For a mainland Chinese student accepted into a Hong Kong university, the published HKD 145,000 - 175,000 annual tuition can look impossible — it is nearly triple the cost of a top mainland 985 university, and the cost of living in Hong Kong adds another HKD 80,000 - 120,000 per year. Yet in practice, a large proportion of mainland students at HKU, CUHK, and HKUST pay far less than the sticker price, because the scholarship ecosystem for mainland applicants is unusually generous — both to attract talent and because mainland parents’ willingness to pay full sticker is the exception rather than the rule.
This guide is a comprehensive 2026 catalogue of every significant scholarship available to mainland students studying undergraduate programs in Hong Kong, the exact amount each one covers, the eligibility criteria, and realistic advice on what it takes to actually win them. Amounts are expressed in HKD unless otherwise noted; exchange rate as of April 2026 is approximately HKD 1 = RMB 0.92.
Scholarships for mainland students at HK universities fall into four distinct categories. Understanding which bucket each scholarship belongs to matters because application procedures, timelines, and what you need to prepare are completely different:
Most mainland students at top HK universities receive one scholarship from bucket 1 (entrance) and may later qualify for additional awards from buckets 2-4. The compounding effect is that a 一本 student with strong leadership background and financial need can easily reduce their net cost from HKD 175,000 to HKD 40,000-60,000 per year.
HKU’s entrance scholarships for mainland students are the most generous and most competitive in the system. There are three tiers:
HKU Foundation Entrance Scholarship (Full) — HKD 175,000 per year tuition + HKD 70,000 per year living stipend, renewable for 4 years. Roughly 15-20 offers per year across all mainland provinces combined. To be competitive, you typically need:
HKU Foundation Entrance Scholarship (Half) — HKD 87,500 per year tuition, renewable. Roughly 30-40 offers. Requires top 0.5% Gaokao ranking.
HKU Entrance Scholarship — HKD 40,000-60,000 one-time award (non-renewable). Roughly 100-150 offers. Awarded to students in the top ~1% of their province who receive an HKU admission offer.
All three are awarded automatically based on your Gaokao score and HKU interview performance; you do not submit a separate application. Results are communicated together with your HKU offer letter in mid-July.
CUHK has a more transparent and tiered approach. The three tiers are:
CUHK Global Scholarship for Outstanding Mainland Students (Full) — HKD 145,000 tuition + HKD 50,000 living allowance + HKD 15,000 one-time travel allowance, renewable for 4 years (conditional on maintaining GPA ≥ 3.3/4.0). Approximately 20-25 offers per year.
CUHK Global Scholarship (Half) — HKD 72,500 tuition, renewable. Approximately 40 offers.
CUHK Entrance Scholarship — HKD 30,000-80,000 one-time award. Approximately 150+ offers.
CUHK also offers college-specific scholarships tied to its nine residential colleges (New Asia College, United College, Chung Chi College, Shaw College, Morningside College, S.H. Ho College, C.W. Chu College, Wu Yee Sun College, and Lee Woo Sing College). Each college has 3-5 additional entrance scholarships ranging from HKD 10,000-50,000 per year, often tied to specific criteria such as “first-generation university students,” “students from rural provinces,” or “students majoring in Chinese literature and culture.”
HKUST focuses heavily on STEM merit awards:
HKUST Academic Excellence Scholarship (Full) — HKD 175,000 tuition + HKD 40,000 living allowance, renewable for 4 years. 25-30 offers per year, almost all going to students with Olympiad medals or Gaokao scores in the top 50 of their province.
HKUST Distinguished Scholar Award — HKD 120,000 one-time + HKD 30,000/year living, 3-year renewal based on GPA ≥ 3.5. Approximately 50 offers per year.
HKUST Provincial Excellence Scholarship — HKD 60,000 one-time, awarded to the top Gaokao scorer accepted from each mainland province. One per province per year, so roughly 25-28 offers.
HKUST is particularly aggressive in recruiting Olympiad winners; if you have a national first prize in math, physics, chemistry, biology, or informatics, HKUST will usually offer you a full scholarship during the interview.
PolyU targets less-top-1% students with solid but not extraordinary profiles:
PolyU Mainland Entrance Scholarship (Tier 1) — HKD 120,000/year tuition + HKD 30,000 living, renewable. Approximately 30 offers, for students ranked in top 500 of their province.
PolyU Mainland Entrance Scholarship (Tier 2) — HKD 60,000/year, renewable. 80+ offers.
PolyU Talent Scholarship — HKD 30,000 one-time. ~200 offers.
PolyU also offers discipline-specific scholarships in design (School of Design), hospitality (School of Hotel and Tourism Management), and rehabilitation sciences (School of Nursing), each funded by industry partners.
These four universities offer smaller but still meaningful scholarships:
Once enrolled, mainland students can compete for annual GPA-based awards. These are typically awarded at the end of each academic year for the following year.
Awarded to the top 5% of students in each faculty based on GPA. Approximately HKD 30,000 per student per year. No separate application — automatic based on transcript.
Each faculty publishes a Dean’s List at the end of each semester listing students with GPA ≥ 3.7/4.0. Being listed qualifies you for a college bursary of HKD 8,000-15,000 per semester depending on the college.
HKD 20,000/year for students with GPA ≥ 3.7 in the previous year. Combines with the original entrance scholarship so top students can receive ~HKD 200,000 in total annual support.
Each university has 1-3 “Outstanding Student of the Year” awards funded by alumni donors. These are typically HKD 50,000-100,000 one-time awards given at graduation ceremonies. Winning one often requires a strong CV of service and leadership in addition to academic excellence.
Mainland students traditionally had less access to need-based aid than international students because of concerns about verifying family income in mainland China. However, since 2023, the eight UGC-funded Hong Kong universities have expanded need-based aid to mainland students who can document genuine financial hardship.
Annual awards of HKD 30,000 - 100,000 per student based on family income. To apply, you must submit:
Approximately 80-120 mainland students receive bursaries each year at HKU. Application window: September of each year.
CUHK was the first HK university to formally open need-based aid to mainland students. The Global Scholarship Supplementary Grant provides additional HKD 20,000 - 60,000/year on top of existing awards for students from families with annual income below RMB 150,000. Approximately 150 recipients per year.
HKD 15,000 - 50,000 one-time grant for unexpected financial hardship (parent unemployment, medical crisis, natural disaster affecting family property). Rolling application, decisions within 4 weeks.
Each of CUHK’s nine residential colleges administers its own financial aid scheme funded by college donors. Amounts vary from HKD 5,000 to HKD 30,000 per year, and requirements range from simple income disclosure to writing a personal statement describing need. New Asia College is particularly generous with mainland student bursaries because of its historical mission to serve mainland Chinese scholars.
This is the category most students don’t know about, yet it contains some of the largest awards available.
One of the single largest scholarships: HKD 120,000/year tuition + HKD 40,000/year living stipend, renewable for 4 years. Approximately 100 awards per year distributed across the eight UGC-funded universities, with roughly 30% reserved for mainland students from Belt and Road-aligned provinces (Xinjiang, Ningxia, Gansu, Qinghai, Yunnan, Guangxi, and others).
Application is separate from university application: visit the Hong Kong Education Bureau website in January-February of your Gaokao year, submit Gaokao score + personal statement + recommendation letter, and take a phone interview in March-April. Offers announced in June.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club is one of the largest private funders of education in Asia. It offers:
Application is through the university’s scholarship office in October of your first year.
The Li Ka Shing Foundation funds approximately 30 mainland students per year at HKU, CUHK, and HKUST, primarily for STEM majors. Amount: HKD 100,000/year + summer research stipend of HKD 30,000.
Corporate scholarships for mainland students interested in banking and finance careers. Typically HKD 50,000-80,000/year for Year 2-4 of undergraduate study, contingent on completing a summer internship at the sponsoring firm.
All require a competitive application with CV, personal statement, and interview.
| Month | Action |
|---|---|
| March-April 2026 | HK SAR Belt and Road application closes. University admission interviews begin. |
| May 2026 | Mainland Gaokao. |
| June 2026 | Gaokao results released. University offers begin. |
| Early July 2026 | University entrance scholarship results announced with offer letters. |
| Mid-July 2026 | HKJC and major external scholarships post Year 1 applications. |
| August 2026 | Accept offer + confirm scholarship. |
| September 2026 | Enroll at university. Submit need-based aid applications via SFAO. |
| October 2026 | Apply for HSBC, Standard Chartered, corporate scholarships (for Year 2 funding). |
| December 2026 | College bursary applications (CUHK). |
| May 2027 | End of Year 1 — renewable scholarship reviews based on GPA. |
Case 1: Xi Wang, Guangdong, Gaokao 691 (top 200 in province). Accepted into HKU Computer Science. Received HKU Foundation Entrance Half Scholarship (HKD 87,500/year), applied for and received HKU Bursary (HKD 40,000/year) based on family income RMB 95,000 total. Net cost: HKD 47,500 tuition + HKD 90,000 living = HKD 137,500/year. His family saved ~RMB 130,000 per year versus sticker price.
Case 2: Liu Hao, Shaanxi, Gaokao 685 + National Math Olympiad Second Prize. Accepted into HKUST Mathematics. Received HKUST Academic Excellence Full Scholarship (full tuition + HKD 40,000 living). In Year 2, won HKUST Academic Excellence Award (HKD 20,000) for GPA 3.91. Total support: ~HKD 235,000/year. Net out-of-pocket cost: approximately HKD 30,000/year for personal expenses.
Case 3: Wang Jing, rural Yunnan, Gaokao 612 (strong but not top). Accepted into PolyU Rehabilitation Sciences. Received PolyU Tier-2 scholarship (HKD 60,000/year) + HK SAR Belt and Road Scholarship (HKD 120,000 tuition + HKD 40,000 living) because Yunnan is a Belt and Road-aligned province and her personal statement emphasized returning to serve rural healthcare. Total: HKD 220,000/year, fully covering her cost. She saves more than she would have spent at Peking University if accepted there.
Not applying to Belt and Road Scholarship separately. Many students assume the university will auto-consider them; it does not. You must submit the external application.
Waiting until after the Gaokao to research scholarships. By July, many application windows have closed or are too late for Year 1 offers. Start researching in February of your Gaokao year.
Skipping need-based aid because “my family isn’t that poor.” HK need-based aid thresholds are generous: a family with RMB 150,000 annual income qualifies for CUHK SFAO. Even middle-class mainland families qualify for some level of support.
Not updating CV between admission and first year. Summer internships, research projects, and volunteer work done between July and September can dramatically strengthen Year 2 external scholarship applications.
Neglecting alumni bursaries administered by CUHK colleges. Each college posts small bursaries (HKD 5,000 - 20,000) throughout the year; they are rarely competitive and most go unclaimed.
Assuming Gaokao score is the only criterion. For Belt and Road Scholarship, HKJC Community Scholarship, and college bursaries, personal background, province of origin, and personal statement often matter more than raw score.
A realistic mainland student with Gaokao in the top 1% of their province and a strong extracurricular profile can stack scholarships to cover 60-90% of their total cost. The remaining 10-40% is typically covered by student loans (see the separate guide on student loans and financing) or family contribution. The upfront work in applications — tracking deadlines, writing personal statements, securing recommendation letters — pays back many times over across four years. Start early, apply broadly, and do not leave any bucket un-tried.