Student Housing & Exchange in New Zealand

New Zealand punches above its size for exchange students. Auckland is the country's biggest city yet stays walkable, cosmopolitan and genuinely welcoming, with a strong Asian community and plenty of fellow French and Belgian exchange students around. Both AUT and the University of Auckland run light semesters, often 8 to 13 hours of class a week, leaving long weekends free. The real selling point is the country itself as a playground: beaches 20 minutes away by bus, volcanoes inside the city, islands reachable by ferry, and the whole South Island waiting during the two week April break. It suits students who want to travel hard and improve their English fast, less so committed nightlife hunters, since Auckland is not a party city.

On both campuses, the residence is where exchange actually happens, not the lecture hall: classes rotate strangers every session, while residence orientation weeks the week before term build the friend group that lasts the semester. AUT residents get weekly free food nights, karaoke, barbecues and a Thursday bingo at the campus bar; UoA students can join over 80 clubs through SASS (Study Abroad Student Society) and get paired with a local Buddy. Wednesday is the big student night out in the CBD, with Ponsonby, K Road and the Viaduct filling up on weekends; Monday to Thursday the city is quiet. Joining a local sports club, especially rugby, is repeatedly cited as the best way to actually meet Kiwis outside the exchange bubble.

The New Zealand dollar sits around 0.56 to 0.58 euros, so students mentally halve prices. Overall cost of living is described as close to France, with rent, alcohol, tobacco, nights out, dairy and coffee running more expensive, while meat, petrol and Asian restaurants are cheaper. Card payments often carry a hidden 0.5 to 2.5 percent surcharge and ATM withdrawals cost around 3 NZD, so keeping some cash helps; a New Zealand bank account is not worth opening for a single semester. Pak'nSave is the cheapest supermarket, ahead of Woolworths and New World. Most students keep their French Free SIM plan at under 20 euros a month instead of paying for local data. Health cover matters too: University of Auckland gives free doctor, physio, pharmacy and psychologist visits on campus, while AUT's free clinic can take about a month to get an appointment.

Renting privately from abroad is nearly impossible since landlords expect a New Zealand phone number and email, and rents are quoted by the week, not the month. Most exchange students take an official residence instead. AUT students choose between Wellesley Student Apartments (WSA), shared flats of five with private bedrooms right by the City Campus for around 6,500 NZD a semester, and UniLodge Mayoral Drive, private studios at about 450 to 468 NZD a week with a 2,000 NZD discount for AUT students. University of Auckland students land mostly at Carlaw Park Student Village, shared flats of three to seven near the Auckland Domain at 320 to 330 NZD a week, or Te Tirohanga in the CBD at a similar rate. None of these require a deposit beyond a few hundred dollars, unlike private rentals.

Getting around Auckland means buying an AT Hop card, since buses do not sell tickets on board; tagging on and off charges a distance based fare of roughly 1 to 5 NZD per trip, with a student concession available. Trains, buses and gulf ferries all run on the same card, but frequency is patchy and services stop early, so walking is often just as fast across the compact CBD, even though the city climbs over old volcanoes. Uber is affordable and useful at night, and CityHop offers hourly car rentals for day trips like Piha beach. Outside Auckland, public transport disappears almost entirely and a car becomes essential.

Both universities run on 4 courses worth 30 ECTS, with surprisingly few contact hours, 8 to 15 a week, often grouped over 2 or 3 days to free up long weekends; the trade off is a heavy share of independent study. The semester runs from late February to early June, exams until mid June, with a 2 week break in April, and courses can still be swapped in the first two weeks. AUT is generally seen as easier than a French engineering school, especially assignment based courses over test based ones, but its 3 campuses are spread out and master level courses (open to continuing education students) are best avoided. University of Auckland is more prestigious and demanding: midterms are described as easy but final exams noticeably harder, and the final course list is only confirmed in early March. Both use Canvas for recorded lectures, and professors reply quickly to emails.

For a single exchange semester, students choose between the Fee Paying Student Visa, which does not allow work, and the Working Holiday Visa (WHV), which allows work but can only be used once in a lifetime. Both are handled entirely online through a RealMe account and Immigration New Zealand, no embassy visit needed, and take about 1.5 to 3 hours to fill in. Processing time varies wildly, from 2 weeks to 2 to 3 months, so applying about 3 months ahead is safer. Visa fees have risen noticeably between 2024 and 2025 and should be checked directly on immigration.govt.nz before applying.

• Student visa costs around 430 NZD (about 250 euros) but fees climbed further in 2025, always double check the current amount on immigration.govt.nz.
• Required documents include a bank guarantee letter written in English, a passport valid at least 6 months after the application, a clean criminal record, and a photo meeting strict pixel and no jewellery rules.
• A student visa lets you stay in the country for one extra month after the semester ends, useful for a final trip.
• If transiting through the United States, an ESTA (21 dollars) is mandatory even for a few hours layover; routing through Asia or the Middle East (Singapore, Seoul, Dubai, Doha) avoids the risk of a denied boarding.

Local food culture is limited, think fish and chips, meat pies, sausage sizzle and burgers, with the V energy drink fuelling exam weeks. Asian cuisine is everywhere and often cheaper than cooking at home. Life runs on an early clock: Kiwis eat dinner around 6pm, shops close by 5 to 6pm, and even restaurants shut around 8 to 9pm, so evenings wind down fast. Supermarket cold cuts, cheese and bread are disappointing and expensive compared to France, while meat and chicken are good value. For something different, Waiheke Island, a short ferry ride from Auckland, is the go to spot for wine tasting among its vineyards.

On Studcasa, New Zealand currently means Auckland, home to both AUT and the University of Auckland right in the city centre. The real choice is not between cities but between neighbourhoods and universities, since AUT and UoA offer two different flavours of the same exchange.

• CBD / Queen Street: home to both universities and most residences, compact enough to reach everything on foot within 45 minutes.
• Ponsonby: the bar and restaurant strip for a proper night out.
• Karangahape Road (K Road): the alternative nightlife area, best avoided alone late at night.
• Parnell / Newmarket: quieter, residential side of town near Carlaw Park Student Village and the Auckland Domain, with shopping in Newmarket.

Weekends on the North Island reach Coromandel, Rotorua's geothermal fields, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, Hobbiton, Raglan for surfing, and the Bay of Islands up north, all within 1.5 to 3 hours of Auckland; short ferries reach Waiheke Island's vineyards and the volcano on Rangitoto. Wellington is doable by overnight InterCity bus or a short flight. The real highlight is the 2 week April break, when almost every exchange student flies to Christchurch or Queenstown and rents a van for a South Island road trip, stopping at Lake Tekapo, Mount Cook, Milford Sound, Abel Tasman and the Catlins, all noticeably colder than Auckland. Once the semester ends, Fiji is a popular 3 hour flight away, alongside Australia and Bali on the way home.

Arrive in early February, before term starts, to catch orientation week and the last days of summer at the beach. Sort an international driving permit at least 6 months ahead in France, since getting one locally means an approved translation instead. Pack strong sunscreen, a compressible down jacket, hiking shoes bought before leaving (clothing is expensive locally), a universal adapter, and a 50 to 60 litre backpack rather than a big suitcase. If enrolled at AUT, claim a refund on the compulsory university insurance once Chapka cover is confirmed. Favour assignment based courses and group classes over 2 to 3 days to free up travel time, and skip master level courses. The single most repeated advice across every report: do not stick exclusively with other French students, and reach out to a past exchange student before leaving.