There may be various reasons why StudyLink has not yet paid your tuition fees. These include:
- Your course start date is more than two weeks away
- Your loan has not been finalised and approved. Common reasons include (you can update these in MyStudyLink on
the StudyLink website):
- Details provided on your application are incorrect (this includes checking you have used your University of Otago student ID number and not your user name)
- Course enrolment has not been completed
- You have not requested StudyLink to pay for your fees in your loan application. You can check this in MyStudyLink on the StudyLink website
- The start date on your application is incorrect. Refer to Course dates for StudyLink
StudyLink can only pay your tuition fees once your student loan is fully approved and your enrolment details have been confirmed by the University.
Tuition fee due dates and StudyLink approval
The University requires your student loan to be fully approved by the tuition fee due date to avoid late payment fees and debtor restrictions.
Standard tuition fee due dates in 2026 are:
- 9 January 2026 – students registering for Summer School
- 25 February 2026 – students registering at the start of the academic year
- 10 July 2026 – students registering for Semester 2 only
A late payment fee of $100 may be charged if fees are not settled by the due date.
If your course starts soon and you are concerned that your fees will not be paid by the due date, log in to your MyStudyLink account to make sure you are not required to supply further information to complete your application.
After your loan is approved
Once your student loan is fully approved, there will be a letter in your MyStudyLink account advising the date StudyLink will transfer your tuition fees to the University of Otago.
If this transfer date is after the due date for payment of your tuition fees, this is acceptable provided that the letter was issued on or before the tuition fee due date.
If this letter is not available by the due date, contact AskOtago for further assistance.
Student loans do not cover administration-related charges, such as admission fees, late payment fees, or Final Exam Only fees. You are responsible for paying these separately.