Financial Assistance

Students with financial needs may apply for grants and/or loans under the following schemes*:

1. Financial Assistance Scheme for Post-secondary Students (FASP) (For full-time students only)

The FASP is administered by the Government's Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency. It provides a grant and/or a loan to full-time students aged 30 or below, who are engaged in locally accredited, self-financing post-secondary education programmes at the level of higher diploma or degree. 

The grant is for covering the tuition fees and academic expenses, whilst the interest-bearing loan is for living expenses. The interest is charged upon graduation or termination of the full-time study. Successful applicants of FASP may also apply for a travel subsidy. For details, please refer to https://www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/sfo/en/postsecondary/fasp/overview.htm.

2. Non-means-tested Loan Schemes (NLSPS) (For full-time students only)

Also administered by the Government's Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency, the NLSPS provide financial assistance in the form of a loan to complement the FASP. Loans from NLSPS are solely used to settle tuition fees. For details, please refer to https://www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/sfo/en/postsecondary/nlsps/overview.htm.

3. Extended Non-means-tested Loan Scheme (ENLS) (For part-time students only)

The ENLS provides financial assistance in the form of loan(s) to eligible students to settle tuition fees of specific post-secondary / continuing and professional education courses studied in Hong Kong. 

Applicants should have the right of abode in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("Hong Kong") or have resided or have had their homes in Hong Kong continuously for three complete years immediately prior to the commencement of the programme / course. This does not cover students studying in Hong Kong holding student visas. For details, please refer to https://www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/sfo/en/postsecondary/enls/overview.htm

Non-means tested Loan Schemes operate on a full-cost recovery basis. Interest is charged once the loan is drawn down and throughout the repayment period until the loan is fully repaid. An administration fee to cover the full costs of processing and administering the NLS loan(s) is/are chargeable for each application, and annually thereafter until the NLS loan(s) and the interests are fully repaid.

4. Academic Expenses Grant for Students with Special Education Needs and Financial Needs (For full-time students only)

Each eligible student will be offered an additional academic expenses grant of up to $9,630 in 2023/24 academic year and the actual amount of subsidy receivable is to be determined with respect to the student's level of assistance assessed in the means test of the WFSFAA. For details, please refer to https://www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/sfo/en/postsecondary/fasp/general/assistance.htm.

5. Hostel Subsidy (For full-time students only)

Those undergraduates who have passed the means test of FASP (i.e. with grant offered) and confirmed to have resided in student hostels provided by their institutions for at least 75% of the time during the semesters are eligible for the hostel subsidy. The subsidy is to be disbursed on semester basis. Eligible students need not file separate applications for the hostel subsidy. The amount of subsidy will be equal to the hostel fee payable or $10,190 per year / $5,095 per semester, whichever is lower. The actual amount of subsidy receivable by each eligible undergraduate is to be determined with respect to the student’s level of assistance assessed in the means test. The amount will be credited to the designated bank accounts of the eligible students by autopay. For details, please refer to https://www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/sfo/en/postsecondary/fasp/general/assistance.htm.

6. Travel Subsidy (For full-time students only)

Students up to the first degree level who are successful applicants of the FASP and reside beyond 10 minutes' walking distance from the campus during term time and travelling to the campus by public transport may be eligible for a travel subsidy. For details, please refer to https://www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/sfo/en/postsecondary/sts/overview.htm.

7. Scheme for Subsidy on Exchange (For full-time students only)

Established in 2015 and 2016, the Scheme for Subsidy on Exchange for Post- secondary Students (SSE) and the renamed Scheme for Means-tested Subsidy on Exchange to “Belt and Road” Regions for Post-secondary Students (Means-tested SSEBR) are offered by the Education Bureau (EDB) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to support financially needy students to participate in outbound exchange activities.

Starting from academic year 2019/20, the EDB further offers two non-means-tested subsidy schemes for exchange activities, namely, the Non-means-tested Mainland Experience Scheme for Post-Secondary Students (Non-means-tested MES) and the Scheme for Non-means-tested Subsidy on Exchange to “Belt and Road” Regions for Post-Secondary Students (Non-means-tested SSEBR) to encourage more post-secondary students in Hong Kong to pursue exchange activities in the Mainland and other B&R regions.

The means-tested grant of up to HK$60,000 (for SSE and Means-tested SSEBR) will be provided for financially needy local students (both publicly-funded and self-financing) of full-time locally-accredited undergraduate (including top-up) programmes. The amount of subsidy is calculated by applying the approved level of means test (in terms of percentage of full grant) to the maximum level of subsidy for the Subsidy Scheme based on the latest available result from WFSFAA.

The non-means-tested subsidy of up to $14,400 will be provided for local and non-local students enrolled in full-time locally accredited undergraduate (including top-up) programmes under Non-means-tested MES and the non-means-tested subsidy of up to $18,000 will be provided for local students enrolled in full-time locally accredited undergraduate (including top-up) programmes under Non-means-tested SSEBR. The maximum amount of subsidy will make reference to the destination and duration components.

8. Bursaries and Interest-free Loans (For full-time students only)

Students with financial needs can apply for bursaries and interest-free loans. These include general bursaries, hall bursaries, language immersion bursaries, bursaries for students with disabilities and general interest-free loans (subject to the donation amount and selection criteria set by donors).

9. Emergency Funds and Emergency Loans

Students with unforeseeable financial hardship caused by emergency circumstances may apply for emergency grant and loan throughout the academic year. The emergency circumstances occurred within 12 months shall include but are not limited to:

Personal accident, serious illness, death or unemployment of the bread-winner of the student’s family.

An immediate need to return home/travel abroad in times of emergency.

Sudden symptom(s)/episode(s) of anxiety or depression, for example by covering expenses relating to consultation and treatment with a private psychiatrist upon referral by the University’s medical staff.

*All the schemes are offered subject to the HKSAR Government’s latest arrangements. For updates/ details of the financial assistance provided by the HKSAR Government, please visit the Student Finance Office’s homepage at http://www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/sfo/eng/index.htm.

The above information is subject to change without prior notice. For further information about financial assistance, scholarships, awards and other student services, please contact the Student Affairs Office of the University at 2948 6720 or by e-mail: saoemail@eduhk.hk. (Website: https://www.eduhk.hk/sao/)