The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme 2027 supports outstanding students from around the world to pursue full-time PhD programmes at eight publicly funded universities in Hong Kong. The fellowship provides an annual stipend of HK$344,400 and a conference and research-related travel allowance of HK$14,400 per year for up to three years, while participating universities may provide additional funding for tuition fees, accommodation, and the remaining period of a four-year PhD. Unlike a normal university scholarship, applicants must first submit an initial application to the Hong Kong Research Grants Council to obtain an HKPFS reference number and then submit separate PhD admission applications to their selected universities. In this article, we have explained everything you need to know about the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, including its benefits, eligibility criteria, required documents, and a step-by-step application process to help you apply successfully.
Established in 2009 by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, the fellowship aims to attract students with exceptional academic achievement, research potential, communication skills, and leadership ability. Applicants can select up to two PhD programmes at one or two participating universities, but they can submit only one initial HKPFS application.
The central fellowship provides the stipend and research travel allowance. Tuition waivers and additional benefits are determined by the selected university. For example, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Baptist University have published additional tuition, accommodation, and fourth-year support for their 2027–2028 HKPFS recipients.
Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Summary
- Level of Study: PhD
- Institutions: Eight participating Hong Kong universities
- Study Destination: Hong Kong
- Courses Offered: Eligible full-time PhD programmes offered by participating universities
- Program Period: Normally three to four years
Participating Universities
The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme is available at the following eight University Grants Committee-funded 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
Applicants should compare the available PhD programmes, admission requirements, research strengths, supervisors, application fees, and additional university funding before choosing their two programme preferences.
Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Application Deadline
The application schedule for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme 2027–2028 is:
- Applications open: September 1, 2026
- RGC initial application deadline: December 1, 2026, at 12:00 noon Hong Kong Time
- University application deadline: Determined by each participating university
- CUHK full application deadline: December 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM Hong Kong Time
- Expected shortlisting and results: During 2027
- PhD commencement: Normally between July and September 2027
Participating universities have started publishing information for the 2027–2028 cycle. The Chinese University of Hong Kong currently lists the RGC deadline as December 1, 2026, at 12:00 noon and its university application deadline as 11:59 PM on the same day. Applicants should confirm the exact full-application deadline on the website of each university they select.
The initial HKPFS application and the university PhD application are two separate steps. Submitting the initial form to the Research Grants Council does not complete your application to a university.
Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Coverage
The central Hong Kong PhD Fellowship provides:
- An annual stipend of HK$344,400, approximately US$44,150
- A monthly stipend equivalent to HK$28,700
- A conference and research-related travel allowance of HK$14,400 per year
- Fellowship support for up to three years
- Possible additional support from the selected university when the PhD takes longer than three years
- No application fee for the initial Research Grants Council application
The Research Grants Council offered 400 fellowships in the latest confirmed central competition. The number available for the 2027–2028 cycle should be confirmed when the new RGC call is formally published. Universities may charge their own PhD admission or application-processing fees.
The central RGC award does not itself list a universal tuition-fee waiver, accommodation allowance, airfare, visa cost, or health insurance benefit. These additional benefits depend on the university that admits the applicant.
For example, the 2027–2028 university package published by Hong Kong Baptist University includes:
- The HKPFS stipend for four years, subject to satisfactory academic progress
- A tuition-fee waiver or scholarship
- An Elite Scholar Award of HK$40,000 per year for the first three years, subject to the university’s strategic plan
- An additional HK$20,000 conference and research travel provision for the four-year study period
- University-arranged shared accommodation during the first two years
Eligibility Criteria for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme
To qualify for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, applicants must fulfil the following requirements:
- Eligible Countries: Applicants from all countries may apply.
- Applicants must seek admission as new full-time PhD students at one of the eight participating universities.
- Applicants must meet the admission requirements of their selected university and PhD programme.
- Applicants should have an outstanding academic record.
- Applicants should demonstrate strong research ability and potential.
- Applicants should possess good communication and interpersonal skills.
- Applicants should demonstrate leadership ability.
- Applicants may choose up to two PhD programmes at one or two participating universities.
- Applicants must submit only one initial application through the HKPFS Electronic System.
- Applicants must quote their HKPFS reference number in each full university application.
There is no universal degree, grade, or research-experience requirement set by the Research Grants Council for every applicant. Each participating university determines the academic requirements for its own PhD programmes.
Depending on the programme, applicants may be required to hold:
- A relevant bachelor’s degree with honours;
- A relevant master’s degree;
- A previous qualification containing a substantial research component; or
- Other academic and professional qualifications accepted by the university.
Meeting the minimum PhD admission requirements does not guarantee selection for the fellowship. HKPFS selection is highly competitive and gives primary consideration to academic excellence, followed by research ability, communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership qualities.
Applicants already enrolled in a PhD may apply only when seeking admission to another PhD programme as a new full-time student. The selection panel may take the applicant’s previous doctoral study into account when comparing the application with candidates who have no previous PhD experience.
English Language Requirements
Applicants who completed their previous degree at a non-English-speaking university are generally required to submit an IELTS or TOEFL result with their university PhD application unless they can provide acceptable evidence that English was the language of instruction for all courses.
An English test may not be required when:
- The previous university education was taught entirely in English and the selected university accepts the supporting evidence; or
- The proposed PhD programme is specifically taught in another language, such as Chinese.
The exact English score is determined by the selected university and programme. Some departments may also require GRE, GMAT, or another recognised test. Applicants should review the admission requirements of both selected programmes rather than relying on one general HKPFS score.
You can review our guide to scholarships without IELTS, but each participating university makes the final decision about whether previous English-medium education is acceptable.
How to Apply for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme?
Please follow the instructions below to apply for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme:
(1) Review the eight participating universities and identify the PhD programmes that best match your previous education, research experience, and proposed area of study.
You may select a maximum of two programmes in total. These can be:
- Two programmes at one university; or
- One programme at each of two universities.
You must rank the choices according to priority. If two universities nominate you, the Research Grants Council will normally process the nomination from the university you placed at the higher priority.
(2) Check the academic, research, English-language, and document requirements of each selected programme.
The HKPFS does not replace the university’s PhD admission requirements. A candidate must be eligible for admission to the selected programme before the university can nominate the application for the fellowship.
Where relevant, identify potential supervisors whose research closely matches your proposed project. Although finding a supervisor before applying is not a universal HKPFS requirement, some universities, departments, or research projects expect applicants to contact an academic in advance.
Prepare a focused academic CV highlighting your thesis, research projects, publications, conference presentations, academic awards, leadership activities, technical skills, and relevant employment.
(3) Submit the initial HKPFS application through the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme Electronic System.
The 2027–2028 application system is scheduled to open on September 1, 2026. Complete the initial application before December 1, 2026, at 12:00 noon Hong Kong Time.
After submitting the form, the system will issue an HKPFS reference number. Save this number carefully because it must be included in the subsequent university applications.
Only one initial application is permitted. Submitting multiple initial applications can result in disqualification.
(4) Submit a separate full PhD application directly to each selected university.
Use the university’s own postgraduate admission system and enter the HKPFS reference number obtained from the Research Grants Council. The reference number and password used for the RGC system cannot be used to log in to a university application portal.
Applicants who forget to quote their HKPFS reference number may have their application processed only as a regular PhD admission application rather than an HKPFS application.
The initial RGC application is free, but the selected university may charge an admission-processing fee.
(5) Upload the documents required by each university and programme.
Application requirements vary. Applicants should prepare their documents early because university deadlines may fall on or immediately after the RGC deadline.
A strong research statement or proposal should explain the proposed research problem, existing knowledge gap, objectives, methodology, expected contribution, and reasons for selecting the university. Our guide on writing a statement of purpose for a scholarship can help you organise the broader academic and career motivation behind the application.
(6) Arrange the required academic references.
The initial RGC application does not require applicants to enter referee information. Academic references are normally requested during the full university application, and the exact number and submission method differ between universities.
Choose academics who know your research work and can provide specific evidence of your ability to complete independent doctoral research. You can use our guide on requesting a scholarship recommendation letter when approaching referees.
(7) The selected universities will review the PhD applications and may invite shortlisted candidates to an interview.
Universities nominate their strongest candidates to the Research Grants Council. The shortlisted nominations are then assessed by one of two selection panels:
- Sciences, Medicine, Engineering and Technology; or
- Humanities, Social Sciences and Business Studies.
The panels evaluate academic excellence, research ability and potential, communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership ability.
Applicants who are not selected for the HKPFS may still receive regular PhD admission and a postgraduate studentship or another scholarship from the university when they are considered academically qualified.
Documents Required for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme
The initial HKPFS application and the full university application have different document requirements.
The initial Research Grants Council application generally requires:
- Personal and contact information
- Academic background
- Proposed university and programme choices
- Priority order of the selected programmes
- Broad area of study
- Other information requested in the online form
The full university application may require:
- Completed university PhD application
- HKPFS reference number
- Passport or identity document
- Bachelor’s degree certificate and transcripts
- Master’s degree certificate and transcripts, where applicable
- Official grading scale
- Certified translations of documents not issued in English or Chinese
- Academic CV
- Research proposal or research statement
- Statement of purpose or personal statement
- IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, or GMAT results, where required
- Academic referee details or recommendation letters
- Evidence of publications, conference presentations, awards, or research experience
- Previous thesis or writing sample, where requested
- Application fee payment required by the university
- Programme-specific supplementary documents
The exact list differs between universities and departments. Applicants should follow the document checklist generated by each university application portal rather than submitting unnecessary materials.
Website
To learn more about the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme and submit your application, please visit the official pages:
