University of Otago
Dunedin, New Zealand • Founded 1869 • World Rank #470
Updated May 2026
Overview
Founded in 1869, the University of Otago is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the urban setting of the small city of Dunedin (population range of 50,000-249,999 inhabitants), Otago.
Officially recognized by the Ministry of Education of New Zealand, University of Otago is a large-sized coeducational New Zealand higher education institution. University of Otago offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as bachelor's degrees in several areas of study.
International students are welcome to apply for enrollment. University of Otago also provides several academic and non-academic facilities and services to students including a library, sports facilities, study abroad and exchange programs, as well as administrative services.
Location & Contact
Planning a visit to University of Otago or following up with admissions? Location and contact details are listed below. Admissions email typically replies within 5–10 business days during peak season.
Academic Details
These figures give a quick read on University of Otago's scale, staffing levels, and academic standing. Use them to ground decisions about programme fit and institutional capacity.
Degrees
The qualifications available at University of Otago are grouped to make level comparison easy. Joint and dual degrees combine multiple awards and often span institutions or faculties.
Bachelor's 85 programs
Bachelor's programmes build foundational expertise, preparing graduates for entry-level professional roles and further postgraduate study.
- Anatomy
- Anthropology
- Aquaculture
- Archaeology
- Arts and Humanities
- Bible
- Biochemistry
- Biology
- Biomedicine
- Biotechnology
- Botany
- Business and Commerce
- Chemistry
- Chinese
- Christian Religious Studies
- Classical Languages
- Communication Studies
- Computer Science
- Dental Studies
- Dental Surgery
- Dental Technology
- Ecology
- Economics
- Education
- Energy Engineering
- Engineering
- English
- Entrepreneurship
- Environmental Management
- Environmental Studies
- Film
- Fishery
- Food Science
- French
- Gender Studies
- Genetics
- Geography
- Geography (Human)
- German
- Health Sciences
- History
- History of Religion
- Indigenous Studies
- Information Sciences
- Japanese
- Laboratory Techniques
- Law
- Linguistics
- Marine Science and Oceanography
- Mathematics
- Mathematics and Computer Science
- Media Studies
- Medical Technology
- Medicine
- Microbiology
- Music
- Natural Sciences
- Neurosciences
- Nutrition
- Performing Arts
- Pharmacology
- Pharmacy
- Philosophy
- Physical Education
- Physical Therapy
- Physics
- Physiology
- Political Sciences
- Psychology
- Rehabilitation and Therapy
- Religious Studies
- Social Work
- Sociology
- Software Engineering
- Spanish
- Sports
- Statistics
- Surgery
- Surveying and Mapping
- Teacher Training
- Technology
- Telecommunications Engineering
- Theatre
- Theology
- Zoology
Master's 76 programs
Master's programmes develop advanced specialised expertise, suited to senior industry positions and applied research.
- Accountancy
- Anatomy
- Archaeology
- Architecture and Planning
- Arts and Humanities
- Biomedicine
- Business Administration
- Business and Commerce
- Child Care and Development
- Clinical Dentistry
- Clinical Psychology
- Communication Studies
- Community Health
- Data Processing
- Dental Studies
- Dental Surgery
- Dental Technology
- Dentistry
- Development Studies
- Dietetics
- Dispensing Pharmacy
- Economics
- Education
- Engineering
- Entrepreneurship
- Ethics
- Finance
- Fine Arts
- Fishery
- Food Science
- Health Administration
- Health Sciences
- Higher Education
- Indigenous Studies
- International Business
- International Studies
- Laboratory Techniques
- Law
- Leadership
- Management
- Marketing
- Mathematics and Computer Science
- Medical Technology
- Medicine
- Music
- Natural Sciences
- Neurosciences
- Nursing
- Nutrition
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Occupational Health
- Ophthalmology
- Paediatrics
- Peace and Disarmament
- Pharmacy
- Physical Education
- Physical Therapy
- Political Sciences
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Rehabilitation and Therapy
- Religion
- Social Welfare
- Social Work
- Social and Community Services
- Sports
- Sports Management
- Sports Medicine
- Statistics
- Surveying and Mapping
- Sustainable Development
- Teacher Training
- Technology
- Theology
- Tourism
- Wildlife
Doctoral 145 programs
Doctoral programmes train independent researchers, leading to academic, scientific, and senior advisory careers.
- Accountancy
- Agriculture
- Anatomy
- Anthropology
- Aquaculture
- Archaeology
- Architecture and Planning
- Artificial Intelligence
- Asian Studies
- Behavioural Sciences
- Bible
- Bioengineering
- Biology
- Biomedicine
- Biotechnology
- Botany
- Buddhist Religious Studies
- Business Administration
- Business and Commerce
- Cardiology
- Chemistry
- Child Care and Development
- Chinese
- Christian Religious Studies
- Classical Languages
- Clinical Dentistry
- Cognitive Sciences
- Communication Disorders
- Communication Studies
- Community Health
- Computer Science
- Data Processing
- Dental Technology
- Dentistry
- Dietetics
- Ecology
- Economics
- Education
- Electronic Engineering
- Embryology and Reproduction Biology
- Energy Engineering
- English
- Entrepreneurship
- Environmental Management
- Environmental Studies
- Ethics
- European Studies
- Family Studies
- Film
- Finance
- Fishery
- Food Science
- French
- Gender Studies
- Genetics
- Geography
- Geology
- Geophysics
- German
- Health Administration
- Health Sciences
- Higher Education
- History
- History of Religion
- Human Resources
- Immunology
- Indigenous Studies
- Information Sciences
- Information Technology
- International Business
- International Studies
- Island Studies
- Japanese
- Laboratory Techniques
- Law
- Leadership
- Linguistics
- Literature
- Management
- Marine Science and Oceanography
- Marketing
- Mathematics
- Mathematics and Computer Science
- Media Studies
- Medicine
- Microbiology
- Modern Languages
- Molecular Biology
- Music
- Natural Sciences
- Neurosciences
- Nursing
- Nutrition
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Occupational Health
- Occupational Therapy
- Ophthalmology
- Oral Pathology
- Orthodontics
- Orthopaedics
- Pacific Area Studies
- Paediatrics
- Pastoral Studies
- Pathology
- Peace and Disarmament
- Periodontics
- Pharmacology
- Pharmacy
- Philosophy
- Physical Education
- Physical Therapy
- Physics
- Physiology
- Political Sciences
- Preschool Education
- Primary Education
- Psychiatry and Mental Health
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Radiology
- Rehabilitation and Therapy
- Religion
- Religious Studies
- Secondary Education
- Social Work
- Sociology
- Software Engineering
- Spanish
- Sports
- Sports Management
- Sports Medicine
- Statistics
- Surgery
- Surveying and Mapping
- Teacher Training
- Technology
- Telecommunications Engineering
- Telecommunications Technology
- Theatre
- Theology
- Tourism
- Toxicology
- Transport and Communications
- Wildlife
- Zoology
Faculties & Divisions
All faculties operate under Ministry of Education of New Zealand.
Auckland (Campus) 1 subject offered
Specialisations & Subjects
- Child Care and Development
Christchurch (Campus) 3 subjects offered
Specialisations & Subjects
- Health Sciences
- Medicine
- Physical Therapy
Invercargill (Campus) 2 subjects offered
Specialisations & Subjects
- Education
- Health Sciences
Wellington (Campus) 3 subjects offered
Specialisations & Subjects
- Health Sciences
- Medicine
- Physical Therapy
Commerce (Department/Division) 12 subjects offered
Specialisations & Subjects
- Accountancy
- Business Administration
- Business and Commerce
- Economic and Finance Policy
- Economics
- Finance
- Information Sciences
- International Business
- Management
- Marketing
- Mathematics
- Tourism
Health Sciences (Department/Division) 25 subjects offered
Specialisations & Subjects
- Anaesthesiology
- Anatomy
- Biochemistry
- Biomedicine
- Dentistry
- Health Administration
- Health Sciences
- Immunology
- Medical Technology
- Medicine
- Microbiology
- Nursing
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Orthopaedics
- Paediatrics
- Pathology
- Pharmacology
- Pharmacy
- Physical Therapy
- Physiology
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Radiology
- Surgery
- Toxicology
Common Career Paths
- Research Scientist
- Lab Technician
- Analyst
Illustrative career directions for this field; specific outcomes depend on programme and student choices.
Humanities (Department/Division) 44 subjects offered
Specialisations & Subjects
- Anthropology
- Archaeology
- Art History
- Arts and Humanities
- Asian Studies
- Chinese
- Classical Languages
- Communication Studies
- Design
- Education
- Educational Sciences
- English
- Environmental Studies
- Film
- French
- Gender Studies
- Geography
- German
- Graphic Arts
- Hebrew
- History
- Home Economics
- Indigenous Studies
- International Studies
- Japanese
- Law
- Linguistics
- Modern Languages
- Music
- Pacific Area Studies
- Philosophy
- Political Sciences
- Regional Planning
- Religion
- Religious Studies
- Social Sciences
- Social Work
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Special Education
- Teacher Training
- Theatre
- Theology
- Visual Arts
Common Career Paths
- Researcher
- Editor
- Cultural Analyst
Illustrative career directions for this field; specific outcomes depend on programme and student choices.
Sciences (Department/Division) 15 subjects offered
Specialisations & Subjects
- Botany
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Food Science
- Geology
- Marine Science and Oceanography
- Mathematics
- Nutrition
- Physical Education
- Physics
- Psychology
- Sports
- Statistics
- Surveying and Mapping
- Zoology
Common Career Paths
- Research Scientist
- Lab Technician
- Analyst
Illustrative career directions for this field; specific outcomes depend on programme and student choices.
Programs Offered
The programme finder below covers every degree University of Otago currently offers. Programme codes here often map to international classification systems used for credential recognition abroad.
124 programmes on record. Each level below shows a sample. Compare these on the programs page All programs in New Zealand
Bachelor's Degree 20 programmes
Showing 10 of 20.
Honours Degree 9 programmes
Master's Degree 42 programmes
Showing 10 of 42.
Doctorate 10 programmes
Postgraduate Certificate 12 programmes
Showing 10 of 12.
Postgraduate Diploma 30 programmes
Showing 10 of 30.
How to apply to University of Otago
How to apply to University of Otago — a five-step structure with notes on documents, channels, and timing for each phase.
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1
Browse the programme catalogue
Start by exploring the programmes section on this page. University of Otago runs 124 active programmes across multiple degree levels. Narrow by qualification tier and read each programme description before shortlisting.
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2
Check eligibility for your chosen programme
Before applying to University of Otago, confirm you meet the academic, language, and document requirements for your chosen programme. International applicants should also check visa eligibility for New Zealand.
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3
Get your documents ready
Standard documents: official transcripts, identity proof, language test results, personal statement, and references. Confirm exact requirements with University of Otago's admissions office before assembling, as expectations vary by programme.
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4
Apply through the official channel
Lodge your application through the official website (www.otago.ac.nz). Online forms are the standard route. Save your draft frequently and submit before the programme deadline.
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5
Reach out and track your application
Verify your application has been received by the admissions team. Reach the institution by phone at +64 (3) 479 1100. Monitor the portal for status updates, interview invitations, or document requests, and respond within the stated deadlines.
Frequently Asked Questions about University of Otago
Concise answers to the most-searched questions about University of Otago, useful as a quick orientation before exploring the rest of the profile.
When did University of Otago open?
University of Otago traces its founding to 1869 (approximately 157 years ago).
What city is University of Otago in?
University of Otago operates from Dunedin, New Zealand.
Is University of Otago a public or private institution?
It is a public higher-education institution.
How big is University of Otago's student body?
University of Otago serves approximately 15,000-19,999 students.
What is University of Otago's ranking?
University of Otago holds rank #470 globally and #2 in New Zealand.
What degrees does University of Otago offer?
University of Otago offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Who recognises University of Otago?
The institution holds recognition from New Zealand Qualifications Authority.
Where can I learn more about University of Otago?
University of Otago's official website is www.otago.ac.nz.
Members of Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)
Beyond University of Otago, these universities also belong to Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) — useful for students who weight inter-institutional partnerships, exchange programmes, or shared accreditation frameworks. Membership networks often translate into practical student benefits.
Universities Compared with University of Otago
Admissions advisor commonalities exist within peer tiers — advisors recommending University of Otago often recommend the universities below alongside it as natural cross-applications.
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