Dear Ali,

I refer to your request of 1 December 2019. The University has decided to provide you with the information requested about PhD applications for 2016-2019 broken down by nationality. This information will be provided to you as soon as practicable. However we cannot provide the information requested broken down by demographics without substantial collation or research. This part of your request is refused under section 18(f) of the Official Information Act. You have the right to make a complaint to an Ombudsman about this response.

Yours sincerely,
Rebecca Ewert
General Counsel
University of Auckland

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Dear Ali,

Further to my email of 20 January, the information requested about declined PhD applications for 2016-2019 broken down by country/nationality is attached.

The information provided details the reasons applications were declined. These include:

• CNMT - Conditions not met. This means the applicant was issued a conditional offer but failed to meet the conditions, e.g. English language requirements; completion of their qualifying programme to a required standard. Such declines are made by the Applications and Admissions team, based on the programme requirements.
• INCP - Incomplete application. Application only partially completed. (Automatically declined once deadline for submission expires. Such declines are made by the Applications and Admissions team, based on the programme requirements.)
• NMET - Requirements not met. Did not meet entry requirements (this might be in terms of their grade point average or equivalent, or the nature of their prior programme. As our PhD is a research-only degree, an applicant who has not undertaken a significant piece of research at PG level, and achieved the equivalent of a B+, would be declined.). This is the decline reason used by Applications and Admissions when declining at the initial assessment step. Sometimes this is coded as GRDE (grade requirement not met). In a few instances, the applicant in ineligible for admission to the University; that is represented as INEL.
• NSBJ - Insufficient subject background. The University may decline an application having assessed that the applicant's subject knowledge is not sufficient. The PhD Statute requires that an applicant has sufficient background for the subject of the proposed PhD. In some cases that is represented as NTEL (not eligible for the programme).
• NSUF - Prior study insufficient. The University may decline an application because their 'qualifying programme', which technically looks sufficient, is not actually appropriate for the PhD and/or subject for which the applicant wishes to be considered.
• RESR - Research proposal or topic. A faculty may decline an application because the proposal the student puts forward is not of sufficient standard or quality. Such declines tend to be after the faculty has tried to assist the applicant to lift the standard of the proposal.
• SDMS - Supporting documents missing. The University may decline an application when an applicant has been contacted multiple times for necessary documents and has not responded.
• SUPV - Supervisor not available. A faculty may decline an application if they are unable to provide appropriate supervision for the subject of the thesis. The PhD Statute requires the Head of an academic unit to provide appropriate supervision for the duration of the programme. If they are unable to do this, they have to decline the application.

If an applicant does not enrol within 6 months of an unconditional offer, the offer will expire (OFEX). Applicants may request an extension of this time to enrol.

Yours sincerely,
Rebecca Ewert
General Counsel
University of Auckland

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