Over 6,400 Students Awarded $196 Million in HKSAR Scholarships for 2024/25 Academic Year

Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year

The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, today (April 24) presented certificates to awardees under the HKSAR Government Scholarship Fund (GSF) and the Self-financing Post-secondary Education Fund (SPEF) for the 2024/25 academic year at the GSF and SPEF Joint Scholarship Presentation Ceremony 2025.

Over 6 400 meritorious post-secondary students received scholarships and awards, amounting to about $196 million in total. Both the GSF and the SPEF also give recognition to meritorious post-secondary students with special educational needs (SEN) through the Endeavour Merit Award and the Endeavour Scholarship. This year, a total of around 600 SEN students were given the awards/scholarships.

Dr Choi said that the two scholarship schemes have successfully attracted outstanding non-local students to pursue their studies in Hong Kong by commending those with excellent performance in various aspects, thereby enhancing the city's position as an international hub for post-secondary education. To tie in with the overall national development, the Education Bureau will adhere to the principle of integrity and innovation, and seize the development opportunities arising from the country's Belt and Road initiatives, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, etc, to deepen Hong Kong's role as a cluster of talent, and to consolidate and develop Hong Kong's advantages in education.

The GSF was established in 2008 to attract outstanding local students to advance their studies at home, and meritorious non-local students to pursue higher education opportunities in Hong Kong. There are five types of scholarships and awards under the GSF, namely Scholarships for Outstanding Performance, Belt and Road (B&R) Scholarship, Talent Development Scholarship, Reaching Out Award and Endeavour Merit Award. Scholarships and awards are offered to students studying full-time publicly funded sub-degree, undergraduate-level and above programmes in Hong Kong. In the 2024/25 academic year, about 2 000 students received the scholarships/awards, including about 1 200 local students and about 800 non-local students. In terms of levels of study, about 1 400 students were at the undergraduate level and above, while about 600 students were at the sub-degree level.

​In addition, the B&R Scholarship was introduced to encourage students from B&R countries/regions to pursue studies in Hong Kong. In the 2024/25 academic year, 150 students from 31 B&R countries/regions have been awarded this scholarship for the first time.

The Self-financing Post-secondary Scholarship Scheme (SPSS) was established under the SPEF in 2011 to promote the quality and sustainable development of the self-financing post-secondary sector. There are five types of scholarships and awards under the scheme, namely Outstanding Performance Scholarship, Best Progress Award, Talent Development Scholarship, Reaching Out Award and Endeavour Scholarship. These scholarships and awards are offered to students pursuing full-time locally accredited self-financing sub-degree or undergraduate programmes. In the 2024/25 academic year, the SPEF offered scholarships and awards to about 4 000 local and about 400 non-local students. In terms of levels of study, about 2 400 of them pursued undergraduate studies, while about 2 000 students were at the sub-degree level.

A list of participating institutions is in Annex I. A broad distribution of the scholarship recipients is set out in Annex II. Details of the scholarships and awards under the GSF are available on the Education Bureau's website (www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/postsecondary/local-higher-edu/publicly-funded-programmes/scholarship.html). Those under the SPSS as well as the SPEF are available on the Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education's website (www.cspe.edu.hk/en/index.html).

Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SCMA visits Hungary to promote development opportunities in GBA

The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, and the Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Ms Maisie Chan, are currently on duty visit to Hungary to promote the development opportunities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

Mr Tsang arrived in Budapest, Hungary on May 15 (Hungary time) and called on the Chinese Ambassador to Hungary, Mr Gong Tao. Today (May 16) he met with the State Secretary for Bilateral Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Ms Boglárka Illés, and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary Dr Lajos Oláh, to share views on issues relating to the promotion of exchange and collaboration between Hong Kong and Hungary.

Mr Tsang also attended today the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area - Europe (Hungary) Economic and Trade Cooperation Exchange Conference jointly organised by the People's Government of Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Macao Special Administrative Region Government to promote the business opportunities brought about by the GBA to the European business community, and Hong Kong's position as a GBA's international entry point and roles as a "super connector" and "super value-adder". Speaking at the conference, he encouraged enterprises and talents to capitalise on Hong Kong's unique advantages of having staunch support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world by establishing foothold in the city and tapping into the huge market of the GBA, and to turn challenges into endless opportunities under the current international situation.

Mr Tsang emphasised that under "one country, two systems", Hong Kong would continue to maintain its status as a free port, implement a free trade policy, maintain the free flow of capital, goods, people and information, and firmly support a rules-based multilateral trading system.

Mr Tsang will depart for Cairo, Egypt, on May 17 to attend the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area - Africa (Egypt) Economic and Trade Cooperation Exchange Conference to be held there. He will return to Hong Kong on May 19.

SCMA visits Hungary to promote development opportunities in GBA Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SCMA visits Hungary to promote development opportunities in GBA Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SCMA visits Hungary to promote development opportunities in GBA Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SCMA visits Hungary to promote development opportunities in GBA Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SCMA visits Hungary to promote development opportunities in GBA Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases