Reminder: you don't need to be ancestry verified to submit an application for entrance scholarships.
Yes, long title but if it saves people time, I am all for it.
If you can't see the Apply Now button, check the following.
Have you applied for a 2027 programme?
Have you accidentally said you'll be a university student as of 1st October 2026? If you have and you're still in school, if you haven't submitted your programme application, I think you can change that yourself. If you can't, contact either AskOtago or the entrance scholarships team right now.
Are you doing Foundation? You'll probably need an invitation. Contact entrance scholarships.
Have you already submitted an application? If you have, you can't just go back into it and you don't need to apply for each scholarship like Auckland, or UC.
If you can't see the button, please don't just assume that it will magically fix itself. Contact AskOtago.
Can't submit your application?
Check you've answered every * question.
Check you've saved every section you go into.
Check you've ticked all the right tick boxes on the Declaration/Submit section
How do you know if it's been submitted?
You don't get an email, but you get an alert confirming its been submitted. I believe it says on the Scholarships and Awards page too what the status is, going from the website.
Do you need to provide referee details? Depends. If a section you've completed asks you for details, then yes! If a section doesn't, then no!
Why hasn't your referee heard anything?
They don't contact referees until a bit after apps close, so refs aren't hurriedly trying to fill in forms to meet the app closing deadline.
Pro tip, make sure your referee knows to expect an email and gets in the habit of checking their junk folder on the regular. Deadlines (from what I remember) tend to be narrow!
All I can think of now. Best of luck. Don't leave it to 11pm to start looking into it though.