Scholarships Policy

Responsibility for policy: Scholarships Committee
Approving authority: Academic Board
Last reviewed: April 2019
Next review date: April 2024

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Application

  1. This policy applies to all staff and students of the University of Waikato.

Purpose

  1. The purpose of this policy is to establish a framework of principles, processes and responsibilities with respect to the University's portfolio of scholarships.

Related documents

  1. The following documents set out further information relevant to this policy:

Definitions

  1. In this policy:

    co-funded scholarship means a scholarship partially funded by the University of Waikato and partially funded by a third party

    externally funded scholarship means a scholarship funded by a third party

    internally funded scholarship means a scholarship funded by the University of Waikato scholarship means a sum of money, or its equivalent, granted to a student for the primary purpose of assisting them with their education and where the recipient is selected on merit or other specified criteria; scholarships exclude study awards made to students from internal or external research funding.

Principles

  1. This policy takes account of the Education and Training Act 2020, which includes provision for Council to delegate its powers to grant scholarships and for those functions and powers to be sub-delegated (section 283(2)(b)); Council has delegated these powers through the Academic Board to Scholarship Selection Panels, the Scholarships Committee and the Scholarships Executive.
  2. The primary purpose of the University of Waikato’s portfolio of scholarships is to assist students with their education and to:
    1. attract and retain high quality students
    2. increase research outputs, particularly at postgraduate and doctoral level, and
    3. provide financial assistance to students in circumstances of financial hardship.
  3. In order to provide a consistent framework for its portfolio of scholarships, the University operates a central system by which all scholarships are established and considered.

Scholarship Selection Panels, the Scholarships Committee and the Scholarships Executive

  1. Scholarships must be granted by a Scholarship Selection Panel, the Scholarships Committee or the Scholarships Executive, as specified under the regulations of the specific scholarship and in accordance with their terms of reference.

Scholarship monitoring, suspension and termination

  1. Scholarship recipients will be monitored against the relevant regulations throughout the tenure of the scholarship to ensure that their eligibility to hold the scholarship is maintained.
  2. Where a scholarship recipient has failed to meet the standard required to retain a scholarship or where relevant scholarship regulations have been breached, the Scholarships Committee (in the case of undergraduate scholarships) or Scholarships Executive (in the case of postgraduate and doctoral scholarships) has the authority to suspend scholarship payments or terminate the scholarship.
  3. Scholarship recipients may appeal to the Scholarships Executive (in the case of undergraduate scholarships) or to the Research Committee (in the case of postgraduate and doctoral scholarships) against any decision to suspend or terminate a scholarship made under clause 10 of this policy.

Internally funded scholarships

  1. All internally funded scholarships and most co-funded scholarships must be established through the School of Graduate Research (see Establishing a New Scholarship, Award or Prize at the University of Waikato Guidelines)

Externally funded scholarships

  1. All externally funded scholarships must be established in writing in the form of a funding agreement, i.e. a contract, memorandum of understanding, memorandum of agreement, gift agreement or donation agreement between the funder and one of the University units or entities set out in clause 14 of this policy; all philanthropic gifts and donations to the University must comply with the Fundraising and Philanthropy Acceptance Policy.
  2. All externally funded scholarship agreements must be established through:
    1. the School of Graduate Research
    2. the University of Waikato Foundation, or
    3. the University of Waikato Research Trust.
  3. The following have authority to establish new externally funded sponsorship agreements:
    1. the Dean of Graduate Research (ex officio Chair of the Scholarships Committee)
    2. the Director of Development and Alumni Relations, or
    3. the Chair of the University of Waikato Research Trust or delegated authority.
  4. All new externally funded scholarships must comply with the Minimum Value of Privately Funded Scholarships, Awards and Prizes Guidelines.
  5. All new externally funded postgraduate scholarships must comply with the Establishing a New Scholarship, Award or Prize at the University of Waikato Guidelines.
  6. All scholarship regulations governing externally funded scholarships must be agreed in writing between the funder and the Chair of the Scholarships Committee prior to advertising the scholarship.
  7. Externally funded scholarships are not contracts for research; this must be clearly articulated in the funding agreement established in accordance with clause 13 of this policy.

Intellectual property rights and confidentiality

  1. Where the assignment of intellectual property is a pre-condition of the granting of a scholarship the intellectual property must be assigned in accordance with the University’s Intellectual Property and Copyright Policy.
  2. In some cases, where the student work is a subset of a larger project which is likely to result in a commercial outcome, a confidentiality agreement or embargo agreement may also be required.

Scholarship payments

  1. Tuition Fee Scholarships and Tuition Waiver Scholarships will be paid directly into students’ University fees accounts on confirmation of enrolment and after the date specified in the scholarship agreement; tuition fees and related expenses are GST inclusive.
  2. Accommodation Fee Scholarships will be paid directly to the Hall of Residence and are GST inclusive.

Responsibilities

  1. The Scholarships Committee, Scholarships Executive, Research Committee and Academic Board are responsible for scholarships in accordance with their terms of reference.
  2. The Dean of Graduate Research is responsible for:
    1. managing funds held by the School of Graduate Research for the purposes of scholarships
    2. ensuring that all scholarship opportunities, regulations and application processes are published on the Scholarships website and advertised as appropriate
    3. ensuring that all scholarships are granted as per the relevant regulations
    4. subject to clause 10 of this policy, ensuring that scholarship payments are made in accordance with the scholarship regulations and grant decisions
    5. ensuring that scholarships granted are appropriately recorded on recipients’ academic transcripts; in some circumstances acknowledgement may be withheld where it might otherwise prejudice the future opportunities of recipients, such as where scholarships have been granted to relieve financial hardship
    6. administering externally funded scholarship funds received through the School of Graduate Research, the University of Waikato Foundation or the University of Waikato Research Trust in accordance with the relevant funding agreement
    7. ensuring that scholarship recipients are monitored to ensure continued eligibility against relevant scholarship regulations throughout the tenure of the scholarship, where relevant
    8. suspending scholarship payments or terminating scholarships where relevant scholarship regulations have been breached or where a scholarship recipient has failed to meet the standard required to retain a scholarship, and
    9. where included as a component of a scholarship, ensuring that scholarship recipients receive appropriate pastoral care throughout the tenure of the scholarship.
  3. The Director, Research and Enterprise is responsible for:
    1. managing study awards from internal or external research funds held by the University of Waikato for the purpose of research
    2. ensuring that study awards are allocated in accordance with the relevant funding agreement, and
    3. ensuring reporting from study award recipients and/or their academic supervisors to external research funders is provided as required in the relevant funding agreement.
  4. The Development Manager is responsible for:
    1. managing funds held by the University of Waikato Foundation for the purpose of scholarships
    2. ensuring that scholarship funds are allocated in accordance with the relevant funding agreement, and
    3. ensuring progress reporting from scholarship recipients and/or their academic supervisors to external scholarship funders is provided as required in the relevant funding agreement.
  5. Scholarship Selection Panels must ensure that scholarship recipients are selected in accordance with the relevant regulations.
  6. Scholarship recipients must:
    1. abide by all of the conditions set out in the regulations related to their scholarship and any other conditions outlined in their scholarship offer, and
    2. where required, declare their income to the University in accordance with New Zealand Income Tax law and other government regulations, noting that certain scholarships and bursaries are exempt income under section CW 36 of the Income Tax Act 2007.

Responsibility for monitoring compliance

  1. The Dean of Graduate Research is responsible for monitoring compliance with this policy and reporting any breaches to the Scholarships Committee.
  2. Breaches of this policy by staff may result in disciplinary action under the Staff Code of Conduct.
  3. Breaches of this policy by students may result in disciplinary action under the Student Discipline Regulations.