NZ students study - and party - more than Aussies

Kiwi students - like these ones from Otago - party more than their Aussie counterparts, according to new research. Photo / Otago Daily Times

Australian university students spend more time doing paid work than their Kiwi counterparts, who prefer to be out painting the town red, new research has found.

But despite their passion for partying, New Zealand uni students manage to squeeze more study in, the Australasian Survey of Student Engagement revealed on Monday.

According to the survey of 30,600 Australian and New Zealand university students, Aussies on average spend 12.4 hours a week partying, while Kiwis dedicate 13.9 hours to having fun.

However, Australian students are putting in almost double the amount of paid work - 12.5 hours a week - compared to their counterparts across the Tasman who are working 6.3 hours.

When it comes to hitting the books, New Zealand students devote an average of 11 hours a week to preparing for class, narrowly beating out the Aussie students who knuckle down for 10.8 hours.

The annual study, conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research last August, found nearly three times the number of New Zealand students live on campus compared to Australians, and they spend more time on the institute's grounds.

- AAP