Scholarships for Hong Kong Students at US Universities

Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme (HKSES)

The Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme is the Hong Kong government's own award for residents who want to study full time at a top university outside Hong Kong, including in the United States. The Education Bureau launched the scheme in 2014, and it has supported over 1,000 students since then. It pays a non-means-tested scholarship of up to HK$300,000 a year, and a separate means-tested bursary of up to HK$200,000 a year for awardees with financial need, according to the EducationUSA and HKSES program pages.

You need right of abode or right to land in Hong Kong, and continuous residence in Hong Kong for the three years before your program starts, to qualify. You apply after you already hold an offer or conditional offer from a qualifying overseas university. Applications for the 2026/27 intake closed December 31, 2025, so treat late December as the standing yearly deadline and start your university applications early enough to have an offer in hand by then.

Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarships

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust runs the Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarships , which fund master's and doctoral study at leading universities worldwide, including Harvard and MIT. Selection weighs academic merit, leadership and teamwork, service to others, and character alongside your grades. The award amount is set to the actual cost of your specific program and city, so a student headed to a US city with high living costs receives a larger grant than one in a cheaper location. You must hold Hong Kong permanent residency to apply. Check the official site each year for the current cycle's deadline and required documents.

Li Po Chun Charitable Trust postgraduate scholarships

The Li Po Chun Charitable Trust funds a small number of overseas postgraduate scholarships for Hong Kong students each year, alongside its better known support for United World Colleges places. Several Hong Kong universities, including the University of Hong Kong through its Academic Advising and Scholarships Office, list the trust as an option for students planning postgraduate study abroad. Ask your undergraduate university's scholarships office in Hong Kong whether they administer or can refer you to this fund, since the trust does not run open online applications the way HKSES and HKJC do.

Lyn Edinger U.S. Studies Scholarship

The American Chamber of Commerce Charitable Foundation in Hong Kong offers the Lyn Edinger U.S. Studies Scholarship to a qualified graduate of a Hong Kong secondary school heading into undergraduate study at a US university. It pays a one-time award of HK$24,000. The application deadline falls on April 18 each year, and the Institute of International Education's Hong Kong office administers the program. The award is small next to total US costs, but it stacks with other funding and looks good on a scholarship record.

Need-blind US universities that cover full financial need

Nine US universities admit applicants without looking at ability to pay, then meet 100 percent of each admitted student's demonstrated financial need, including for applicants from Hong Kong: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Dartmouth, Brown, Notre Dame, Bowdoin, and Amherst. At Harvard, families with a yearly income under USD $100,000 pay nothing toward tuition, fees, food, or housing under the 2025-26 policy, according to Harvard College's financial aid office . International students at Harvard get aid on exactly the same basis as US citizens, and the college does not expect a loan contribution as part of a standard package.

Every other selective US university reviews financial need as part of the admission decision for international applicants, so an aid request can lower your admission odds at those schools compared with a full-pay application. Read each target university's own international financial aid page before you apply, since policies differ and change between admission cycles.

University merit scholarships

Outside government and trust funding, many US universities run their own merit scholarships open to international applicants, funded and administered by the admissions office rather than by an outside body. These awards range from a few thousand dollars a year to a full ride, and some require a separate short application or essay alongside your main one. Search each target university's international admissions and financial aid pages directly, since eligibility, amounts, and deadlines are set by the individual school and change every cycle.

How to apply

• Start your US university applications early enough to hold an admission offer by December, since HKSES and several trust scholarships ask for one before you apply.

• Prepare a NACES-evaluated transcript and English test scores early. Scholarship committees usually ask for the same documents your university already required.

• Apply to more than one scholarship. Hong Kong government and trust awards fund a small number of students each year and competition is strong.

• Confirm each award's tax and visa treatment with your university's international student office before you count it toward your visa financial evidence.