Support Services
Student Services Fee
Distance students do not normally access the following services located on campus:
- Student Health Service
- Student Counselling
- Accommodation Office
- Careers Advisory Service
- Recreation Services
Because of this, distance students are not required to pay the Student Service Fee. However, if you wish to access these services, you can do so by voluntarily paying the fee.
Full information about the Student Services Fee is available here.
Students with Impairments
Disability Information and Support provides learning support, advice, advocacy, and information to students with disabilities, impairments, medical conditions, or injuries.
The support provided is varied and may include access to specialised equipment, note-taking, subject tutoring, reformatting of course materials, and alternative test and examination arrangements. Our Student Advisors are available to discuss requirements for each student, and work collaboratively to put together a support plan.
Contact Disability Information & Support:
Email disabilities@otago.ac.nz
Web otago.ac.nz/disabilities
PO Box 56
Dunedin
Tel 0800 80 80 98 (freephone within New Zealand )or 64 3 479 8235 (International)
He Huka Mātauraka / Māori Centre
Māori students will find a friendly and supportive atmosphere at Otago. There are already more than 1,600 tauira Māori enrolled here, representing almost every iwi. Te Huka Mātauraka/Māori Centre is the support service for all Māori students and encourages Iwi Māori to participate and succeed at Otago. The Centre offers support for academic, cultural, and social needs from pre-enrolment through to graduation and beyond.
The Centre creates opportunities for Māori students at Otago to meet in an informal and relaxed environment and operates from a kaupapa Māori base to provide services such as:
- counselling
- liaison and advice
- Māori pre-graduation ceremonies
- resources
- mentoring
- Māori orientation
- scholarships & grants information and
- tutorials and seminars
Please do not hesitate to contact the Māori Centre if you require help or information. Opening hours are Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm.
Te Huka Mātauraka – Māori Centre
515-523 Castle Street North
Tel 64 3 479 8490
Email maori-centre@otago.ac.nz
Web otago.ac.nz/maoricentre
Pacific Islands Centre
Talofa lava and warm Pacific greetings from Otago!
The Pacific Islands Centre is a cultural and spiritual home for all those who identify with the Pacific nations of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Our job here is to assist you in your academic journey in any way possible. You are important to us. We acknowledge your passion and drive in taking the initiative to study from home, and we understand that some of you will find it very difficult and lonely sometimes. But hang in there! If you do, your resilience will be rewarded, and we and you will look forward to your graduation.
We can provide support for you here on campus – with any general enquiries or more specific ones such as putting you in contact with your lecturer or accessing a library service. We also welcome your presence at any of our community Fono/events in your home city so watch out for these in the Centre’s Puletini.
Don’t hesitate to contact us and check out our website and Facebook for more information. We’d love to hear from you any time.
Tofilau Nina Kirifi-Alai, Manager
Tel 64 3 479 8278
Email pacific@otago.ac.nz
Web otago.ac.nz/pacific
Otago University Student's Association (OUSA)
Membership of the OUSA is free and voluntary. If you do not wish to be part of the association, email secretary@ousa.org.nz with your name and student ID number to opt out.
Student Welfare and Advocacy
Membership of OUSA gives you access to a range of services and support, including academic advocacy, tenancy advice, queer support (and a queer resource library), help if you experience discrimination and/or harassment, budget and hardship assistance, and somewhere you can chat about anything at all that might be bothering you!
Email: help@ousa.org.nz
The Association’s Executive includes elected student representatives who steer the organisation in the direction that best suits its members.
Class Representatives
OUSA manages the Class Representative system for the university. It’s a really important way that students can have a voice that gets heard by their Department. Being a rep is great for improving your communication skills and helps to promote a sense of community for distance students. OUSA invites distance students to actively participate in the rep system, either by volunteering or passing feedback onto your rep. Please speak directly with teaching staff at the start of your course if you would like to volunteer. Any questions can be directed to
Email: classrep@ousa.org.nz.d
Feedback from Students
The University places a high value on feedback from students. If you are given the opportunity to complete Course Evaluation or Teacher Evaluation questionnaires, please be assured that your views will be welcome and put to good use by your programme’s host School or Department. The University is seriously committed to continuous quality enhancement.
You may also receive an invitation from the University’s Quality Advancement Unit for the opportunity to participate in the following surveys: Student Opinion Survey: Support Services, Student Opinion Survey: Academics Experiences, and the Graduate Opinion Survey. Feedback data provided by Distance Learning students are extrapolated and reported to the relevant academic units. These surveys are also of key interest to the University in relation to benchmarking with other institutions.
You are also able to raise matters with your course coordinator or the Distance Learning Office.