Location
  • New Zealand
    • Auckland
Term
Academic Year, Fall, Summer
Subject Areas
Film Māori Studies

Program Details

Program Type
Direct Enrollment
Degree Level
Bachelors
Housing
Apartment Host Family
Language
English

Pricing

Price Details
Contact IES Abroad or see website for details: www.IESabroad.org/auckland
What's Included
Accommodation Some Activities Classes Some Meals Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare Visa
May 09, 2021
Aug 23, 2019

About Program

Our programs offer you the opportunity to directly enroll in the University of Auckland, a prestigious research university that has courses in more than 150 disciplines. The university also has a wealth of options in Maori Studies and has a Marae (Maori sacred ground) on campus, indicative of Auckland's diversity and New Zealand's Maori heritage.

When you study abroad, Auckland becomes your classroom. Climb to Auckland’s highest point on the top of Mount Eden, watch the sailboats glide by in Waitemata Harbour and Hauraki Gulf, or visit One Tree Hill, one of the city’s largest and most culturally significant volcanoes. Everything you do and see—inside and outside the classroom—is part of your international education.

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • Choose from a variety of subjects including Maori Studies.
  • Earn up to 16 university credits.
  • Join one of the many university clubs to meet locals and people from around the globe!
  • Integrate into Auckland daily life and truly become a Kiwi.

Scholarships

IES Abroad Scholarships

IES Abroad Scholarships and Financial Aid

As far as we're concerned, financial limitations shouldn't prevent you from studying abroad with us. That's why we offer more than $5 million in scholarships and aid.

Value
$500 - $5,000

Popular Programs

group of students smiling for a selfie on a sunny day

Spend your semester abroad in Auckland, delving into Maori culture, studying at a top university, and living in one of New Zealand’s most bustling metropolitan cities. Our program offers you the opportunity to directly enroll in the University of Auckland, a prestigious research university that has courses in more than 150 disciplines.

student standing on a tree stump taking a picture of a small island off the coast

Discover first-hand what draws the global film industry to New Zealand and create your own short drama episode. You will directly enroll in the University of Auckland's four-week practical program for emerging filmmakers. Structured around a production process based on industry practice, this program is designed to give you the tools for a career in film, television and digital media industries.

Due to the small size and intensive nature of the program, admission is highly selective.

Program Reviews

9.64 Rating
based on 14 reviews
  • 9-10 rating 92.86%
  • 7-8 rating 7.14%
  • 5-6 rating 0%
  • 3-4 rating 0%
  • 1-2 rating 0%
  • Academics 7.1
  • Support 9.4
  • Fun 8.9
  • Housing 8.6
  • Safety 9.3
Showing 1 - 8 of 14 reviews
Default avatar
Emily
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program

A New View

Growing up in the middle of farmland leaves you wanting a different setting for yourself. This is why I chose New Zealand for my study abroad experience. New Zealand is known for its beautiful mountains and extensive nature. I craved a new view. New Zealand brought me this and so much more. I was fortunate enough to partake in study through IES Abroad whose advisor was of Maori culture. Throughout the semester, I became immersed in the Maori ways of life; learning about their values and history. I learnt more about myself the first two days on Waiheke Island than I had in a lifetime. However cheesy it may sound, I made lifelong friends and pushed myself in ways I could only do there. I welcomed the feeling of learning a new campus with new classes and people. The University of Auckland offered all the courses I needed and challenged me just as much as I am at Miami. Being time zones away from my family was new to me, but I have never felt such a true happiness that I felt being in New Zealand.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
I realized that I have a new hobby, hiking. I found out that I love hiking and backpacking, and New Zealand offered amazing views everywhere you went. I pushed myself and found beautiful places.
11 people found this review helpful.
Read my full story
Default avatar
Jessica
9/10
Yes, I recommend this program

American exchange student at the UoA

I really enjoyed my program in Auckland. I lived in Parnell Student Village and loved it. The flat was great. I had my own room and shared a kitchen and living room with my four flatmates. The walk to campus through the domain was beautiful. There's lots to do in the city of Auckland and it's very safe. There's lots of programs at the university for exchange students and it's easy to meet people from all over the world, although it can be hard to meet Kiwis as they tend to keep to themselves. Classes were good but they were all lectures. There was group work or creative ways of learning. So lectures could get pretty boring.

What would you improve about this program?
It would be nice if there were more ways to meet Kiwis.
8 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
John
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing Experience in Auckland!

I studied abroad in Auckland from July to November (UoA's "semester 2") and had an amazing time. I took a rather relaxed couse load so I could focus more on the "abroad" part of study abroad- joining clubs, making new friends (local and international), and traveling around the country on weekends. Afterwards, I was able to spend a month backpacking around the South Island of New Zealand and another 10 days in Thailand and Cambodia- I would highly recommend all of this. Since the semester ended in November and my next semester didn't start until January in the US, I was able to go on this incredible adventure at the end of my trip.

11 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Sadie
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program

New friendships in New Zealand.

Study abroad is a daunting possibility on numerous levels. For some, the prospect of a foreign language may be terrifying while for others it may be the distance from home. For me, the necessity of being alone and needed to make new friends was incredibly scary. Ironically, it ended up being the friends I met in New Zealand that made my whole experience phenomenal. There is something unifying about choosing to study somewhere so remote and so wild as New Zealand and I quickly found that the qualities that drew me to such a place were qualities shared by my peers. This being said, I would have never have discovered this if IES had not provided such a safe and easy social transition. From day one, they united us (the 24 American students) as a team and through meals, activities and field trips we explored our new city and we developed our new friendships. All of the experiences I had in New Zealand would stand alone as spectacular however they would not have been possible without the tight knit group of people I found. Therefore, if you find yourself day dreaming of weekend hikes to snow capped crystal blue pools or through golden green forests (all while taking college courses and gaining credit of course) I could not recommend New Zealand more. Also, on the possibility that you (like I) are daunted by a novel social scene- fear not. The aspects that draw you into New Zealand will be mirrored in the people you meet there and although on the surface they may seem quite different, you are all united in this experience.

What would you improve about this program?
I honestly think this was one of the most well-structured and balanced programs I have been on (could have chosen.) They were careful to allow us to be free individuals all the while guiding and supporting us in our growth. They made sure to connect us to each-other and united us in our passion to discover the new country we were in.
11 people found this review helpful.
Read my full story
Claire
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing semester in Auckland

I cannot recommend this program enough. The staff at IES are so kind and willing to help with anything and everything you might need. They also have awesome orientation programs set up to help the group bond and get an introduction to the culture. We got to spend two nights on Waiheke Island (just a ferry ride away from Auckland), where we stayed in a Maori marae (meeting house for the native New Zealand peoples).
New Zealand itself is simply wonderful. From the amazingly kind-hearted people to the incredible outdoors, New Zealand offers an experience you will never want to end!

What would you improve about this program?
The housing options offered for students vary a lot in quality. It would have been nice if this was made clearer at the time we got to select our options.
9 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Alex
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program

Definitely Going Back

My experience in Auckland, NZ, through IES is next to none. I was immediately immersed in the culture and felt right at home. The program director was extremely easy to talk to and he did so much to keep us updated on local events around the city, safety issues, and special discounts that aided with our frequent traveling! I never had a negative experience with IES and they had a perfect combination of organized events and time to explore. If I were to ever study abroad again, it would definitely be through IES. Furthermore, New Zealand is one of the AMAZING places on this planet. With postcard landscapes everywhere you look and people that are truly the most hospitable people I've ever encountered, it is a country that just cannot be beat (not to mention their food is unbelievable!!!). I have come back from this trip a different person - more adventurous, confident, and grateful. New Zealand has managed to steal my heart and I fully plan on moving there post-graduation at some point. So for anyone considering either IES as a program or New Zealand as a country, I say GO FOR IT! You won't regret it.

What would you improve about this program?
N/A
10 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Nora
8/10
Yes, I recommend this program

Expectations and surprises

One of my goals and expectations of my time abroad was to travel as much as I could. I learned so much from planning and going to different places, and I'm so grateful for those experiences. Traveling was what made this semester stand out from my past semesters. But the times I did something spontaneous or said yes to a sudden opportunity were surprises that also made my experience worthwhile. I appreciate those unplanned moments as much as the ones I'd been anticipating the whole semester.

What would you improve about this program?
I understand that the program is structured to allow more freedom to students. The experience really depends on the other people in the program. Since it's direct enrollment people are many different majors and focuses. If the program could have some theme about New Zealand that the group can get involved in or learn about together, that might be more rewarding and unifying for the group.
11 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Cheyenne
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program

My first time leaving the US

In high school I never even thought studying abroad was something normal kids did, just those who spoke 5 languages and were wealthy enough to travel. Once my sophomore year of college started I realized it was something possible for me too. Right away I made it my mission to make studying abroad possible. I had to change my degrees around a bit, load up on classes, and I saved all my gen ed classes for going abroad. Picking a place to go was difficult, but it ultimately came down to New Zealand because I wanted to experience nature like I never had before. Next I had to pick my program provider and I ended up choosing IES because they offered extra excursions and the option for homestay.
The University of Auckland is a beautiful and accessible campus, even though it's significantly larger than what I'm used to and I had no problem finding my way around after exploring the campus before classes started. The quality of learning there may be better or worse depending on where you come from; I had 2 wonderful classes and professors, 1 decent one, and 1 bad one. It would be helpful to look up reviews of professors if you can, though I think most classes only have one professor teaching it. The thing I disliked most about classes abroad was the size and style of teaching. I'm used to class sizes around 20-30 people, intimate relationships with other students and the professor, and tutorial style teaching all the time. It was quite a change having over 100 people in every class and adapting to lecture based teaching. It encouraged me to procrastinate since I'm not the best at managing my time and priorities. One thing I would recommend is to take a culture or history class pertaining to your country, my Maori studies class was by far one of the most engaging and interesting classes I've ever taken as a student (I had a wonderful professor and many guest lecturers).
It was a little hard meeting people in my classes because they were not interactive classes like dance, music, or philosophy, and because they were not first year classes so people already knew their classmates. Even though I hung out with locals in clubs and bars, the other IES abroad students became my best friends there outside of the classroom.
Adjusting to life in another country was easier than I expected, I only had a learning curve with public transport. I got lost many times but nice people on the street always helped me out! It's also incredibly easy to get absorbed in the city life and forget about your studies in another country because sometimes it seems like you're on a vacation instead of on an exchange. Thanks to my study abroad experience I can't wait to keep on traveling. I can't picture myself tied down to a desk anymore.

What would you improve about this program?
IES, and my program coordinator Andrew, were actually as close to perfect as they can be. Andrew was available by phone and text day and night, he went out of his way to check on us and make sure we were having fun weekends, he took us on multiple organized trips around New Zealand, and the program did their best to always accommodate our needs. If there was one thing I would change though it would be that they provide a better way to switch housing if needed, but that's more a knock on the university and not the program.
13 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers