Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme was established in 2009 by the Research Grants Council (RGC), the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) aims at attracting the best and brightest students in the world to pursue their PhD programmes in Hong Kong’s universities.

Eligibility for Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme

Those who are seeking admission as new full-time PhD students in Hong Kong universities funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC), irrespective of their country of origin, prior work experience and ethnic background, should be eligible to apply. Applicants should demonstrate outstanding qualities of academic performance, research ability/potential, communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership abilities.

Fellowship Award for Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme

The Fellowship provides an annual stipend of HK$309,600 (approximately US$39,700) and a conference and a research-related travel allowance of HK$12,900 (approximately US$1,700) per year for each awardee for a period up to three years. 250 PhD Fellowships will be awarded in the 2020/21 academic year¹. 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.

¹ Universities in Hong Kong normally start their academic year in September.

Selection Panels

Shortlisted applications, subject to their areas of studies, will be reviewed by one of the two HKPFS Selection Panels with experts in the relevant broad areas — one for Science, Medicine, Engineering and Technology and another one for Humanities, Social Science and Business Studies.

Selection Criteria

While academic excellence is of prime consideration, the Selection Panels will take into account, but not limited to, the four yardsticks below for the selection of candidates:

1. Academic excellence;
2. Research ability and potential;
3. Communication and interpersonal skills; and
4. Leadership abilities.

Application Process for Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme

Applicants may choose up to two programmes in one or two universities for PhD study in their HKPFS applications. They are also required to submit the application(s) for PhD admission to the relevant university(ies) directly for their selected programme(s). Applicants are therefore required to fully comply with the admission requirements of their selected universities and programmes. The HKPFS 2020/21 calls for applications on 1 September 2019. Details on application procedures are available at http://www.rgc.edu.hk/hkphd .

For information and admission requirements of individual universities, please visit the websites below:

City University of Hong Kong

( http://www.cityu.edu.hk/sgs/hkphd )

Hong Kong Baptist University

( https://gs.hkbu.edu.hk/admission/hong-kong-phd-fellowship-scheme/introduction )

Lingnan University

( https://www.ln.edu.hk/reg/info/phd )

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

( https://www.gs.cuhk.edu.hk/hkpfs )

The Education University of Hong Kong

( http://www.eduhk.hk/gradsch )

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

( http://www.polyu.edu.hk/ro/hkphd-fellowship )

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

( http://pg.ust.hk/hkpfs )

The University of Hong Kong

( http://www.gradsch.hku.hk/gradsch/prospective-students/scholarship-funding-and-fees#1 )

Individual universities will conduct interviews with applicants as part of the assessment for selection. Candidates not selected for the HKPFS award may be accepted by the universities concerned for regular PhD admission and offered postgraduate studentship by the universities.

Postgraduate Studies in Hong Kong

For more information on postgraduate studies in Hong Kong, please visit http://www.grad.edu.hk/grad/ .

For details concerning the immigration policy on studying in Hong Kong, please visit the website of the Immigration Department at https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/visas/study.html .

Enquiries

For enquiries about the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, please address your questions to HKPF@ugc.edu.hk.

For enquiries about PhD programmes and admission requirements at individual universities, please contact the respective universities directly. Their contact details are as follows: