Scholarships in Hong Kong for International Students

Hong Kong is a growing study location for international students with 32% of overseas candidates. Seven universities from the city have ranked in the QS World University Rankings 2020 with four of them ranking in the top 50. Due to the expensive study programs, some applicants opt for scholarships for Hong Kong students.

As it is a small and dense city, studying in Hong Kong affects the budget of students with an expenditure of around HKD 95,000 (equivalent to INR 9,00,000) for studying and around HKD 18,600 (equivalent to INR 1,76,000) per month for living and traveling.

The 3 major types of scholarships awarded in the city of Hong Kong are:

1. The HKSAR government scholarship
2. Scholarships from the universities in Hong Kong
3. Scholarships from other private or public organizations

The Government of Hong Kong has a 20% of its budget for the education system. The Government is looking forward to inviting more international students to study in Hong Kong in the future and availing the Scholarships in Hong Kong.

Programs of the Scholarships in Hong Kong for International Students

There are several options of availing the scholarships in Hong Kong for international students. These scholarships are mostly based on the merit and the requirements of the candidate. However, some of the scholarships for Hong Kong students are awarded based on the achievement of the students. These scholarships to study in Hong Kong cover the total or partial tuition fees, the expenses of living and the travel costs.

Note: Before availing of the scholarships, international students need to acquire a Hong Kong student visa.

Government Scholarships in Hong Kong for International Students

In 2008, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region established the HKSAR Government Scholarship Fund worth HKD 8 billion. Again in 2011, the Government added HKD 2 billion to the scheme to provide additional benefits in the scholarships to study in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Scholarship

The goal of this initiative is to fund the native and international students excelling in their academic studies.

• Eligibility: Students irrespective of their citizenship are eligible for the scholarship, the applicant must enroll in a degree course or higher programs, students from the eight institutions funded by the University Grants Committee and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts can avail the awards
• Number of Scholarships: Variable
• Duration: Entire course duration
• Award Amount: HKD 3,12,000 (equivalent to INR 29,34,000) for local students and HKD 6,24,000 (equivalent to INR 58,90,000) for international students

Endeavour Merit Award (EMA)

The purpose of this scholarship award by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Scholarship Fund is to acknowledge exceptional students with special educational needs.

• Eligibility: Students currently studying in an undergraduate or postgraduate course with a minimum CGPA of 2.5 and with special educational needs can apply for the scholarship, the research postgraduate students need to present a letter of recommendation from their supervisors to avail the Ph.D. scholarships in Hong Kong for the international students
• Application Deadline: Late November to late December
• Number of Scholarships: Variable
• Duration: 1-time payment
• Award Amount: A grant of HKD 15,000 (equivalent to INR 1,42,000)

Non-Governmental Scholarships in Hong Kong for International Students

Apart from the Government Scholarships, some non-government organizations, associated with the universities in Hong Kong offering scholarships or sometimes by themselves also provide scholarships for Hong Kong students with merit. We’ve listed some of the top non-governmental scholarships here:

The Self-financing Post-secondary Education Fund

There are five divisions of scholarships provided under this scheme, namely, Outstanding Performance Scholarship, Best Progress Award, Talent Development Scholarship, Reaching Out Award and Endeavour Scholarship. There are undergraduate scholarships for international students in Hong Kong as well as scholarships for the aspirants of postgraduate studies.

• Eligibility: Students enrolling for full-time self-financing sub-degree or bachelor’s degree courses and interested in taking admission to a local accredited university in Hong Kong can apply for the scholarship
• Number of Scholarships: Variable
• Duration: Total span of the course
• Award Amount: The different types of the scholarship provides different amount to the students based on their course and citizenship

The Hong Kong Ph.D. Fellowship Scheme

The Research Grant Council of Hong Kong established this scholarship scheme in 2009. The motive of this scholarship in Hong Kong is to attract brilliant international students to study Ph.D. at the universities of Hong Kong and perform research while availing scholarships in Hong Kong.

• Eligibility: The meritorious students planning to take admission in the following universities are eligible irrespective of any other criteria: City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, Lingnan University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Education University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology and The University of Hong Kong.
• Number of Scholarships: Variable
• Duration: 3 years, often extended by the trust for research purpose
• Award Amount: Annual grant of HKD 3,19,200 (equivalent to INR 30,10,000) and a travel and conference allowance of HKD 13,300 (equivalent to INR 1,25,000) for 3 years. In exceptional cases, the period of stipend is extended by the governing body.

Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship

Since its establishment in 1987, to commemorate Sir Edward Youde, the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund raised money for the welfare of the educational system of Hong Kong by providing scholarships for Hong Kong students.

• Eligibility: The applicant must have the right to stay in the city to avail the scholarships in Hong Kong, the candidate must have stayed in Hong Kong for at least 3 years, the aspirant must be registered to a doctorate or master’s degree within a stipulated date provided by the authority in the following institutions: City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, Lingnan University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Education University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and The University of Hong Kong, the applicant must not be employed in a full-time job
• Number of Scholarships: 840 scholarships and 25,000 students directly benefit from the scheme
• Duration: One-time grant
• Award Amount: Interest-free loan scholarships of HKD 50,000 (equivalent to INR 4,72,000) for the education

Postgraduate Studentship

The Postgraduate Studentship is a monthly stipend program to support the tuition expenses along with the accommodation cost of the research students in the top universities in Hong Kong.

• Eligibility: The meritorious student must be enrolled in a full-time postgraduate research program to avail this scholarship to study in Hong Kong
• Number of Scholarships: 300
• Duration: maximum 3 years
• Award Amount: A monthly grant of HKD 26,600 (equivalent to INR 2,50,000) as stipend and a yearly grant of HKD 13,300 (equivalent to INR 1,25,000) as travel allowance for the cause of research and conference

Regulations Governing Research Tuition Scholarship

The purpose of the Research Tuition Scholarship is for the educational development of the research degree students with excellent performance in their previous academic career.

• Eligibility: Any research degree student with 12 months of study can apply for the scholarship, a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50 is required
• Number of Scholarships: 20% of the total number of research students funded by the University Grants Committee gets the scholarship.
• Duration: Yearly award for the study period and biennial award for the part-time students
• Award Amount: Exemption from paying 1 year’s tuition fee and exemption from paying 2 year’s tuition fees for the part-time students

University Scholarships in Hong Kong for International Students

These are many universities in Hong Kong offering scholarships for the international students awarded to the students of specific universities by the governing bodies or other non-government organizations. Although most of the scholarships are merit-based, some of these scholarships are provided based on other factors like achievement in sports.

Wong Man Kit Scholarship

With the kind donation of Mr. Wong Man Kit in 2003, the University of Hong Kong began awarding yearly scholarships to the graduate students of the HKU SPACE Community College to pursue bachelor’s degree study at the University of Hong Kong.

• Eligibility: The applicant must be an HKU SPACE Community College graduate, at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA score is required, the candidate must have received an offer of admission in any stream at the University of Hong Kong
• Application Deadline: August to September/ early October
• Number of Scholarships: 1
• Duration: Entire period of course
• Award Amount: HKD 45,000 (equivalent to INR 4,25,000)

Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies Entrance Scholarships

The City University of Hong Kong presents the Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies Entrance Scholarships to encourage meritorious students from around the world. The vision of the program is to kindle the merits of the postgraduate research students. All the features and the value of this program make this one of the best doctoral and Ph.D. scholarships in Hong Kong for international students.

• Eligibility: The applicant must have excellent previous academic records, the applicant should register for an M.Phil. or Ph.D. course to appear for the City University of Hong Kong scholarships for international students
• Number of Scholarships: Variable
• Duration: 1 year
• Award Amount: Tuition fee and the on-campus accommodation cost for the first year, amounting to around HKD 82,000 (equivalent to INR 7,73,000)

Chinese University of Hong Kong Scholarships for Overseas Studies

Many overseas students aspire to avail the Chinese University of Hong Kong scholarships for international students. The vision of the programs is to award the tuition and living expenses of the international students. Not only the undergraduate or master’s students of Hong Kong, Ph.D. scholarships for international students are also offered by the trust.

• Eligibility: Academic excellence in previous institutions and age below 25 years for UG students are the general requirements
• Application Deadline: Applications are received between July of the previous year to June of the year of application
• Number of Scholarships: Variable
• Duration: Variable based on the course
• Award Amount: Waiving off the tuition fees, airfare and living expenses of up to HKD 3,00,000 (equivalent to INR 28,30,000) based on the requirements of the candidate

Outstanding Athletes Entrance Scholarship for Non-Local Students

The perspective of the program is to make a connection between the international athlete students with the City University of Hong Kong. Since its initiation in 1997, the program has already helped more than 1000 international students and aims to provide the opportunity to more students in the upcoming days.

• Eligibility: The applicant must be recommended by a national sports association or a sports club for being associated with any of the following sports: Badminton, Basketball, Table Tennis, Athletics, Fencing, Handball, Soccer, Taekwondo, Karatedo, Tennis, Volleyball, Swimming, Woodball, Squash, Rugby and Cross Country, the candidate must be recommended by their graduating institution, the student must meet the general requirements and the tests required to study in Hong Kong for getting admission to the City University of Hong Kong.
• Number of Scholarships:
• Duration: Awarded in the first year but is renewable with satisfactory performance in sports and CGPA of 2.5 or above by the end of every year
• Award Amount: HKD 1,60,000 (equivalent to INR 15,11,000) to cover the hall fees, total tuition fees, and the partial expenses for the accommodation of the students.

Work While Availing Scholarships in Hong Kong for International Students

Hong Kong city ranks 10th in the world for its employment activities. International students in Hong Kong are generally not allowed to get employed in a full-time job while studying. The restriction on part-time on-campus jobs for international students has also been eased now.

The applicants can join part-time jobs while studying if the terms and conditions of the scholarship in Hong kong they are availing allows them to do so. The students can stay in Hong Kong after the completion of their studies without availing any scholarships in Hong Kong for a limited period of 12 months to search for jobs after studying in Hong Kong.

The assimilation of a varied range of cultures in one of the top metro cities of Asia makes Hong Kong a quality place for learning. The excellent scholarships in Hong Kong relieve the needy meritorious students from loads of the expenses of staying and studying in the top colleges of Hong Kong. Being an educational centre rich in funds, Hong Kong is stimulating the desire in the international students to utilize their merits through availing the scholarships.

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