| Degree Level | Field | Host Institution | Target Audience | Fee | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PhD, full-time, funded up to 3 years | All disciplines | Eight UGC-funded universities in Hong Kong | International applicants from any country of origin | No RGC application fee; universities may charge their own | 1 December 2026 |
The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship for international students is one of the few schemes anywhere that pays more than most early-career salaries, and it is open right now. Applications for the 2027/28 round opened on 1 September 2026 and close on 1 December 2026. Four hundred fellowships will be awarded. Your country of origin, your work history and your background do not affect your eligibility.
Official links you will need
Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (main page) — https://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/index.html
Application procedure and university deadlines — https://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/apply.html
Initial Application system (HKPFSES) — https://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/InitApplication.jsp
Guidance Note for the Initial Application (PDF) — https://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/GuidanceNote.pdf
Participating universities — https://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/institutions.html
Full FAQs — https://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/enquiry.html
What the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship for international students actually pays
- Annual stipend of HK$344,400, which is roughly US$44,150, or about HK$28,700 a month.
- Conference and research travel allowance of HK$14,400 per year, roughly US$1,840. This is separate money for attending conferences and research travel, not part of your stipend.
- Funded for up to three years. If your PhD takes longer, additional support may come from your university, but that is the university’s decision and not part of the fellowship.
- No application fee to the Research Grants Council. The RGC charges nothing to apply.
Important: The RGC updates these amounts periodically. The figures above are those published for the current round. Check the official page before you quote them anywhere.
What the fellowship does not cover
This is where a lot of posts about this scheme mislead people, so I want to be direct about it.
The fellowship pays a stipend and a travel allowance. It does not include tuition.
Hong Kong does operate a tuition waiver for research postgraduate students, but that waiver applies to local students. If you are applying from Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Bangladesh or anywhere else outside Hong Kong, you are not covered by it.
In practice, most awardees end up in a workable position, because universities frequently add their own tuition scholarship or studentship top-up for HKPFS recipients. But that support comes from the university, not from the scheme, and it varies between the eight institutions.
Accommodation is also not part of the award. Some universities offer hostel places to research postgraduates. Availability differs, and it is not guaranteed.
Universities may charge their own application fee, even though the RGC does not. If paying that fee is difficult for you, contact the university’s admissions office directly, since the RGC has no involvement in it.
Ask each of your chosen universities two questions in writing before you commit: what happens to my tuition if I win the fellowship, and is any accommodation offered. Get the answer in an email you can keep.
If you want a second pair of eyes on your research proposal or CV before December, my document review service covers exactly this, or you can book a free call to talk through your university choices.
Where you can study
The fellowship supports PhD study at eight universities:
- City University of Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Baptist University
- Lingnan University
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong
- The Education University of Hong Kong
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- The University of Hong Kong
All eight are funded by the University Grants Committee. Every one of them runs on the same 1 December deadline this year.
Who can apply
You are eligible if you are seeking admission as a new full-time PhD student at one of the eight universities. Nationality, ethnic background and prior work experience make no difference to your eligibility.
The scheme looks for four things: academic excellence, research ability and potential, communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership.
A few situations worth clarifying:
Already doing a PhD? You can still apply, provided you are applying as a new full-time PhD student on a different programme. Be aware that the Selection Panel may set aside your previous PhD experience so that applicants without a PhD background are not disadvantaged.
Waiting on transcripts or test results? Apply anyway. Universities can issue conditional offers to candidates who show strong ability and potential. Contact the university directly about your specific situation.
English requirements. If your degree was not taught in English, you will need TOEFL or IELTS scores in your application to the university. If your university taught entirely in English, you can provide proof of that instead. This is waived if your proposed PhD is specifically in a non-English medium, such as Chinese.
The two-step process that trips people up
This scheme does not work like a normal scholarship application, and misunderstanding the structure is the most common way people lose their chance.
Step one is with the Research Grants Council. You submit an Initial Application through the HKPFS Electronic System. The system issues you an HKPFS Reference Number.
Step two is with the universities. You then apply for PhD admission directly to your chosen universities, and you must quote that reference number in each application.
Here is the part that matters: if you do not give the university your HKPFS Reference Number, they process your application as an ordinary PhD application and it receives no consideration under the fellowship at all. You will not be told. Your application simply will not be in the running.
You may submit only one Initial Application. Not one per university, one in total.
The deadline detail that catches people out
Both deadlines fall on 1 December 2026, but they are not at the same time.
Initial Application to the RGC closes at 12:00 noon Hong Kong Time.
University full applications close at 11:59 pm Hong Kong Time.
That is nearly twelve hours apart, on the same date. If you plan to do everything on the final day, you will miss the RGC deadline while thinking you still have until midnight. The Initial Application must be done first, because you need the reference number for the university applications.
Work out what noon Hong Kong Time is where you live. Hong Kong is GMT+8, so noon there is 9:00 am in Pakistan, 9:30 am in India, 10:00 am in Bangladesh and 4:00 am in Nigeria. Do not leave it to the last day.
Choosing your universities and programmes
You may choose up to two programmes in total, at one or two universities, and you must rank them by priority.
That priority ranking has real consequences. If two universities nominate you, the RGC only processes the nomination from the university you ranked first. If you pick two programmes within the same university and are nominated, the university decides which programme the nomination applies to.
You can change your university and programme choices, but only before the Initial Application deadline of 1 December 2026 at noon. Log in with your reference number and password. After that deadline, no changes are accepted for any reason.
How you are assessed
Individual universities may interview applicants where they consider it necessary. Shortlisted applications then go to one of two Selection Panels, depending on your field:
- Sciences, Medicine, Engineering and Technology
- Humanities, Social Sciences and Business Studies
Academic excellence is the primary consideration. Beyond that, the panels weigh your research ability and potential, your communication and interpersonal skills, and your leadership.
That last criterion is worth taking seriously. Leadership is unusual as an explicit criterion in PhD funding, and most applicants ignore it entirely. Think about where you have organised, taught, mentored, led a project or built something, and make sure it appears in your application rather than assuming your grades will speak for you.
One reason to apply even if you doubt your chances
Not winning the fellowship does not mean losing the PhD place. Universities can still admit candidates who were not selected for HKPFS and offer them a regular postgraduate studentship.
So a fellowship application is also a PhD application. The downside of applying is your time, not a closed door.
Timeline for the 2027/28 round
1 September 2026 — Initial Applications opened
1 December 2026, 12:00 noon HK Time — Initial Application closes
1 December 2026, 11:59 pm HK Time — University applications close
By May 2027 — Results announced
July to September 2027 — Registration at your university. This can be deferred to 31 January 2028 at the latest, with well justified reasons and RGC approval.
How to apply
- Read the Guidance Note first. Download it at https://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/GuidanceNote.pdf. The RGC may stop processing an application that does not comply with it, so this is not optional reading.
- Choose your programmes. Browse the eight universities at https://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/institutions.html and pick up to two programmes. Check each programme’s own admission requirements before you settle.
- Submit your Initial Application. Go to https://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/InitApplication.jsp and complete it online. Rank your choices by priority. Save your HKPFS Reference Number and password somewhere you will not lose them.
- Apply to each university directly, quoting your HKPFS Reference Number in every application. Follow each university’s own process, which is separate from the RGC system.
- Prepare your supporting documents — transcripts, TOEFL or IELTS if required, references and a research proposal. Requirements differ by university, so check each one.
- Prepare for a possible interview. Universities interview where they consider it necessary. Be ready to talk about your research, your methods and why that specific group.
- Confirm the tuition position in writing with each university before you accept anything.
- Apply for your student visa once you have an offer. Details are at https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/visas/study.html.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to find a supervisor first? Unlike some systems, the fellowship does not require you to secure a supervisor before applying. That said, contacting a potential supervisor makes your university application stronger, and admission requirements are set by each university.
Do I need to name referees in the Initial Application? No. Referee details are not required at the initial stage. Universities will ask for them in the full application.
Can I apply to more than two programmes? No. Two in total, across one or two universities.
What if I lose my password? There is a “Forgot Password” option on the HKPFS Electronic System login page. You will need to verify your identity.
Can I switch universities after winning? No. You must remain the registered full-time PhD student of the university named in your offer letter. Leaving that university ends the fellowship.
Official information
Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme — https://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/index.html
Enquiries — HKPF@ugc.edu.hk
Figures and dates on this page reflect what the Research Grants Council has published for the 2027/28 round. Amounts and deadlines are revised each year, so confirm them on the official pages above before you rely on them.
Applying this December? Get your documents checked first
You have one Initial Application and two programme choices. There is no second attempt this cycle, and the selection panels are weighing leadership and communication alongside your grades.
Document review sContactervice — written feedback on your CV, research proposal, statement of purpose or supervisor email, returned in a shared document with comments you can work from.
Free consultatioContactn call — a conversation about which two programmes to choose and how to rank them.
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