Hong Kong is popular with tourist attractions and skyscrapers such as the Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Disneyland, The Peak, and many other destinations. It has been a popular selection for tourist spots that also engage international students to choose the country as their study destination. Hong Kong is currently open to accepting several international students who have provided evidence of their excellence in academics.
There are also scholarships in Hong Kong that can help them finance their studies throughout the cycle. Although the country is working its services to provide a friendly environment with no further language barrier, there are still a lot of students interested to pursue their studies in Hong Kong. It is with no doubt that Hong Kong has built a strong trust and reputation for foreign nationals to choose them as their study destination.
Related Scholarship
What is the Cost of Living for International Students in Hong Kong?
The cost of living in Hong Kong is more expensive than in Los Angeles. An international student must need at least $1,100 to cover all of their personal and living expenses. This estimate does not include rents from dormitories, condos, etc. However, if you are in a university-provided residence hall, you will have cheaper expenditures of at least $650 to $2,000 per semester. These are great help to sustain the students’ other personal needs.
Are International Students permitted to work in Hong Kong?
Generally, international students are not permitted to work in Hong Kong while they pursue their degrees in the country. However, the restrictions were relaxed in respect of the students’ internship and part-time employment. Eligible international students studying in Hong Kong may now take up on-campus part-time jobs with a maximum of 20 hours per week.
Top Universities in Hong Kong
Hong Kong currently has 20 degrees in higher education colleges or universities. Eight of them are publicly funded. To expand international relations, Hong Kong uses English as its medium of requirement in several courses. These goals made the country excel not only in international relations but in education ranking. According to QS World University Rankings, three leading universities continue to rank ahead of other universities. The highest entry is the University of Hong Kong, followed by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Best Scholarships in Hong Kong
1. HKSAR Government-Funded Scholarship
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is a government-funded scholarship in Hong Kong established in 2008. The goal is to recognize excellent local and non-local students studying in the eight University Grants Committee (UGC) funded universities. It also provides the future awardees new opportunities by helping them finance their studies throughout their degree study period. Interested applicants for the HKSAR Scholarship program must conform to the Government’s specified selection criteria for the full-time publicly-funded degree or above level programs.
- Outstanding academic performance
- Recognized contribution to the institution
- Have good leadership and communication skills
- Demonstrated strong allegiance to the Hong Kong community
Non-local students granted by the HKSAR Scholarship program will receive a total estimate of $10,300 per year. The grant will be enough to help them finance their tuition fees and any other living expenditures in Hong Kong. The scholarship is open to international students who want to pursue a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degree at any specified university.
2. Hong Kong Ph.D. Fellowship Scheme
The Hong Kong Ph.D. Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) is established by the Research Grants Council (RGC) in 2009. This Hong Kong scholarship aims to engage excellent and brightest students in the world to pursue their Ph.D. studies in selected Hong Kong universities. Interested applicants who have prior work experience and ethnic background are eligible to apply for the scholarship program. They must also provide evidence of the following criteria:
- Strong academic performance
- Excellent research abilities
- Good communication and intrapersonal skills
- Demonstrate leadership abilities
The Ph.D. fellowship has a selection panel whose responsibility is to review the profile of shortlisted applicants. It is a competitive-based scholarship so students must submit applications showcasing the student’s excellence in academic records. Grantees from the fellowship award will receive an annual allowance amounting to $41,400. It will also include a conference and research-related travel stipend of $1,730 per year for each awardee. A total of 300 Ph.D. fellowships for the academic year and may vary over time. If the grantees need more than three (3) to complete their Doctoral degree, extra financial support may be provided by the selected university.
3. HeForShe IMPACT Champion Scholarships
HeForShe IMPACT is a global movement that addresses gender equality and social mobility as part of its goal. The program launched by Hong Kong University is the first-ever university in the world to launch this initiative.
Hong Kong University provides a world-class education to its student, which is why the program has become a competitive-based collection due to the rise of applicants over some time. Interested applicants for this Hong Kong scholarship grant must need to meet the university’s eligibility criteria to be selected:
- All foreign nationals residing in countries with low national achievements and disadvantaged backgrounds.
- Excellent academic record
- Applying for undergraduate degree programs
- Must meet all other supporting criteria for the HeForShe IMPACT Scholarship grant.
- 300-word essay on the application process.
Applicants who have successfully demonstrated excellence in their academic performance shall be allowed to study at Hong Kong University. The grantees will receive coverage on full-tuition expenses and allowances from the university. This is to ensure that the students can finance themselves throughout their period of study at HKU.
4. Lee Woo Sing College Scholarship Program
Lee Woo Sing College is a Chinese university in Hong Kong that promotes scholarships to local and non-local students. The goal of the program is to recognize students that have good academic standing but do not have enough proper funding to finance their studies.
The ASEAN Scholarship program is for international students who want to pursue an undergraduate degree at Lee Woo Sing College. The scholarship is open to all ASEAN member states that possess excellent academic performance. Interested applicants for the scholarship must need to comply with their criteria specifications:
- A member of the ASEAN states including Cambodia, Darussalam, Brunei, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
- Select Lee Woo Sing College as their first choice in the College affiliation
- Holds strong academic entrance results such as the public examination recognized by the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
- Completed eligibility of criteria for admission to Lee Woo Sing College.
Two grantees from the Scholarship Program will be awarded and will each receive a total of HK$20,000 per annum. The award will last for three consecutive years throughout the study period.
5. Hang Seng University of Hong Kong
The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK) is a non-profit university that offers quality education in undergraduate and graduate programs. The goal is to encourage and help international students pursue their degree studies in the university. This scholarship offer in Hong Kong is open to all nationalities, with Taiwan and Malaysia as their priority. Whether intending to apply for a full or half scholarship, the students must provide certificates with the following examinations:
- IB Diploma
- GCE A-level
- STPM (Malaysia)
- UEC (Malaysia)
- General Scholastic Ability Test (Taiwan)
The students must need to meet the specified scores of their chosen degree level. The scholarship is a merit and competitive-based program. Interested applicants must have showcased the outstanding academic record that they have achieved.
Several considerations will also happen if the student did not pass on their specified schemes but has demonstrated great potential. Selected awardees from this Hong Kong scholarship program will receive full coverage of tuition fees on their 4-consecutive years of undergraduate study program at HSUHK.
