Foundation Awards

Eligibility for Accommodation Awards

From 31 July 2025, the Foundation for Knox College and Salmond College invites applications for accommodation awards of up to $4000 each, to attend either Knox College or Salmond College in 2026. Applications will close on 30 September 2025.

Late applications may be considered by emailing the Heads of the Colleges direct:
head@knoxcollege.ac.nz or head@salmondcollege.ac.nz

How to Apply

Applicants Must:

Be New Zealand citizens or New Zealand permanent residents, or have completed Year 12 and have completed or are in the process of completing Year 13 at a New Zealand school.
Be intending to enrol at the University of Otago or the Otago Polytechnic for the first time in 2026 and intending to pursue full-time study for the entire academic year.
Have at least NCEA Level 2 with a merit commendation or equivalent.
Submit an ‘Application for a Residential College’ through the University of Otago’s Student Accommodation Centre. Preference will be given to applicants who have put either Knox College or Salmond College as their first choice of College.

Application Process

If you want to apply for an accommodation award you must:

Complete the online application form by midnight on 30 September 2025, saying why you are applying for this award, and providing details of activities in which you have taken responsibility, shown leadership, or contributed to your community.
Arrange for a reference from a senior person in your school (e.g. Principal, Assistant Principal, Year 13 Dean).
Upload your most recent results in NCEA or equivalent to your application.

Selection Process

A Selection Committee comprising the Heads of Knox and Salmond Colleges and Trustees from the Foundation of Knox College and Salmond College shall consider the following factors in awarding the accommodation awards:

Academic ability
Demonstrated leadership potential
Sporting and/or cultural involvement
Contribution to the community
Financial need

Preference will be given to applicants who have put either Knox College or Salmond College as their first choice of College.

Tenure

The accommodation award will be for the first year of full-time study at the University of Otago or Otago Polytechnic and must be taken up in 2026.
The accommodation award may be held concurrently with other awards.
Awards up to $4000 may be awarded towards the cost of accommodation. The accommodation award is paid to the College and accredited to the accommodation fee proportionately according to the payment option selected by the student for paying the accommodation fee.
If the student leaves the College part way through the year, any portion of the accommodation award not accredited to the accommodation fee is refunded to the Foundation for Knox College and Salmond College.

Other Requirements

Each accommodation award recipient:

Must obtain entrance to the University of Otago or the Otago Polytech.
Must agree to reasonable requests from their College to appropriately represent the College and the award.
Is expected to be actively involved in the life of their respective College.

When You Apply

The Foundation Accommodation Award application form requires you to:

Provide your name, birth date, physical address and phone number.
Provide a current email address that you use regularly.
Explain why you are applying for this award, giving particular attention to the selection criteria listed above.

With your application form, you need to provide (via uploading to our application form):

A reference from a senior person in your school (e.g. Principal, Assistant Principal, Year 13 Dean).
Upload your most recent results in NCEA or equivalent with your application.

Notification of Results

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by the end of October.

If successful, the award will be paid to the College and be deducted from the accommodation fees payable to the College in proportion to the payment option selected by the student for paying the accommodation fees. For example, if the recipient chooses to pay the accommodation fee in four instalments, one quarter of the award will be accredited to each instalment.

Once open for applications, you will be able to apply for a Foundation Accommodation Award using our online application form.

Applications Closed