HONG KONG PHD FELLOWSHIP SCHEME (HKPFS)

Candidates who are seeking admission as new full time PhD students in the following eight universities, irrespective of their country of origin, prior work experience and ethnic background, should be eligible to apply. Applicants must pursue Ph.D. degrees at partner universities. List of the universities is given below:

1. City University of Hong Kong
2. Hong Kong Baptist University
3. Lingnan University
4. The Chinese University of Hong Kong
5. The Education University of Hong Kong
6. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
7. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
8. The University of Hong Kong Applicants should demonstrate outstanding qualities of academic performance, research ability / potential, communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership abilities.

Stated amount: 3,629,024

1. The Fellowship provides an annual stipend of HK$33, 200 (approximately USD 43, 230) (INR 36, 29, 024) and a conference and research-related travel allowance of HK$14, 000 (approximately USD 1, 790) (INR 1, 50, 264) per year for each awardee for a period up to three years.
2. For awardees who need more than three years to complete the PhD degree, additional support may be provided by the chosen universities. No of fellowship: 400

No Separate Application or Fee is Required to get the scholarship, it will be automatically considered, once you enrolled for the program. Eligible candidates should first make an Initial Application online through the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme Electronic System (HKPFSES) to obtain an HKPFS Reference Number by 1 December at Hong Kong Time 12:00:00 before submitting applications for PhD admission to their desired universities. Applicants may choose up to two programmes / departments at one or two universities for PhD study under HKPFS 2025/

1. They should comply with the admission requirements of their selected universities and programmes. As the deadlines for applications to some of the universities may immediately follow that of the Initial Application, candidates should submit initial applications as early as possible to ensure that they have sufficient time to submit applications to universities. External applications must be submitted online under the Hong Kong Ph.D. Fellowship Scheme. The step-by-step process to submit the application is listed below. Step1: Submit Initial Application to Research Grants Council Guidance Note for completing the Initial Application (in PDF format) HKPFS Electronic System - Initial Application. ​​​​​​​Step 2: Submit Full Applications to Proposed Universities After completing an initial application, applicants should submit full applications for their selected PhD programmes to the proposed universities quoting their HKPFS Reference Number before universities' respective deadlines. As regards programme information, requirements for PhD admission, application methods, regulations and policy of individual universities, please refer to individual universities and PhD programmes for information.

Once the applications are submitted, next follow the selection process. Shortlisted applications according to applicant’s areas of studies will be reviewed by one of the following two Selection Panels that comprise of experts in relevant areas:

1. Science, Medicine, Engineering, and Technology.
2. Humanities, Social Science and Business Studies. Applicants’ academic excellence is primarily considered. Other factors such as research ability, interpersonal skills, communication, and leadership abilities are considered too.