Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme 2026/27

Initial Application Form

Please read the "Guidance Note for Applicants" before completing this Form on-line.

The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme Electronic System (HKPFSES) will time out automatically after idling for 30 minutes. All un-submitted entries will be lost upon system time-out.

This Initial Application Form must be completed in English unless otherwise specified, e.g. the field requiring the input of applicant's Name in Chinese (if applicable).

Only one Initial Application is accepted per applicant. All entries will be cross-checked with full applications to be submitted to universities. In the event that an applicant is found to have submitted more than one initial application, all applications submitted by the same applicant for the HKPFS will be disqualified even if the applicant is nominated by an university to compete for the HKPFS award.

Section A - Personal Particulars

Name in English (as shown on your passport or identity document)
Family Name / Surname (mandatory)
Given Name
Name in Chinese (if applicable)
Date of Birth (day/month/year)	/ /
Gender	Male Female
Place of Birth
Nationality / Region (as shown on your passport or identity document)

Passport / Identity Document Number

•	Applicants from Hong Kong must input first four numeric digits and last digit/alphabet in bracket of their Hong Kong Identity Card (HKID) number.
•	Applicants from mainland China must input first four numeric digits and last two numeric digits of their Resident Identity Card number.
•	Applicants from other places must input the first four numeric digits and last two numeric digits of their passport or national identity document number.

XXX

Email Address
The email address given here will be used in all future correspondence, including offer of fellowship, if applicable.

Please re-enter your Email Address

Contact Phone Number

•	Please input numeric digits only, e.g. Country Code 123 Area Code 456 Number 23456789

Country Code

•	Please omit the plus sign "+" or brackets "( )".

Area Code

•	The "Country Code" and "Area Code" cannot be left blank. In the event that there is no "Country Code" or "Area Code" provided, please insert a dash "-".

Number

Section B - Choice of University(ies) and Programme(s) for PhD Studies

Only one initial application per applicant will be accepted and each applicant can submit at most two choices of university / department / programme with priority. An applicant may make changes to choice(s) of university / department / programme until the closing of Initial Application Deadline, i.e. 1 December 2025 at 12:00 noon Hong Kong time. However, only the choice(s) saved in the HKPFSES as at the Initial Application Deadline will be processed further. The Research Grants Council ("RGC" hereafter) will not accept any changes/ requests of change of application from applicants after the initial application deadline.

Choice 1 (Preferred Choice):
University

Department / School / Faculty / Division

Programme / Field of Study


Applicants submitting only one choice please choose "Only one choice is opted" in "University" under Choice 2.

Choice 2:
University

Department / School / Faculty / Division

Programme / Field of Study


Important Note: The RGC will only process applications nominated by the eight UGC-funded universities to compete for the HKPFS award. In the event that an applicant is nominated by two universities, the RGC will only process the nomination tendered by the university for which the relevant applicant has indicated priority (i.e. Choice 1) and subsequent award of fellowship by the RGC will also be according to the indicated priority (i.e. Choice 1) of the applicant. If an applicant selects two different programmes within the same university and is nominated subsequently, the university shall have the discretion to decide on which programme it supports the nomination. (Please refer to Paragraph (l) of the Guidance Note for details).

Proposed research field of PhD studies

Please specify:
Keywords in English that best describe your proposed research (up to 100 characters)

Section C - Authorization and Declaration

	1. I authorise the RGC and the chosen university(ies) in Section B to gain access to all information about my candidature for my studies, and use this information as a basis of all types of processing relevant to the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) and entry to the chosen university(ies) in Section B, including assessment, statistics, verification and publicity purpose.
	2. I understand that upon successful application, my data will become part of the student record and may be used for all purposes as prescribed under relevant rules and regulations of the offering university for PhD admission.
	3. I declare that the information given in this application is accurate and complete.
	4. I understand that any misrepresentation will disqualify this application, and I will be liable to refund in full the fellowship obtained under the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme in the event that an award is made.
	5. I understand that I can submit only one initial application to the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme. In the event that I have been found to have submitted more than one initial application, all applications submitted by me for the HKPFS will be disqualified even if I have been nominated by an university to compete for the HKPFS award.
	6. I understand that the RGC will only process applications nominated by the eight UGC-funded universities to compete for the HKPFS award. In the event that I have been nominated by two universities, the RGC will only process the nomination tendered by the university for which I have indicated priority (i.e. Choice 1) and subsequent award of fellowship by the RGC will also be according to the indicated priority (i.e. Choice 1) of me. If I select two different programmes within the same university and is nominated subsequently, the university shall have the discretion to decide on which programme it supports the nomination.
	7. I understand that the RGC will not accept any changes/ requests of change of application from me after the initial application deadline.
	8. I understand that it is my responsibility to ensure that no plagiarism is committed and no plagiarized text is used in any part of my proposed research or any parts of my initial and full application. A breach of this rule may result in disqualification of my application. I also understand that it is up to the RGC to decide whether my application comprises plagiarism or plagiarized text and the judgment of the RGC is final.
	9. I understand that the RGC will not consider any claim for cost incurred by me in relation to this application for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme and for the PhD programme admission to the universities funded by the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
	10. I understand and agree to indemnify the RGC and Secretariat staff against all liabilities, claims, demands, costs and expenses, actions and proceedings, and all losses and damages whatsoever arising from or in connection with this application.
	11. I understand that the RGC has the sole right to amend and interpret the arrangements relating to the application, implementation and operation of the HKPFS.

Section D - Source of Information

You are invited to fill out the survey below. This survey is optional for statistical purpose.

How did you learn about the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme? (You may select more than one box)

On-line		Webpage of the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong
		Webpage(s) of Hong Kong universities
		Web advertisement
		Social networking sites, e.g. Facebook, Twitter
		News coverage by online media
		Discussion board / Search engine
		Other webpage / online source(s) (please specify)

Printed Matter		Poster / Leaflet of Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme
		Publications of Hong Kong universities
		News coverage / advertisement in newspapers
		Advertisements in the Chronicle of Higher Education
		Other printed matter (please specify)

Personal Network / Event
(If you are an applicant in Hong Kong)		Staff of your institution
		Students of your institution
		Others (please specify)

(If you are an applicant outside Hong Kong)		Staff of your institution
		Students of your institution
		Staff of a Hong Kong university
		Students of a Hong Kong university
		Others (please specify)

Important Notes: (1) After submitting the initial application, applicants should submit a full application to the chosen university(ies) quoting the HKPFS Reference Number before the university's deadline. Different universities may have their own submission deadlines, and applicants are reminded to take note of them carefully. Information on the submission deadlines of the eight participating universities is available at https://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/apply.html. An initial application that is not followed up with a full application to university will be considered void and it will not be processed further by the RGC. (2) An auto-acknowledgement email will be sent to your registered email account after your submission of initial application from rgc1@ugc.edu.hk. Please check your mailbox or other email folders, for example, spam / junk mail folder, if necessary, for the acknowledgement email. The email contains important information on the assigned HKPFS Reference Number, login-ID and password to HKPFSES in case you want to review or amend your application. Please properly safe keep the email and reference information, otherwise you will not be able getting access to the HKPFSES to review or amend your application.

Thank you for your application.

Research Grants Council
7/F., Shui On Centre, 6-8 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Fax: (852) 2845 1596 E-mail : HKPF@ugc.edu.hk