University of Canterbury Star Courses

What is the STAR Programme?

The STAR Programme allows secondary school students from anywhere in New Zealand to enrol in first-year degree-level courses while they are in Year 12 or 13. We offer both on-campus and distance courses. Once the students achieve University Entrance they can credit courses they have successfully completed towards a relevant degree at UC and usually at other universities too. In 2020 UC has over 390 STAR students enrolled from 102 secondary schools around New Zealand.

Why be a part of the STAR Programme?

The STAR Programme offers keen and capable students:

• a stimulating challenge

• an opportunity to make a head start on their tertiary degree study

• the confidence that they have what it takes to succeed in tertiary study

• an opportunity to connect with like-minded secondary school students

Who can enrol?

Schools are responsible for identifying and approving suitable students, primarily in Years 12 and 13. While most of our STAR students are (partially) funded by Ministry of Education STAR funding, our courses are open to all secondary students, including students at independent schools, home-schooled students, international and adult secondary school students, provided schools meet the course costs through other means.

What courses can students enrol in?

A STAR student can enrol in many of our 100-level courses with the approval of our course coordinator and the student’s secondary school. For most of our courses STAR students complete the course just like the UC students enrolled in the course. For some of our courses STAR students are taught separately from UC students in their own specific classes or distance groups, for example Mathematics, Computer Science and Economics. Those courses cover the same material as the corresponding 100-level UC courses, but are taught in a way that focusses on the STAR students.

The University of Canterbury’s STAR Programme website (www.canterbury.ac.nz/star) has been updated for 2021, including the course list, how to apply and all other useful information. Students should use our online application system, which will open for 2021 on 1 October.

· On campus and distance study options

· First year UC courses in 50 subjects – see what’s changing in 2021 below -

· Discounted tuition fees, some as low as $0 (zero), because the STAR fees of some courses are covered by our Colleges

· Students don’t need to have achieved NCEA University Entrance (or equivalent) yet

· Credits are transferrable to a relevant degree at UC and usually other universities as well

These are some changes to the subjects offered in 2021:

· The first half of the STAR Computer Science Programme will change from COSC121 to our new course COSC131 “Introduction to Programming for Engineers”. We are finding that more students learn Python programming at school nowadays and COSC131 will add something a bit more challenging and different. It also has better follow-on options than COSC121, including for non-Engineering student. The second half of the STAR Computer Science Programme will still be COSC122 as in previous years.

· Anthropology is now also offered by distance

· Art History has again been added, both on campus and by distance

· We have added an on campus English Language course

· German has again been added, both on campus and by distance

· Social Work is now also offered by distance

The application closing date for Semester 1 and Whole Year courses is Friday 12 February 2021 and the application closing date for Semester 2 courses is Friday 2 July 2021