Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme for International Students

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Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme

Course(s) Offered: Any field 
Course Level: Graduate (phd, fellowships)
Provider: Research Grants Council (RGC)
Country to Study in: Hong Kong

Scholarship Description
The Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC) offers the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship for International students to study in Hong Kong.

Established in 2009 by the RGC, the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) aims at attracting the best and brightest students in the world to pursue their PhD programmes in Hong Kong's institutions. More than 230 Fellowships are awarded each academic year, and the financial aid is available for any field of study.

Institutions in Hong Kong normally start their academic year in September. The 2018/19 calls for applications for HKPFS award from candidates start 1 September 2017.

Eligibility
Applicants who are seeking admission as new full time PhD students in Hong Kong institutions funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC), irrespective of their country of origin, prior work experience, and ethnic background, should be eligible to apply.

While academic excellence is of prime consideration, the Selection Panels take into account, but not limited to, the four yardsticks below for the selection of candidates. Applicants should demonstrate outstanding qualities in:

1. Academic excellence (a minimum GPA 3.7/4);
2. Research ability and potential;
3. Communication, and interpersonal skills; and
4. Leadership abilities.

Eligible groups
Citizens of ANY country

Participating Institutions
The following eight research degree-awarding institutions (seven universities and one tertiary institute) take part in the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme:

1. The University of Hong Kong (HKU) - visit here
2. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) - visit here
3. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) - visit here
4. Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) - visit here
5. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) - visit here
6. City University of Hong Kong (CityU) - visit here
7. Lingnan University (LingU) -- visit here
8. The Education University of Hong Kong (HKIEd) - visit here

Fields of study
Shortlisted applications, subject to their areas of studies, will be reviewed by one of the following two Selection Panels comprising experts in the relevant board areas:

• sciences, medicine, engineering and technology
• humanities, social sciences and business studies

Please visit websites of individual institutions (links above) for detailed information and admission requirements

Number of awards
For 2018/2019 academic year, more than 230 PhD fellowships will be awarded 

Sponsorship duration
Offered for periods of up to three (3) years

Scholarship benefits
The Fellowship provides a monthly stipend of HK$20,000 (approximately US$2,600) and a conference and research related travel allowance of HK$10,000 (approximately US$1,300) per year for each awardee for a period of up to three years. Also note that individual institutions may decide to offer additional support, as they see fit.

For awardees who need more than three years to complete their PhD degree, additional support may be provided by the chosen institutions. 

For details, please contact the institutions concerned directly. 

Method of Application 
Eligible candidates should first make an initial online application to RGC to obtain a HKPFS reference number before submitting applications for PhD admission to their chosen institutions. Applicants are required to submit application(s) for PhD admission to the relevant institution(s) directly for their selected programme(s). Applicants are therefore required to fully comply with the admission requirements of their selected institutions and programmes. Note that applicants may choose up to two programmes / departments at one or two institutions for PhD study in their HKPFS applications. 

Individual institutions will conduct interviews with applicants as part of the assessment for selection. Candidates not selected for the HKPFS award may be accepted by the institutions concerned for regular PhD admission and offered postgraduate studentship by the institutions.

It is important to visit the official RGC website (link to it is below) for complete information on applying to this fellowship, and also to visit the individual website of the institution you are interested in.

DEADLINES:
As the deadlines for applications to some of the institutions immediately follow that of the initial application to RGC, candidates should submit initial applications as early as possible to ensure that they have sufficient time to submit applications to institutions.

As a general guide, initial applications to RGC open 1 September and end 1 December each year. Note that the different institutions have different deadline dates (usually ranging between 2nd - 8th December).  See institution websites for their deadline. Deadline for initial application for 2018/19 academic year is 12 noon, 1st December 2017 (Hong Kong Time or GMT +8 hours).

PLEASE NOTE:
The University Grants Committee (UGC) of Hong Kong is an advisory committee responsible for advising the Government of Hong Kong on the development and funding needs of higher education institutions within Hong Kong. The UGC is responsible for determining the funding of the government subsidised academic degree programmes in the seven universities and one tertiary institute listed under 'Participating Institutions' above.

The Research Grants Council (RGC) is an advisory group on research matters that operates within the organizational structure of the University Grants Committee. Also a non-statutory body, it advises the Government of Hong Kong, through the UGC, on the needs of Hong Kong's higher education institutions regarding academic research and how funding should be distributed for academic research projects. The RGC was established in 1991.

Application Deadline: 1 December 2017
Open to International students: Yes 

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