Applications for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) will be received from September 1 to December 1 2023. The fellowship has been created in 2009 by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong and aims to attract the best and brightest students in the world to pursue their Ph.D. studies in Hong Kong’s universities.

The Fellowship Scheme will provide a competitive annual stipend and conference and research-related travel allowance per year up to three years to selected applicants. Hong Kong is a metropolitan area and special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China. Hong Kong is one of the most populated places in the world, with over 7.5 million people in a 1,104-square-kilometre territory.

The territory is highly developed and ranks fourth on the UN Human Development Index. The city has the largest number of skyscrapers of any city in the world, and its residents have some of the highest life expectancies in the world. Hong Kong is ranked sixth in the Global Financial Centres Index and is ranked fourth in Asia after Tokyo, Shanghai, and Singapore.

Program Details

• Host Institution: Please find full list below.
• Research Areas: Science, Medicine, Engineering and Technology, Humanities, Social Sciences and Business Studies.
• Number of awards: 300.
• Duration: 3 years.
• Target group: Open to All Nationalities.

Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme Benefits

This Asia scholarship program provides an annual stipend of HK$331,200 (approximately US$42,460) and a conference and research-related travel allowance of HK$13,800 (approximately US$1,760) per year for each awardee for a period up to three years. 300 PhD Fellowships will be awarded in the 2024/2025 academic year. For awardees who need more than three years to complete the PhD degree, additional support may be provided by the chosen universities. For details, please contact the universities concerned directly.

Partner Universities

Below is the list of eligible Hong Kong universities where applicants can study with the scholarship.

1# City University of Hong Kong (CityU)

• Telephone number: (852) 3442 9076
• Email: [email protected]
• Deadline for submitting full applications to CityU: 1 December 2023.

2# Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU)

• Telephone number: (852) 3411 5127
• Email: [email protected]
• Deadline for submitting full applications to HKBU: 1 December 2023.

3# Lingnan University (LU)

• Telephone number: (852) 2616 8720
• Email: [email protected]
• Deadline for submitting full applications to LU: 1 December 2023 (11:59pm Hong Kong Time).

4# The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)

• Telephone number: (852) 3943 8976
• enquiry form: Please click here to acces the form
• Deadline for submitting full applications to CUHK: 1 December 2023.

5# The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK)

• Telephone number: (852) 2948 6611
• Email: [email protected]
• Deadline for submitting full applications to EdUHK: 1 December 2023.

6# The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)

• Telephone number: (852) 3400 3635
• Email: [email protected]
• Deadline for submitting full applications to PolyU: 1 December 2023.

7# The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)

• Telephone number: (852) 2623 1120
• enquiry form: Please click here to acces the form
• Deadline for submitting full applications to HKUST: 1 December 2023.

8# The University of Hong Kong (HKU)

• Telephone number: (852) 2857 3470
• Email: [email protected]
• Deadline for submitting full applications to HKU: 1 December 2023.

Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme Eligibility

The Hong Kong Fellowship program is open for candidates who are seeking admission as new full time PhD students in one of the eight universities, irrespective of their country of origin, prior work experience and ethnic background. Applicants should demonstrate outstanding qualities of academic performance, research ability / potential, communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership abilities.

Selection Criteria

While candidates’ academic excellence is of primary consideration for the Fellowship Scheme, the Selection Panels will take into account factors as follows:

• Academic excellence;
• Research ability and potential;
• Communication and interpersonal skills; and
• Leadership abilities.

Similar opportunities

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How to Apply for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme

Eligible candidates who would like to apply for this government scholarship should first make an Initial Application online through the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme Electronic System (HKPFSES) to obtain an HKPFS Reference Number by the deadline before submitting applications for PhD admission to their desired universities.

Applicants may choose up to two programs / departments at one or two universities for PhD study under HKPFS 2024/2025. They should comply with the admission requirements of their selected universities and programs.

Step 1: Submit Initial Application to the Research Grants Council

Candidates must submit an initial application through the HKPFSES online application platform (Initial Application). Here is an explanatory Notes for completing the Initial Application (in PDF format). Upon the submission of the initial application, an HKPFS Reference Number will be automatically generated for each applicant. An email confirmation stating the HKPFS Reference Number and details of the login password will be sent to the email address specified by the applicant. Applicants are strongly advised to save and/or print out the email confirmation for future reference.

Step 2: Submit Full Applications to Proposed Universities

After completing an initial application, applicants should submit full applications for their selected Ph.D. programs to the proposed universities quoting their HKPFS Reference Number before the universities’ respective deadlines. For program information, requirements for Ph.D. admission, application methods, regulations, and policy of individual universities, please refer to the universities.

Notice :

An applicant may make changes to the choice(s) of university/department/program until the initial application deadline, i.e. 1 December 2023 at 12:00 noon Hong Kong time. However, only the two choices saved in the HKPFSES at the stipulated deadline will be processed further.

To avoid delay or interruptions in processing, applicants are strongly advised to ensure accuracy and consistency in the data submitted to the RGC through the HKPFSES and those submitted to individual universities. Any inaccuracy or inconsistency in the data submitted may lead to an application not being considered under the HKPFS. Universities may only process applications containing inaccurate/inconsistent data as regular Ph.D. applications through regular admission procedures.

Applicants must comply with the admission and application requirements of the individual university(ies) concerned. Individual universities will usually conduct interviews with applicants as part of the assessment for selection. Universities will nominate selected candidates to the RGC to compete for the HKPFS award. In the event that an applicant is nominated by two universities, the RGC will only process the nomination tendered by the university for which the relevant applicant has indicated priority. If an applicant selects two different programs within the same university and is nominated subsequently, the university concerned shall have the discretion to decide on which program the nomination is for.

The Initial Application Start from September 1, 2023 at 12:00 noon Hong Kong Time to December 1, 2023 at Hong Kong Time 12:00:00. For more detail on the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, please visit the official page. To be the first to see latest opportunities, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.