How funding in Hong Kong is structured

Hong Kong does not run one national scholarship that covers every level of study. The money comes from three places: a government-funded PhD fellowship, a government scholarship fund that supports undergraduates, and the universities’ own entrance awards.

The practical difference from most countries is that, below PhD level, you often do not fill in a separate scholarship form. You apply for the degree, and the university decides whether you receive money. That makes your admission application the scholarship application, so treat it with the same care.

Check your nationality before anything else

Hong Kong’s study visa rules are not the same for every applicant. The Immigration Department says its standard entry arrangement for study does not apply to nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, Nepal and Vietnam, or to Chinese residents of the Mainland and Taiwan. Nationals of Laos, Nepal and Vietnam can still apply to take up full-time undergraduate or higher programmes at the universities funded by the University Grants Committee, but not self-financing programmes, continuing and professional education courses, exchanges or short-term study. Mainland and Taiwan residents have their own list of permitted routes. The page does not list a study route for nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba or North Korea. If you hold one of these nationalities, ask the Immigration Department and your target university before you pay any application fee.

The PhD route: the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme

The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS), run by the Research Grants Council, is the largest single source of funding for international research students. For the 2026/27 academic year it pays an annual stipend of HK$344,400 (about US$44,150), plus a conference and research-related travel allowance of HK$14,400 (about US$1,840) a year. The award runs for up to three years. The scheme says additional support for awardees who need longer may be provided by their university, and tells you to ask the university directly. The page does not publish the stipend for 2027/28, so treat the figure as the current rate, not a promise.

The scheme says 400 fellowships will be awarded for 2027/28. It is open to new full-time PhD students at eight universities, and applicants are eligible regardless of country of origin, prior work experience or ethnic background. The eight are 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. Our entries for the HKPFS and the HKU Presidential PhD Scholar Programme have the details.

The two-stage application

HKPFS has a step that catches people out. You first make an Initial Application through the HKPFS Electronic System to get an HKPFS Reference Number. Only then do you apply to the universities, quoting that number. The system opened on 1 September 2026.

For the 2027/28 round, the Initial Application closes on 1 December 2026 at 12:00 noon Hong Kong time. All eight universities list their own HKPFS deadline as 1 December 2026 at 11:59pm Hong Kong time. That leaves about twelve hours between the two, and the scheme itself warns that university deadlines may immediately follow the Initial Application, so submit it as early as possible. Get your reference number days early, not on the morning of the deadline.

You can choose up to two programmes or departments, at one or two universities. Because the university application carries most of the weight, your research proposal and your contact with potential supervisors matter a great deal. Our guide to writing a research proposal for a funded application covers what panels look for.

The undergraduate route: awards you mostly do not apply for

The HKSAR Government Scholarship Fund

The HKSAR Government Scholarship Fund, overseen by the Education Bureau, supports students on full-time publicly-funded programmes. Its Scholarships for Outstanding Performance pay HK$80,000 a year to non-local students at degree level or above, for the normal duration of the programme, and are renewed each year subject to satisfactory academic performance.

The Fund also includes the Belt and Road Scholarship, which covers full tuition fees for the normal length of the programme and is renewed annually on satisfactory results. It has three categories: one for first-year undergraduates from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Mongolia and Kazakhstan; one for first-year undergraduates from other Belt and Road countries; and one for first-year non-local research postgraduate students from Belt and Road countries.

The Education Bureau’s page does not describe a separate student application for these awards. Hong Kong Baptist University, for example, states that it will nominate outstanding non-local, non-mainland admittees for the Belt and Road Scholarship. Your route in is a strong admission application to an eligible programme, and an email to the admissions office if the page does not say how nominations work.

University entrance scholarships

Most universities also offer their own entrance awards to international applicants, and many are automatic. City University of Hong Kong says students are not required to apply for a scholarship and that winners are told in their admission offer letter. Hong Kong Baptist University says no separate application is required for its admission scholarships, which range from half awards to a full scholarship that covers tuition plus living subsidies.

Award names, amounts and rules change each year, so read the current fees-and-scholarships page of every university you apply to. If a page does not say whether an award is automatic, email the admissions office and ask. We have left out HKBU’s scholarship amounts, because the tuition figure shown in its scholarship table does not match the HK$240,000 non-local fee it lists for 2027/28.

What it costs without a scholarship

Fees for non-local students are high. City University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Baptist University both list HK$240,000 a year for non-local students starting government-funded bachelor’s degrees in 2027/28. CityU charges HK$400,000 a year for its veterinary medicine degree, and an application fee of HK$600 for up to two programme choices.

Living costs vary by person and by university. CityU’s own estimate for non-local students is HK$50,000 to HK$60,000 a year for living costs, plus accommodation of HK$20,800 in a student residence or HK$50,000 to HK$60,000 for two semesters of private renting. Hong Kong Polytechnic University publishes a different set of reference figures: meals at campus catering outlets at about HK$53,040 a year and personal expenses at about HK$18,717. It also says a hall place is normally granted for the first year only, so budget for private housing from year two. Treat any single figure as a starting point and check the estimate published by your own university.

The student visa

To study in Hong Kong you need a study visa or entry permit from the Immigration Department, unless you already have the right to live there. You need a local sponsor, which can be the institution that admitted you or an eligible individual.

You must show you can pay course fees, living expenses and accommodation without working and without recourse to public funds. In practice that means bank statements or a scholarship letter. Our guide to proof of funds for a student visa explains what officers generally look for.

Processing normally takes six weeks, but only from the date the department receives all the required documents. Approval is entirely discretionary, and the Director of Immigration can refuse an application even if it meets every eligibility criterion. If your scholarship letter arrives late, the clock does not start until it is in your file. This guide does not give a visa fee, because the department’s fee page did not load when we checked.

Work rights while you study

The default rule is that students may not take up employment. The exceptions are specific. Non-local students on full-time, locally accredited programmes at undergraduate level or above, with a study period of at least one academic year (exchange students are excluded), may:

  • work part-time on campus for no more than 20 hours a week throughout the year
  • work during the summer, from 1 June to 31 August inclusive, without any limit on hours or location
  • take up internships that are related to their studies and arranged or endorsed by their institution, for up to six months, and not before you have registered and started classes

Unused weekly hours cannot be carried over. The department says eligible students are told of these arrangements individually in a No Objection Letter that spells out the type and conditions of work allowed. The same page also describes a temporary exemption from the employment restrictions for eligible students, tied to that letter. Rely on your own letter, not on a general rule, and do not budget for off-campus work until you have seen what it says.

Staying after graduation: IANG

The Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) let you stay and work after you finish. If you apply within six months of the graduation date on your certificate, you do not need a job offer first, and fresh graduates may be granted 24 months’ stay on time limitation only. Graduates who apply later than six months after graduating must secure a job offer first.

To qualify, you need a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree from a full-time, locally accredited programme in Hong Kong with a study period of at least one academic year, or an equivalent qualification at Hong Kong Qualifications Framework Level 5 or above with at least 120 credits. IANG does not apply to nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and North Korea. For nationals of Laos, Nepal and Vietnam, it only applies to graduates of programmes at the University Grants Committee-funded universities, excluding self-financing programmes, continuing education courses, exchanges and short-term study.

What to do this week

  • If you want a PhD, register on the HKPFS system now, contact potential supervisors, and put 1 December 2026 in your diary with a buffer of several days.
  • If you want a bachelor’s degree, list the universities you are considering and read each one’s fees-and-scholarships page to see which awards are automatic.
  • Check whether your country falls under the Belt and Road Scholarship categories, whether your target programme is publicly funded, and whether your nationality is on the Immigration Department’s exception list.
  • Start gathering bank or sponsor documents early, since the six-week visa clock only starts once your file is complete.