Moving to New Zealand for College?

Question

I live in Washignton state right now and, because of the Real ID Act and the Patriot Act, I want to move to New Zealand. I will have very little money saved up for my first year ($5,000 USD, if that) but I am opposed to the direction America is going. Eventually I want to be a movie director. Can someone tell me the cost of colleges and how the people of New Zealand would react to me, were I to move there? Also how tolerant are they of different religions and political beliefs? I am a Buddhist and a Libertarian which I heard was frowned upon in New Zealand.

Answer 1

University is expensive here (Tens of thousands of NZD) if you are not a citizen or resident of the country, however you can apply for a student loan which is interest free after you have been here for about 6 months. Most people here are generaly pretty open to different beliefs, we have a very multi cultural society with a lot of different religions, however you'd probably get a few people who don't like people who have different beliefs! But if you went to somewhere like Auckland University which has about 30,000 students, it's very diverse, and I don't think you'd get any bad reactions! I study there and you see every type of person you could imagine there!

Answer 2

I studied for one semester at Victoria University of Wellington last year.  I spent about $9000 in tuition for the one semester.  This was pretty much the same as studying at any of the other universities.  So, I think you are looking at needing some serious financial aid and loans.  They seem to be a bit picky about granting citizenship to non refugee people like yourself (I have also been looking into it for myself).  Your best option might be to do your entire degree abroad but retain your US citizenship.  Some study abroad organizations can help you arrange this, like Australearn.  If the financial strains of doing this I would suggest looking into going to school at Evergreen in Olympia or Western in Bellingham.  From what I hear, Evergreen has a lot of people like yourself, but it is a non-traditional degree program.  If you seek a normal undergraduate experience, Western is a great option (I just graduated from there).  Bellingham is one of those places that accepts any and every kind of lifestyle/beliefs.

Answer 3

to get a student visa to new zealand, you must be able to prove that you have enough to support yourself for the time you are there (for them, this equates to $10000NZ ($8000ish USD) for every year you are there).

People in NZ are the friendliest i ever met. I only met one that i thought was rude (a gas station attendant who was very upset when we wouldnt let his wife pump our gas). Occasionally, they will ask questions about america and your opinion on what is going on there.

Religion didnt seem to be very important down there... and they dont judge you based on what you believe. If you dont bring it up, then they wont care... same with politics.

College is expensive there, especially for foreingers. But classes never fill up which is awesome. Also, their grading system is way different from the US. Expect to not get A's.

Also, with a student visa, you are not allowed to work except during summer vacation, so dont expect to make money while you are there.