General Information and Instructions
1. Application Period
Applications are accepted and considered in three batches with the following deadlines:
- December 1 (HKPF Scheme* and Main Round)
- April 30 (1st Clearing Round)
- August 31 (2nd Clearing Round)
*For the HKPF scheme, applicants have to submit an initial application to the Research Grants Council (RGC) from September 1 (HKT 12:00 or GMT +8 hours) to December 1, 2020 (HKT 12:00 or GMT +8 hours) before submission of a full application to The University of Hong Kong.
Successful MPhil applicants will commence studies on either September 1 or January 1. Successful PhD applicants may commence studies on the first day of any calendar month. Due to the limited number of student places, it would be to your advantage if you submit your applications for the main round.
2. Submission of Application
Application for admission should be submitted online and a complete set of supporting documents should be uploaded to the Online Application System after payment of application fee. Applicants who wish to apply for admission to more than one department should submit an application with a complete set of supporting documents for each proposed department of study.
3. Application Acknowledgement
After your application has been submitted and the online payment of application fee has been settled, an acknowledgement message with your application number will be shown. For applicants who settle the application fee by means other than online payment, an acknowledgement email will be sent after the payment/original payment proof is received. Please quote the application number and your full name in all future correspondence with the Graduate School.
4. Interview/Test
The application papers will be reviewed by the relevant Faculty/School/Department/Centre/Institute. Applicants may be required to attend an interview and/or sit for a test arranged by the proposed department of study as part of the selection process.
5. Notification of Results
The Graduate School will inform all applicants of the result of their applications via email in about three to four months after the deadline of application. Applicants may also check the result on the web and the details will be given in the result notification email. Under NO circumstances will the Graduate School inform applicants of the results through telephone.
Applicants who have indicated interest in applying for admission to the Joint PhD Programme(s) will NOT be notified separately of the results of their applications for the Joint PhD Programme(s). Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted individually by the Faculties/Departments concerned for further processing of their Joint PhD applications. Applicants who have not been contacted on their Joint PhD applications should refer to the notification of the results of their applications for conventional PhD.
6. Postgraduate Scholarships (PGS)
Full-time MPhil and PhD students who hold a first degree at second class honors upper division (or equivalent) or above are normally considered eligible for receiving Postgraduate Scholarships during the normative study period. The Graduate School, which has sole and absolute discretion in granting the award of the Postgraduate Scholarship, may also take into consideration the candidates' results in Master's degrees. Scholarships are tenable on an annual basis and are renewable upon satisfactory progress and the availability of funding. The monthly scholarship for the 2020-21 academic year is HK$18,030 and the value of the Scholarship is subject to review by the University from time to time. Please indicate whether you would like to receive a Postgraduate Scholarship in the application. No separate application form for a Postgraduate Scholarship is required.
A Postgraduate Scholarship holder may be required to undertake in each year, under supervision, services which carry educational benefits for the holder. The amount of such services to be performed by a student receiving the above amount of Scholarship shall not exceed 100 hours. Apart from the services undertaken in this capacity, the Scholarship holder shall not undertake any other employment either within or outside the University during the tenure of the Scholarship.
7. Related Regulations and Procedures
Regulations and Procedures for the Degrees of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and the Regulations Governing Postgraduate Scholarships can be downloaded from the Graduate School homepage.
8. Collection of Personal Information
Please refer to the Personal Information Collection Statement for details. For unsuccessful applications, information will normally be destroyed 6 months after the release of the application result.
9. Enquiries
For academic related matters, e.g. choice of research area and proposed supervisor, please click here.
For administrative matters, please contact the Graduate School Office (email: gradsch@hku.hk; tel: (852) 2857-3470; fax: (852) 2857-3543). Detailed information on application can also be found under How to Apply and FAQ from Applicants.