The HKPFS is one of the most lucrative and fiercely competitive PhD fellowships on the planet. Established by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong, it is designed solely to poach the top 1% of global academic talent away from Ivy League institutions and route them into Hong Kong's elite universities (like HKU, HKUST, and CUHK).
Quick Overview
Full Requirements & Details
Academic Requirements
- Min. CGPA
- 3.7
- Offer Degrees
- PhD
- Subjects
- Agriculture, Arts, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, History, Law, Mathematics, Medicine, Physics, Psychology
- Seats Available
- 300 annually
- Study Gap Allowed
- No Restrictions (Gap Allowed)
- Research Publication
- Yes
- Work Experience
- No
- Age Range
- No Age Limit
Language Requirements
- IELTS
- Min. 6.5
- TOEFL
- Optional
- GRE
- Not Required
- Local Language
- Cantonese
- Local Lang Test
- No
- Study Languages
- English
Financial Details
- Type
- Full
- Fund Details
- See Description
- Monthly Stipend
- HKD 28100/mo
- Tuition
- Full
- Living Costs
- Full
- Travel & Health
- Yes / Yes
- Application Fee
- Free (No Application Fee)
- Spouse Allowed
- No
What Matters Most
Required Documents
Why You Should Apply
The money is absurd. It provides an annual stipend of HKD 337,200 (approx. USD 43,000) and an additional conference/research travel allowance of HKD 14,000 per year, for up to three years.
Furthermore, the host universities almost always waive your full tuition fees and guarantee you heavily subsidized on-campus housing for the first year. You will live like a highly-paid professional researcher in one of the most dynamic cities in Asia.
Application Process
You must obtain an HKPFS reference number from the central RGC system first. Then, you submit your full PhD application directly to your chosen Hong Kong university (up to two choices), quoting that reference number. The universities act as the first filter; they aggressively weed out 95% of applicants and nominate only their absolute top-tier candidates to the RGC panel for final selection.
How to Win This Scholarship
You cannot win this with just a good GPA. You must have prior publications in Q1 journals, international awards, or degrees from elite global universities. Your research proposal must be groundbreaking and flawlessly written.
Crucially, you must contact a potential supervisor at the target university months in advance. If a superstar professor at HKUST refuses to champion your application internally to the graduate school, you will not even make it past the university-level nomination phase.
Benefits After Completing Study
It places you firmly in the elite tier of global academia, with massive networking opportunities in both the West and mainland China.
Hong Kong is brutally expensive. While the stipend is massive, the cost of private housing (if you don't secure university dorms after year one) will devour a significant portion of it.
Official Source
For complete details and to verify all requirements, please refer to the scholarship provider's official website.
Visit Official Source