General Information

Why Choose Villa Maria?

Villa Maria College's reputation as a quality institution with high academic achievement levels is well renowned both in New Zealand and internationally. A recent survey showed that most of our International students come because of recommendations from a current or past International student.

The fact that Villa Maria College is a girls only College is very appealing to International students.

"I like Villa Maria College's teachers. They are considerate of students' feelings, especially International students. I like Villa's atmosphere. It is not a free atmosphere but a natural style and a bit strict. What I like most is my friends. I have made really good friends here and I am making Kiwi friends at the moment."

"My name is Oi Ying Kwong. I am now studying Fine Arts at the University of Auckland. I am glad that I went to Villa Maria College because the atmosphere of the college is very good for international students. I felt very welcome there and the International staff helped me with any problems or questions that I had. They didn't only care about students' grades, they also cared about students' lives at Villa."

"My name is Anna Wang. I started at Villa Maria College when I was in year 7 in 2003. I'm very glad my parents chose to send me to Villa. During my years at Villa I participated in various cultural groups and sporting teams and from these experiences I have made some great friends. The staff at Villa always encourage us to strive for excellence, and are especially supportive to international students. The atmosphere of the college is great and everyone here is friendly. All the memories have from the past years at Villa are very precious to me."

"My name is Eva Yee Way Hung. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to study at Villa Maria College for two years. The teachers and students there are so friendly, especially to international students. They always provided us with extra support. The one thing that is very unique at Villa Maria College is that this college focuses not only on students' academic performance, but more importantly, on our discipline and our moral development. The moral education and the religious teaching at this college have helped me a lot when making decisions in life. I am very thankful to everybody at Villa Maria College for making me feel comfortable there and to making my two years in New Zealand so enjoyable".

Eva Yee Wah Hung was one of the top achievers in the 2006 NZ calculus Scholarship exam after sitting this as a Year 12 student and was one of five Villa Maria students studying calculus at Canterbury University in year 13 under the secondary school STAR programme.

Villa Maria College supports International students by offering a fully developed programme to help them have a happy and successful education in New Zealand.

The majority of International students are currently from Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan, China and Germany.

English Entry Requirements

Students are required to have Intermediate Level language skills to cope with mainstream classes. All international students are tested on arrival for language proficiency and individual language support programmes are provided.

Student Welfare

High priority is given to the welfare of International students and Villa Maria College strives to create a family-like atmosphere. An entry requirement to the College is that students have a guardian.

The Director of International Students along with the staff in the International Students Faculty, ensures that each student enters the College smoothly and oversees the girls' pastoral care. All College staff members are committed to creating a supportive atmosphere for students.

Director of International Students
- Mrs Nicola McCormick

"My name is Li Li. I am studying engineering at University of Canterbury. I am glad I went to Villa Maria College when I first arrived in New Zealand. Being a student there provided me with a foundation of background knowledge. It was very useful for my tertiary study. Besides academic support, they looked after our International Students' daily life very well, from accommodation to personal counselling. With school's help I lived with the Maher family. They are very nice and gave me family warmth and lots of support when I needed it."

Guardianship
The College requires all International students to have a Guardian living in Christchurch. This requirement ensures there is a person responsible for the welfare of the student outside school hours. The Guardian must be an adult, over 30 years of age, speak good English and able to be contacted during the day, if necessary. S/he must attend the initial interview with the student and her family as well as relevant Parent Meetings during the year. The College can provide you with the name of a recommended guardianship agency. The costs of Guardian services varies from $3000 - $5000 and are the responsibility of the student's parents.

Support Services
The Director of International Students manages the International Student Programme. The Homestay Co-ordinator co-ordinates the Homestay programme, addresses homestay issues and oversees the welfare of students out of school hours. Qualified ESOL teachers are appointed to address English language needs. Students are also given curriculum assistance from an Administrative Assistant appointed to look after the specific needs of students during the school day.

Villa Maria College has agreed to observe and be bound by the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students published by the Minister of Education. Copies of the Code are available on request from this institution or from the New Zealand Ministry of Education website