Checklist for new students
Get ready for your uni experience with this essential checklist covering enrolment, accounts, and Welcome week. International students can find additional support for visas and banking.
Complete your enrolment
- Make sure you are fully enrolled.
- You may be asked to bring original or verified documents to complete your enrolment.
- Teaching and Nursing: you may also need to meet police vetting requirements.
If your papers haven't been approved yet
- For 100-level papers: contact the Student Centre
- Level 2, M Block Hamilton and Level 1 campus building Tauranga
- or phone 0800 Waikato
- or email info@waikato.ac.nz
- For papers 200-level and above:
- Contact your Division, Faculty or School.
Before you start
- Activate your student account and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) - needed for Moodle.
- This cannot be activated until you complete your enrolment.
- Upload a photo for your Student ID card.
- Your Student ID card is also your Library card and your printing card.
- Plan for Orientation.
- Academic Orientation is the week before classes start.
- Welcome Week (activities by WSU) is during the first week of classes. Check the Hamilton WSU and Tauranga WSU Facebook pages for updates.
- Check your timetable.
- Week 1: Sign up for labs, tutorials and workshops in Moodle.
- Week 2: Labs, tutorials and workshops begin. If any start in Week 1, it will be mentioned in the Paper Outline and in Moodle.
- Get familiar with Moodle. Everything for your papers is there.
- Complete the Getting Started paper.
- Moodle access can take up to 24 hours after enrolment is completed.
Find support early (so it's ready when you need it)
- Student ICT support.
- Accounts, printing, software tech help and Wi-Fi.
- Accessibility support: register with the Accessibility Team.
- Māori and Pacific support: explore Māori ki Waikato and Pacific at Waikato Services.
- Library and study spaces: in Hamilton check out Te Manawa - The Student Centre (M Block) and for Tauranga campus head to Level 1.
- Health and Wellbeing: complete registrations for Unirec (gym) and/or Student Health Service if you plan to use them.
Getting around
- View campus maps for Hamilton and Tauranga
- Learn about reading room numbers.
- Purchase and set up a Bee Card to get around Hamilton and Tauranga. For Auckland Metro purchase an AT HOP card.
Help with Bee Card
- Buy card online or from Te Manawa - The Student Centre.
- Cost $5 card + minimum $5 top up. Once registered you can apply for a student concession.
- Bee card covers travel around Waikato/Tauranga and trips on Te Huia (train) to Auckland.
Additional items for international students
- Bank account proof of address
- First, update your contact address to your New Zealand address before completing your enrolment.
- Then, download your tuition fees receipt from the Finance tab in MyWaikato.
Receipt will have your updated address.
- Book your International Student Support appointments.
- Booking is required during peak times.
- Email internationalsupport@waikato.ac.nz to book.
- Visa questions
- Email visa@waikato.ac.nz with details of your situation and a meeting will be arranged if required.
- Changing your qualification after arrival
- Apply for the new qualification, then request a Visa Variation with Immigration NZ. This can take time so start early.
Need help?
If you are unsure about any of the steps above, contact the Student Centre and we can help you get it sorted.
Contact us
International Enquiries
Monday – Friday NZT 1pm – 2am