Victoria University closes door on undergraduates

Wellington's Victoria University has announced it will not be accepting any more domestic applications for undergraduate study for the rest of the year.

"Due to a considerable surge in demand and limited resources, Victoria has been forced to make this difficult decision," Chancellor Ian McKinnon said in a statement today.

"The university has no further capacity for new domestic undergraduate applicants this year. In addition, enrolling new domestic undergraduate applicants could compromise the quality of outcomes for current students."

Vice-chancellor Pat Walsh said the decision had not been made lightly, and that the university would simply not be able to cope if enrolment targets were exceeded.

"The university took steps to manage its enrolment numbers at the beginning of the year, including applying a late enrolment fee and firmly applying the academic progress statute. However, while these measures have had a considerable impact, it was not enough to cope with recent acceleration in demand," Mr Walsh said.

Applications from international students were still open.

Government funding criteria changed in 2008 to cover only an agreed number of students at each tertiary institution, prompting universities to cap student numbers.

- NZPA