Southern Presbytery Theology Scholarship
The Southern Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church is offering a couple of Otago University theology scholarships for semester 1 of 2027. Each scholarship will reimburse a student for the cost of a single undergraduate paper offered by the Theology Programme at Ōtago University. Successful applicants will pay for the paper up front and be reimbursed once they have passed it.
The scholarships are an expression of the Southern Presbytery’s commitment to increasing theological awareness among its church members, and resourcing and encouraging its current and future lay leadership and through them its churches.
Applicants need to be regularly attending a Presbyterian or Uniting Church, and to have been doing so for at least a year. They also need to be resident in Dunedin as a student or to live in the Presbytery area (south of the Waitaki). As long as they meet this residence criteria, distance students and local students are equally eligible. A person may only be awarded one scholarship. The scholarships are not open to people who have been accepted for ministry training.
The theology scholarships might be of interest to
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people who are already involved in leadership in their church – parish councillors / lay preachers/ pastoral visitors/ youth or children’s workers etc- who are wanting to do some theological study to support and upskill the leadership they are already exercising,
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students in Dunedin studying at Ōtago University who may have space in their degree for an extra paper and who would be interested in doing some theology,
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students who have some theology already in their degree and are adding a further theology paper.
Click here to see available theology papers
Click here for the application form
Applications for scholarships for Semester 1 2027 need to be in to the Executive Officer of Southern Presbytery presbyteryeo@southernpresbyterians.nz on or before November 27. (The registration deadline for new students to Ōtago University is December 20.)
Supporting documentation – A letter from the Minister or Session Clerk in support of your application and confirming that you have been participating in the Parish for at least one year must be included with the application from.
On successful completion of the paper, applicants will need to send a copy of their results, along with bank details to The Southern Presbytery Executive Officer at presbyteryeo@southernpresbyterians.nz