semester 1 (February)", so 15 November 2027 is expected. Some programmes run different periods — teaching, oral health and dental technology are named — so check yours rather than assuming this date.

   Source

* Last year’s date, not yet confirmed.

Every date in New Zealand