But the Samoan-born 18-year-old said it had been made a little easier by having nine family members studying alongside him.
Ten members of the tight-knit Eteuati family are attending the university this year.
"It’s definitely a little weird, knowing the university is filled with family around here," Mr Eteuati. said.
"Every now and then we get sick of seeing each other, but it’s definitely nice having everyone around."
His flatmate is his first cousin Patrick Eteuati (18), whom he sees every morning. Others he gives a head nod to, if he passes them during the day.
But large family gatherings of between 20 and 30 people were a regular occurrence that kept the family connected in Dunedin, he said.
Outside of Samoa, Dunedin had surpassed Auckland and was now home to the largest faction of the Eteuati clan, his uncle the Rev Tema Alailima-Eteuati said.
The theology PhD candidate said the family was close-knit, and he viewed all of his nieces and nephews, "the younger generation", at the school as his sons and daughters.
His parents, and most of his brothers and sisters, remained in Samoa, Mr Alailima-Eteuati said.
But because so many of the family had moved to Dunedin, the city was becoming more attractive to others.
The university, and the wider community, was "family-friendly" and welcoming.
"I’ve lived in Auckland, it’s too cluttered," Mr Alailima-Eteuati said.
"Here, for me, it’s good to raise a family."
