How much does Health Sciences First Year cost? [2025] [Otago Uni]

HSFY papers - $1,243.65 per paper x7 = $8,705.55
Student Services Fee - $1,209.60
Total cost if not staying at a hall - $9,915.15

Hall of residence fees - $19,988 to $22,553
Total cost if staying at a hall - $29,903.15 to $32,468.15

Otago Uni fees
Residential Colleges fees

Apart from the fees that you need to pay, there are other costs involved.

You will need to move down to Dunedin unless you live there already. This may involve flights, buses, petrol and/or hire costs.

An electronic device such as a laptop or tablet is not absolutely essential as there are university computers that you can use, however it would be helpful to have one. A lot of people now use their tablet to take notes and study. This is likely to cost at least $1000, more if you want a better device.

Note: I had a crappy old laptop when I did HSFY and used the uni computers a lot. In the last few weeks of HSFY, I even let my friend have my laptop because I didn't really need it. Having the most expensive device is not necessary to do well.


The biggest cost of going to university, in my opinion, is the opportunity cost. Any action that you take in life has an opportunity cost. What else could you have done with that same time and effort for more return? For example, if you work at job 1 for $20 per hour, but you could have worked at job 2 for $40 per hour, then the opportunity cost is $20 per hour if you simply look at the financial aspect.

However, if you are gaining valuable experience at job 2 whereas you are not learning anything at job 1, then it may still be reasonable to work job 2.

It is hard to quantify the opportunity cost of going to university, but you would probably have started working a full-time job if you weren't going to uni. Even if you were working minimum wage, this means that you would have earnt $48,152 per year, assuming you work 40 hours a week, which is what you are missing out on. And each year you are working, you are gaining valuable real-life experience which makes your value in the workplace increase.

So it would be fair to say that it costs at least $60,000 per year to go to uni, if you go by my logic.

The point I'm trying to make is not that you shouldn't go to uni. The point I'm trying to make is that each year of uni is much more expensive than people think it is by just looking at the fees.

However, if you work hard in HSFY and get into the professional health degree of your choice like medicine or dentistry, then the benefits of that will far outweigh the costs of university.

If you're going to spend so much money on uni, then it would make sense to make the most of it. Health Sciences First Year is such a critical year because the outcome will change the entire trajectory of your life.

To give HSFY your best chance, you should be as prepared as possible. One of the ways you can prepare is by taking my A+ PHSI191 Physics Online Course. In my course, I go through the physics that you need for HSFY, with step-by-step videos showing you exactly how to solve problems, and tips for exams to help you get into medicine from HSFY like I did. Try out my free mechanics module here.