Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme

The HKSES aims to support local students to pursue studies at world renowned universities outside Hong Kong, with a view to grooming a top cadre of talents with global vision, international network and world-class education, thereby contributing to enhancing Hong Kong’s competitiveness as Asia’s World City in a globalised knowledge economy.

The scheme also seeks to support those students who have excellent academic achievement but lack the financial means to study at top-notch universities outside Hong Kong.

Means Test for Bursary

The Student Finance Office (SFO) of the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency will assist the Education Bureau in conducting the means test for students who apply for the means-tested bursary. The same means test formula of the SFO as applicable to local tertiary students with five tiers of financial assistance based on the result of the means test will be adopted. There will be five levels of bursary, i.e. 100%, 75%, 50%, 25% and 15% for different Adjusted Family Income groups. The resulting amount will then be further reduced by the percentage (i.e. 100% (no assistance), 80%, 60%, 40%, 20% and 0% (no reduction of assistance)) set out against the net asset value per family member of the applicant.

In view of the fact that awardees will be away from Hong Kong during their studies, the means test will be conducted only once throughout the study rather than on an annual basis, unless the awardees encounter significant changes in their family circumstances which warrant reassessment. Nevertheless, awardees receiving the bursary may be required to undergo counter-checks during their studies.

Undertaking to return to work in Hong Kong

Awardees (including those awarded with Scholarship Title only) would be required to complete the specific study programmes and undertake to return to Hong Kong upon graduation to work for at least two years or a period equivalent to the duration of receiving the scholarship, whichever is longer. However, the HKSES Secretariat will have the flexibility to decide, upon application on a case-by-case basis, whether the requirement to undertake to return to and work in Hong Kong could be suitably deferred or waived under exceptional circumstances.

Application

The HKSES is open for applications from eligible Hong Kong students who intend to pursue undergraduate or postgraduate studies at world renowned universities outside Hong Kong starting from the 2026/27 academic year (i.e. during the period of August 2026 to July 2027). Applications should be submitted online via the scholarship application system on or before December 31, 2025 (by 6pm). Supporting documents including the written confirmation of receipt of applications by the relevant universities/institutions, reference letter by school principal or referee, the completed assessment by school principal (for applications of undergraduate programmes only), research proposal (for applications of research postgraduate programmes only), etc, have to be uploaded to the online application system by the same deadline. Late applications will not be accepted.

For those supporting documents completed/written by third parties, e.g. assessment by school principal and reference letter by school principal or referee, such documents can be submitted directly by those third parties to the HKSES Secretariat via e-mail at hkses@edb.gov.hk. The relevant e-mail should be issued to the HKSES Secretariat on or before December 31, 2025 (by 6pm) with the application number of the applicant issued by the online application system duly quoted in the email. Besides, the applicant has to state clearly the type of documents that cannot be provided by the time of his/her online application and the reasons in Part X of his/her application.

Applicants are required to read through the “Notes for Applicants” and operational details of the HKSES set out in this website before completing and submitting applications for scholarship under the HKSES.