New Zealand: University of Otago

Please visit Global Academic Procedures for detailed credit and other academic information.

You will enroll in three to four University of Otago courses, called papers, and transfer between 13.5-18 UNC credit hours. You may choose from a variety of business core and elective subjects.

Courses taken at the University of Otago will transfer back to UNC Pass (Otago grade of 50 and above/C or higher)/Fail (Otago grade below 50/C- or lower). Pass grades do not affect your UNC GPA. Fail grades transfer back to UNC as Fs, which will affect your UNC GPA. Though transfer credit for this program is Pass/Fail, future employers and graduate schools will also look at the Otago transcript, so grades are important.

You will transfer back 4.5 UNC credits for every 18-credit paper at Otago, and are expected to take three to four papers worth 18 Otago credits each during the semester. Though each course is worth 4.5 UNC credits, you are permitted to earn a maximum of 3.0 BUSI credits per course at Otago. Therefore, if you earn 50/Pass or above in all courses, you will receive a total of 13.5-18 UNC credits for your semester abroad, but each course will come back to UNC as 3.0 of BUSI credit (if approved for business credit) and 1.5 credits of general, non-business elective credit. View the ‘Credit Hour Conversions’ accordion on the ‘Academics Procedures‘ page for more information on credit hour conversion from Otago to UNC.

This program also fulfills the Experiential Education requirement or the High Impact Experience requirement (if you are under the new IDEAs curriculum). Full-time enrollment in this program is defined as a minimum of the equivalent of 12 UNC credit hours.

The Student Accommodation Centre offers accommodation options in both Residential Colleges and University Flats. Please note that housing is not guaranteed and housing in Dunedin is in high demand. If accepted to the University, we recommend that you apply for housing through the university as early as possible.

We suggest you create your global program budget using our budget worksheet (xlsx) to help you think about your costs on this program:

• Populate the figures from the tables below into the left side costs of attendance
• Input your financial resources on the right

Your customized budget sheet can help determine your current financial status, and help you understand what additional funding you may need to help make this an affordable program option.

*Cashier Billed Expenses are those charges billed directly to your UNC ConnectCarolina account.

Funding your global program

The Undergraduate Business Program offers scholarships to support our students who wish to participate on a global program. Please visit the Scholarships and Financial Aid page to learn more.

Do you have a valid passport? If yes, check your passport’s expiration date to ensure that your passport is valid at least 6 months after your program’s scheduled end date. If not, you’ll need to submit a passport renewal application.

Do you need to apply for a passport (first time or renew)? If yes, we recommend that you get started on your passport application right away as you’ll need time to collect documents like your birth certificate to include as part of your application. For complete instructions click here.

Will I need immigration documents? If you are accepted into this program you will need to travel to a New Zealand consulate/embassy in the United States to obtain a visa permitting you to study in New Zealand. For this appointment, you will need your passport in hand along with other documentation from our office and the host university office. Please set up an appointment with your Global Programs Advisor to discuss.