The Student Affairs Office coordinates a range of financial assistance schemes and support services aimed at helping students from low-income families overcome financial hurdles and complete their studies successfully. These include government grants and loans, as well as bursaries and loans funded by individual donors, private foundations, and professional bodies.

Through these initiatives, the Office supports both local and non-local students experiencing financial difficulty including those from low- and lower-middle-income countries subject to individual eligibility criteria. We also offer briefing sessions, on-campus work opportunities, and personal finance consultations to help students effectively manage their budgets and enhance their financial well-being.

For details of each scheme, please refer to the following pages:

• Government Grants and Loans
  Government financial assistance includes means-tested assistance and non-means-tested loan schemes for eligible students in publicly funded and self-financed programmes. Additional support includes student travel subsidies, hostel subsidies, and academic expenses grants for students with special educational needs. Applications are administered by the Government’s Student Finance Office under the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency.
  
  
• Bursaries and Loans
  Bursaries and loans provide supplementary financial assistance to full-time local undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. A variety of specialized bursaries are available, including General Bursaries, Hall Bursaries, Language Immersion Bursaries, and Bursaries for Students with Disabilities. These generally supplement government grants and loans, and students are expected to fully utilise all eligible government financial assistance first.
  
  
• Special Support Bursary for Students with Difficult Family Situations
  This bursary provides interim financial support to eligible full-time local undergraduate and higher diploma students who have not received government financial assistance because of difficult family circumstances, such as family separation, abandonment, loss of contact, or family conflicts. Each bursary is valued at HK$5,000, and applications are accepted throughout the academic year. This bursary cannot be held concurrently with a University General Bursary within the same academic year.
  
  
• Schemes for Subsidy on Exchange
  These Education Bureau schemes help eligible students participate in outbound exchange activities, including learning programmes, internships, service-learning activities, and approved events or competitions. Means-tested schemes support financially needy local students, while non-means-tested schemes support eligible exchanges to the Chinese Mainland and other Belt and Road regions. The Non-means-tested Mainland Experience Scheme is open to both local and non-local students. Eligibility and subsidy amounts vary by scheme, destination, and activity duration.
  
  
• Student Travel/Allowance Scheme provided by Public/Private Organisations
  Students may apply for travel discounts and allowance schemes offered by the Hong Kong SAR Government, public transport operators (such as the MTR Student Travel Scheme), and travel discounts or education allowances provided through their parents' employers. These schemes help reduce commuting expenses, subject to identity verification and the specific eligibility requirements of each provider.
  
  
• Emergency Fund and Loan
  Emergency grants and loans provide immediate financial support to students facing sudden, unforeseen hardship caused by critical circumstances within the past 12 months. Eligible situations include serious illness, accidents, or the death of a primary family breadwinner, urgent emergency travel, and covered mental health consultation or treatment expenses resulting from a referral by University medical staff. Applications are open continuously throughout the academic year.
  
  
• Specific Student Empowerment Work Scheme (Specific SEWS)
  Specific SEWS provides on-campus, project-based work opportunities that promote experiential learning and whole-person development. Projects may be initiated by students or staff, encouraging students to take ownership of their learning, develop their capabilities, and contribute positively to campus and community life.
  
  
• On-campus Works (iWork)
  iWork provides on-campus work-learning opportunities for full-time students, especially those experiencing financial hardship. It enables students to gain work exposure as part of their university learning experience. Non-local students must hold a No Objection Letter issued by the Immigration Department to work at EdUHK; non-local exchange and visiting students are not permitted to work in Hong Kong.
  
  
• Personal Finance Consultation
  This service offers practical budgeting guidance, financial education resources, and individual budget-planning consultations. Students can learn to estimate expenses, identify income and financial resources, track spending, and review their budgets. Additional resources cover student loans, financial preparation for overseas exchanges, and responsible spending.

Note: Applicants are required to fulfill the eligibility criteria of the respective scheme.