(I)   Due to the recent pandemic or travel restriction, your study plan to pursue a PhD degree overseas may be affected. CUHK offers a Vice-Chancellor’s PhD Scholarship Scheme to those who are offered a PhD place in top overseas universities to realise your goal at CUHK.

The Scholarship Scheme offers the following to selected candidates with outstanding academic performance (obtained a minimum CGPA of 3.5 out of 4.0 or equivalent), and obtained a PhD admission offer for 2021-22 from a top overseas university:

• An award of total HK$80,000 (HK$40,000 in the first year of attendance and HK$20,000 each in the second and third years subject to satisfactory study progress); and
• Studentships of HK$216,300 per annum within the normative study period.

Application Procedures

• Interested students are required to submit an application via the Online Application System, indicating your intention to apply for the CUHK Vice-Chancellor’s PhD Scholarship Scheme.
• Applicants are required to upload copies of academic transcripts, a valid English Language proficiency test score report and other supporting documents, as well as a copy of an offer letter from a top overseas university.
• If you have already applied for the PhD Programme, you need not apply again. Please send an email to the Graduate Division concerned indicating your intention to apply for the Scheme and attach with it a copy of an offer letter from the top overseas university.

Application Deadline 

16 April 2021, Friday

(II)   Starting from the 2020-21 intake, all PhD candidates who are nominated to the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) by CUHK but not selected for HKPFS will also be offered the above Scholarship.

1. Tuition Waiver Scheme for Local Research Postgraduate Students
   • Starting from the 2018-19 academic year, the Government grants a tuition waiver to all current and newly admitted local¹ full-time research postgraduate (RPg) students enrolled in UGC-funded RPg programmes for their entire normative period of study.
   • Local¹ full-time RPg students who are admitted to the University without postgraduate studentships are not eligible for this Scheme.
   • For more details, please visit the website of University Grants Committee (UGC).
2. Targeted Taught Postgraduate Programmes Fellowships Scheme
   
   • Local students¹ , both full-time and part-time, admitted² to the designated taught postgraduate (TPg) programmes of the University for the 2020-21 Intake are eligible to apply.
   • Awardees are required to pay a minimum tuition fee of HK$42,100 for the programme, and the differences will be subsidised by the fellowships subject to a cap of HK$120,000 for each student for the whole programme, regardless of the actual study period. Please visit here for more details.
3. Research Postgraduate Student Grant for Overseas Academic Activities
   • Full-time Research Doctoral Student: Maximum HK$30,000 in total during the normative period of study.
   • Full-time Research Master’s Student: Maximum HK$10,000 in total during the normative period of study.
4. Tertiary Student Finance Scheme – Publicly-funded Programmes (TSFS) administrated by the Student Finance Office of the Hong Kong Government.
   • For full-time local¹ students taking up exclusively UGC-funded or publicly-funded programmes.
5. The University offers a number of scholarships, prizes and awards to recognize  students' outstanding academic and non-academic performance. Other exchange scholarships, university bursaries and loans are also available. Please visit the website of the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid for details.

6. More funding and scholarships are available to postgraduate students, including the Global Scholarship Programme for Research Excellence, PhD Students Exchange Programme, Reaching Out Award, and Young Scholars Award, etc. More information is available on the website of the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid and the Office of Academic Links.

Notes:

1. The definitions of local and non-local students remain the same as that of other UGC-funded programmes. Except for students holding (i) student visa/entry permit; (ii) visa/entry permit under the Immigration Arrangements for non-local graduates; or (iii) dependant visa/entry permit who were 18 years old or above when they were issued with such visa/entry permit by the Director of Immigration, all other students will be treated as local students.
2. Only applicants who have got an admission offer, accepted the offer and settled the deposit will be considered for the Scheme.