University of Hong Kong Scholarships 2027: Undergraduate, MPhil and PhD Funding

University of Hong Kong scholarships for 2027 entry fall into two groups. Undergraduates from outside Hong Kong are considered for entrance scholarships automatically when they apply for admission, and the best offers reach a full tuition waiver plus accommodation and a living allowance. MPhil and PhD students are funded through HKU’s Postgraduate Scholarship (HK$19,135 a month), and the strongest PhD applicants get the HKU Presidential PhD Scholarship or the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, which pay HK$28,700 a month with fees waived.

The deadlines that matter most are close. Undergraduate applications for first-round evaluation close at noon Hong Kong time on 25 November 2026, and the PhD fellowship deadline is 1 December 2026. Below are the amounts, who each award is open to, the fees you pay without one, and the application steps international applicants most often get wrong.

University of Hong Kong scholarships 2027: key facts

1. Undergraduate application: Opened 23 Sep 2026; first round closes 25 Nov 2026, 12:00 noon HKT (04:00 GMT)
2. Undergraduate final closing date: 25 Aug 2027, 12:00 noon HKT (rolling review)
3. Application fee: HK$780, non-refundable (undergraduate and research)
4. Non-local undergraduate tuition 2027/28: HK$250,000 (non-STEM) or HK$280,000 (STEM) a year
5. Entrance scholarship form? Not for most awards; named awards need extra uploads
6. HKPFS deadline (RGC): 1 Dec 2026, 12:00 noon HKT (04:00 GMT)
7. MPhil/PhD main round: 1 Sep to 1 Dec 2026, 23:59 HKT (15:59 GMT)
8. Top PhD stipend: HK$28,700/month plus fee waiver and allowances

University of Hong Kong scholarships at a glance

This table lists the main awards an international applicant can realistically aim for in 2027, with what each one pays.

Award	Level	Who can get it	What it pays	Separate application?
HKU entrance scholarships	Bachelor’s	All admission applicants, local and non-local	Varies; top awards reach full tuition plus accommodation and living allowance	No
Faculty of Engineering Global Scholarship	Bachelor’s (Engineering)	Outstanding non-local students, preference for under-represented regions	One-off award of up to half the tuition fee	No; shortlisted for interview
School of Computing and Data Science Entrance Scholarship	Bachelor’s (CDS)	Local and non-local students with outstanding exam results	HK$200,000, paid as HK$50,000 a year over four years	No
Belt and Road Scholarship	Bachelor’s	Nationals of participating Belt and Road countries	Up to full non-local tuition for the whole degree	Yes, extra uploads by 31 Jan 2027
Hon Ping Entrance Scholarship	Bachelor’s	Nigerian nationals in financial need	Full tuition plus an annual living allowance	Yes, form uploaded with application
Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS)	MPhil and PhD	Full-time research students with a strong first degree	HK$19,135 a month (HK$19,655 after PhD confirmation)	Considered with admission
HKU Presidential PhD Scholarship (HKU-PS)	PhD	All full-time PhD applicants are considered	HK$28,700 a month, fee waiver, cash award, travel allowance	Considered with admission
Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS)	PhD	New full-time PhD applicants of any nationality	HK$28,700 a month plus HK$14,400 a year travel; HKU adds HKU-PS	Yes, RGC initial application first

What it costs to study at HKU without a scholarship

Non-local students do not get the government-subsidised fee, so you pay the full rate. HKU’s General Information sheet for 2027 entry gives these annual composition fees for 2027/28:

Item (2027/28, non-local)	Amount per year
Non-STEM faculties (Arts, Business and Economics, Law, Social Sciences)	HK$250,000
STEM faculties (Engineering, Science, Computing and Data Science)	HK$280,000
MBBS and BDS	HK$590,000
Residential hall or college (285 residential days)	HK$17,290 to HK$37,940
Off-campus housing, for comparison	HK$30,000 to HK$50,000
Other living expenses	Up to HK$50,000
Acceptance deposit (non-local)	HK$20,000, paid when you accept the offer

Two points catch people out. First, later years are charged at whatever rate HKU sets for that year, not the rate in force when you were admitted. Second, the medicine and dentistry fee jumped sharply for 2027/28; the South China Morning Post reported a 137% rise to HK$590,000. If you are aiming at MBBS, plan on a scholarship that covers tuition in full, or look elsewhere.

HKU undergraduate scholarships for international students

Entrance scholarships (automatic)

Every international applicant is considered for entrance scholarships when the admissions office reviews the application. You do not fill a scholarship form, and the result comes with your offer. HKU says selection is on academic merit, with non-academic achievements also taken into account. Top-ranked students can receive up to a full tuition waiver plus an accommodation scholarship and a yearly living allowance. HKU does not publish one fixed amount for everyone, so read the terms in your own offer.

HKU’s scholarship finder lists 43 scholarships when filtered by student type and qualification. Select “Non-Local Student” and “International Qualifications” on admissions.hku.hk to see the ones you match. Once you are a student, more merit awards open up through the HKU Scholarships Office.

Faculty awards worth knowing

• The Faculty of Engineering Global Scholarship pays a one-off award of up to half the tuition fee to outstanding non-local students, with preference for candidates from regions the faculty sees few students from. Shortlisted applicants are interviewed on a rolling basis, so an early application helps.
• The School of Computing and Data Science Entrance Scholarship is HK$200,000 per award, paid in four yearly instalments of HK$50,000. It is open to local and non-local students admitted to specific CDS programmes. The page shows 2026 terms and says 2027 details may change.

Nationality-specific awards

Some HKU entrance awards are tied to where you hold citizenship. You must tick your interest on the application form and upload extra documents, so check whether one applies to you before you submit.

• The Belt and Road Scholarship, funded through the HKSAR Government Scholarship Fund, covers up to the full non-local tuition for the length of the degree. Designated countries listed by Study in Hong Kong are Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Mongolia and Kazakhstan; a second strand covers other Belt and Road countries through a list held on the government’s Belt and Road portal. You upload a one-page statement, a CV with certificates and four short paragraphs on your achievements, contribution, leadership and interest in Hong Kong. Deadline: 31 January 2027.
• The Hon Ping Entrance Scholarship is for Nigerian nationals who have been accepted to a full-time HKU bachelor’s degree and cannot afford overseas fees. HKU’s page says it covers full tuition and an annual living allowance for awardees admitted from 2026/27, for four to six years depending on the programme. You indicate interest on the application form and upload the Hon Ping application form. Selection runs on a rolling basis.

HKU scholarships for MPhil and PhD students

Research funding at HKU only covers the research degrees, MPhil and PhD. Taught master’s programmes (MSc, MA and similar) are self-funded unless the course itself offers an award, so do not apply for a taught MSc expecting the stipends below.

Benefit	Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS)	HKU Presidential PhD Scholarship	HKPFS at HKU
Monthly stipend	HK$19,135 (HK$19,655 after PhD confirmation)	HK$28,700	HK$28,700
Composition fee (HK$49,500 a year in 2027/28)	Not covered for non-local students	Waived for the normative study period	Waived (HKPFS holders also get HKU-PS)
Cash award	None	HK$40,000 in year 1, then HK$20,000 a year	Same as HKU-PS
Travel allowance	None	HK$14,400 a year	HK$14,400 a year
Housing	None stated	Guaranteed hall place in year 1, renewable	Guaranteed hall place in year 1, renewable
Length	Normative study period, renewed yearly	Normative period, possible extra year	3 years from RGC; HKU funds year 4 of a 4-year PhD

Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS)

This is HKU’s standard studentship for full-time MPhil and PhD students. From 1 September 2026 it pays HK$19,135 a month, rising to HK$19,655 from the month after your PhD probation is confirmed. You are normally eligible with a first degree at second-class honours (first division) or above; HKU may also look at your master’s results. The award is renewed each year if your progress is satisfactory and funding remains. HKU’s tuition waiver scheme for research students is for local students only, so as a non-local PGS holder you should budget for the HK$49,500 composition fee from your stipend.

HKU Presidential PhD Scholarship (HKU-PS)

Every applicant to a full-time HKU PhD is considered for HKU-PS, and shortlisted candidates may be interviewed. HKU puts the package at up to about HK$445,800 in year 1 and HK$428,300 in later years. Selected scholars can also get funding for one year beyond the normative period, based on research output. HKU strongly encourages HKU-PS applicants in the main round to apply for HKPFS as well.

Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS)

The Research Grants Council (RGC) set up HKPFS in 2009. HKU’s Graduate School says about 300 fellowships are awarded each year across Hong Kong’s government-funded universities. It is open to new full-time PhD applicants regardless of nationality or ethnic background, and the selectors look at academic performance, research potential, communication skills and leadership. At HKU, every HKPFS holder also receives the Presidential PhD Scholarship, so the fee waiver, cash award and hall place come with it.

Eligibility and English requirements for HKU scholarships

Undergraduate

HKU publishes a separate requirement page for each national qualification. You apply with one application per year and up to three programme choices, which you cannot change after you submit. If you are 25 or older on 1 September 2027, you meet the minimum entrance requirement as a mature applicant, though that does not guarantee a place.

The English test scores on HKU’s qualification pages for 2027 entry are:

Test	Minimum (undergraduate)	Not accepted
IELTS Academic	6.5 overall, at least 6.0 in Writing and Speaking, same sitting	IELTS Indicator, IELTS Online
TOEFL iBT taken on or after 21 Jan 2026	5.0 overall, at least 5.0 in Writing and Speaking	TOEFL ITP, ITP Plus, Home Edition
TOEFL iBT taken before 21 Jan 2026	95 overall, at least 25 in Writing and Speaking	TOEFL ITP, ITP Plus, Home Edition

Scores must come from a test taken within two years before 1 September 2027. HKU also lets you meet the requirement through one of the alternatives on its English Language Requirement page, so check that page for your school-leaving qualification before booking a test. As one example of how specific the pages are, HKU’s WASSCE page (used by applicants from Nigeria, Ghana and other West African countries) asks for grade A1 in five subjects and does not say that a WASSCE English grade replaces IELTS or TOEFL.

MPhil and PhD

• MPhil: second-class honours (first division) or above, or second division plus a taught master’s (Faculty of Engineering wording).
• 4-year PhD: first-class honours, or first division plus a taught master’s. 3-year PhD: a research master’s (MPhil) on top of a good first degree.
• English, if your degree came from outside Hong Kong and was not taught or examined in English: IELTS Academic 6.5 with no subtest below 6, TOEFL 85, or grade C or above in Overseas GCE, IGCSE or CPE English.

If your degree was taught in English, ask your university for a medium-of-instruction letter and upload it. Faculties can set higher scores, so read your department’s page as well.

2027 deadlines for HKU scholarships

Hong Kong time (HKT) is GMT+8. Work out your local time from the GMT column; for example, noon HKT is 5:00 am in Lagos and 4:00 am in London (GMT).

Date	What closes	Time (HKT)	Time (GMT)
25 Nov 2026	Undergraduate first-round evaluation	12:00 noon	04:00
1 Dec 2026	Counsellors and referees upload predicted grades and references	Not stated	Not stated
1 Dec 2026	HKPFS initial application to RGC	12:00 noon	04:00
1 Dec 2026	MPhil/PhD main round (and HKPFS full application to HKU)	23:59	15:59
31 Jan 2027	Belt and Road Scholarship documents	Not stated	Not stated
30 Apr 2027	MPhil/PhD 1st clearing round	23:59	15:59
25 Aug 2027	Undergraduate applications close	12:00 noon	04:00
31 Aug 2027	MPhil/PhD 2nd clearing round	23:59	15:59

Clearing rounds only run if places remain, and some faculties skip them. The Faculty of Education, for instance, takes no applications in the second clearing round and considers HKPFS candidates only in the main round. For any scholarship, I would apply in the main round.

How to apply for University of Hong Kong scholarships

Undergraduate steps

1. Find your qualification page on admissions.hku.hk under International Qualifications and check grades, subject prerequisites and English rules.
2. Apply directly on HKU’s online system. HKU states it does not authorise agents to recruit or admit students.
3. Type every result, actual and predicted, into the form yourself. Uploaded certificates are only used for checking. If your school counsellor holds your predicted grades, they must enter them in HKU’s counsellor portal or email counsellors@hku.hk; missing grades can get an application rejected.
4. Tick any named scholarship you qualify for (Belt and Road, Hon Ping) and upload its documents in the scholarship section of your account.
5. Pay the HK$780 fee and confirm you received the acknowledgement email. If it does not arrive, message the Admissions Office through My Inbox.
6. Watch for interview invitations between November and January. Offers come from December 2026, and you normally have three to four weeks to accept and pay the HK$20,000 deposit.

MPhil and PhD steps (including HKPFS)

1. Pick a department and a likely supervisor, and draft a research proposal following that department’s length and format guidance.
2. For HKPFS, submit one initial application on the RGC’s HKPFS system before noon HKT on 1 December 2026 and note your HKPFS reference number. You can name up to two programmes at one or two universities, and the choices are locked after the deadline.
3. Put HKU first if HKU is where you want to study. If you decline your first-choice offer, the fellowship does not move to your second choice.
4. Submit the full HKU application by 23:59 HKT on 1 December 2026, state that you are applying for HKPFS, and enter the reference number.
5. Add two academic referees early. HKU’s system emails them after you submit, and late references slow your file down. Our guide to recommendation letters for scholarships has samples you can share with referees.

Documents checklist

Document	Undergraduate	MPhil/PhD
Passport	Yes	Yes
Secondary school results (actual and predicted)	Yes, typed into the form and uploaded	No
Degree certificates and transcripts with grading scale	Transfer applicants only	Yes
IELTS or TOEFL report, or medium-of-instruction letter	Yes, unless exempt	If degree was not taught in English
Counsellor reference and predicted grades	Yes, entered by your school	No
Research proposal	No	Yes
Two academic referees	No	Yes
CV and achievements	For named scholarships	Yes
Scholarship forms or statements	Belt and Road, Hon Ping	HKPFS reference number

After the offer: student visa and money you must show

Your university sponsors your Hong Kong student visa. You fill Form ID995A (Application for Entry for Study in Hong Kong) and send it with your offer letter, passport copy and financial proof. Hong Kong’s Immigration Department does not set a fixed sum; you must show enough money for your study period, and the form asks you to estimate tuition, housing and living costs. Bank statements, scholarship award letters and salary slips all count, preferably dated within the last three months. If a parent or sponsor is paying, add a Declaration of Sponsor and a copy of their passport signature page.

HKU tells non-local students to allow four to six weeks for assessment and eight to ten weeks for the visa after an offer. If your offer arrives in spring, start the visa paperwork straight away. A full scholarship award letter is the strongest financial proof you can attach.

Which HKU route should you choose?

If you are finishing secondary school with top grades, apply before 25 November 2026 and tick every named scholarship you qualify for. The automatic entrance awards vary a lot, and the non-local fee is high, so I would not accept an offer with a small one-off award unless your family can carry HK$250,000 to HK$280,000 a year.

If you hold a first-class or strong upper second-class degree, aim for HKPFS. Together with HKU-PS it covers fees, a stipend and a hall place. If your profile is not quite at that level, the PGS still pays a stipend, but expect the composition fee to come out of it. For a cheaper European comparison, see our University of Oulu scholarships guide.

FAQ on University of Hong Kong scholarships

Are University of Hong Kong scholarships fully funded for international students?

Some are. At undergraduate level only the top entrance awards and named schemes like Hon Ping cover full tuition plus living costs. For PhD study, HKPFS combined with the HKU Presidential PhD Scholarship covers fees, a HK$28,700 monthly stipend and a hall place.

Do I need a separate application for HKU entrance scholarships?

No for most of them. HKU considers every admission applicant automatically, but named awards such as the Belt and Road Scholarship and the Hon Ping Entrance Scholarship need you to tick interest and upload extra documents.

What is the HKU application fee for 2027?

HK$780, non-refundable, for both undergraduate (2027 intake) and research postgraduate applications.

Can I get an HKU PhD scholarship without IELTS?

Yes, if your degree was taught and examined in English, because the test is only required when it was not. You can also meet it with grade C or above in Overseas GCE, IGCSE or CPE English instead of IELTS or TOEFL.

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Sources and updates

Undergraduate dates, fees, the HK$20,000 deposit and the entrance scholarship rules come from HKU’s General Information sheet for 2027 non-JUPAS entry and the HKU international qualifications admissions page. Living costs come from HKU’s tuition and living expenses page. Named undergraduate awards come from their individual pages on admissions.hku.hk and the Faculty of Engineering admissions site; the Belt and Road country list comes from Study in Hong Kong. English scores come from HKU’s qualification pages, including the WASSCE page. Research funding comes from the HKU Graduate School pages on the Postgraduate Scholarship, the Presidential PhD Scholar Programme, HKPFS, fees and application periods, cross-checked with the Faculty of Science, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Engineering pages. HKPFS amounts were also checked against CityU and PolyU announcements, and the medicine fee rise against the South China Morning Post. Visa documents come from Hong Kong university visa checklists for Form ID995A. Information checked on 24 October 2026. I will update this post when HKU publishes 2027 terms for the faculty entrance scholarships.