HKU Presidential PhD Scholar Programme (HKU-PS) 2026

Who can apply

Applicants for the full-time PhD programme at HKU; all such applicants are considered for HKU-PS, with no separate scholarship application
3-year PhD (36 months): applicants who already hold a research Master's degree (e.g. MPhil)
4-year PhD (48 months): applicants with a good Bachelor's degree with honours and/or a taught Master's degree
Applicants whose degree was not taught and examined entirely in English: IELTS Academic overall 6.5 with all sub-scores at least 6 (Faculty of Arts: overall 7, except the Centre of Buddhist Studies), or TOEFL iBT 85 for tests taken before 21 January 2026 or 4.5 for tests taken from 21 January 2026, in a single attempt within the last 2 years
Two academic referees (non-academic referees are not accepted), a research proposal or statement of research interest, and full transcripts and certificates are required with the PhD application
Faculty of Business and Economics applicants must also submit a GMAT or GRE score taken within five years
Shortlisted candidates may be invited to an interview

A university award, not a government one

The HKU Presidential PhD Scholar Programme is paid for by the University of Hong Kong itself, which describes it as its way “to attract top candidates from around the world to pursue full-time PhD studies at HKU”. The difference from ordinary HKU funding is large. The standard Postgraduate Scholarship that most full-time research students receive is listed on the Graduate School’s scholarships page at HK$19,135 per month from 1 September 2026. An HKU-PS scholar receives HK$28,700 per month, plus a fee waiver, a cash award, a travel allowance and a hall place. The two cannot be combined: HKU’s Faculty of Science notes that HKU-PS cannot be held concurrently with the ordinary Postgraduate Scholarship packages, so HKU-PS replaces the standard package rather than adding to it.

How it fits with the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme

Many applicants confuse this programme with the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, which is run by the Research Grants Council for eight Hong Kong universities. They are separate awards, but they overlap at HKU. HKU’s own HKPFS page states that for 2027/28 “all HKPFS holders will be awarded the HKU Presidential PhD Scholarship”, which is how an HKPFS fellow at HKU also gets the fee waiver, cash award and hall place. The reverse is not true: you can be selected for HKU-PS without holding an HKPFS fellowship, because every full-time PhD applicant is considered. In view of the intense competition, HKU strongly encourages Main Round applicants to apply for the fellowship scheme as well. If you do, watch the two times on 1 December 2026: the RGC initial application closes at 12:00 noon Hong Kong Time, while the HKU application closes at 23:59 the same day. HKU also advises applicants who want to study there to list HKU as their first choice in the RGC’s system, since the choice cannot be changed after the RGC deadline.

Applying for the PhD is applying for the scholarship

There is no separate HKU-PS form. You apply for a full-time PhD through HKU’s online system, and the Graduate School considers every such application. The application needs an identity document (such as your passport biographic page), certificates and complete transcripts for every degree (with formal English translations where needed), a research proposal or statement of research interest written to your faculty’s requirements, an English test score if your degree was not taught and examined entirely in English, and two academic referees. The system emails your referees once you submit the application and gives them 14 days to complete an online report, so submit well before 1 December rather than on the last day, and ask your referees for their consent first. HKU also requires you to disclose any use of AI tools in preparing your application, including for language editing, and reserves the right to act on non-disclosure. Business and Economics applicants need a GMAT or GRE score. Each file must be a PDF of no more than 1.5 MB and the whole application is limited to 50 MB, which matters if you are scanning certificates on a phone.

Should you contact a supervisor first?

It depends on the faculty. The Graduate School’s general application steps list searching for and contacting a potential supervisor as optional. HKU’s Faculty of Science is stricter: its research postgraduate FAQ states that “Discussing with potential supervisors is a necessary step prior to application.” Check the rules for the faculty you are applying to, but where your proposal matches a specific academic’s work, writing to them early is a sensible step in any field. Shortlisted candidates may then be invited to an interview. Start in October, not late November: the Graduate School notes that some faculties may not wait for a round’s deadline before they begin considering applications.

Reading the numbers correctly

The headline figure of “up to around” US$57,150 in Year 1 is the value of the whole package, including the fee waiver, so it is not cash in your hand. Most of the money you live on is the HK$28,700 monthly scholarship plus the cash award. How many years you are funded depends on your entry route: the normative study period is 36 months for a 3-year PhD (for research Master’s holders) and 48 months for a 4-year PhD (for Bachelor’s or taught Master’s holders). The extra year beyond that is not automatic; it goes to “selected outstanding students” to reward research output and progress. The HK$14,400 a year is a conference and research travel allowance, not a flight to Hong Kong, so budget for your own arrival. The hall place is guaranteed only in Year 1, with possibility of renewal after that.

Why the 1 December date still matters

HKU says applications for its PhD and MPhil programmes are invited all year round, which can make the deadline look optional. It is not. The 2027/28 Main Round runs from 1 September 2026 to 1 December 2026, and applications in the later clearing rounds are considered only if places remain after the Main Round. HKU states that the HKPFS application period normally starts on 1 September and ends in early December each year, and HKPFS is the route that brings HKU-PS with it automatically. If you want the best chance at this scholarship, treat 1 December 2026 as your real deadline.

HKU Presidential PhD Scholar Programme (HKU-PS)