What CUHK Vice-Chancellor's PhD Scholarship Scheme – Hong Kong actually covers.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Vice-Chancellor's PhD Scholarship Scheme is a prestigious university-level award that complements the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS), providing robust financial support to outstanding doctoral students from all countries — including all African nations — who are admitted to full-time PhD programmes at CUHK but are not among the 400 awardees of the HKPFS.
CUHK is ranked among the world's top 40 universities and is internationally recognised for its strengths in medicine, law, business administration, social sciences, and the natural sciences. As Hong Kong's founding Chinese university, CUHK occupies a unique position bridging Chinese intellectual traditions and Western academic frameworks, making it a particularly enriching environment for African scholars who seek to engage with China's growing role in Africa from an academically rigorous vantage point.
The Vice-Chancellor's PhD Scholarship provides an award package totalling approximately HK$309,200 per student over the normative study period. This consists of a research postgraduate studentship of HK$229,200 per annum (for the normative period), a Vice-Chancellor's Award of HK$40,000 paid across the first three years of study, and a conference and research-related travel allowance of HK$30,000 for the duration of the programme. These combined packages represent one of the more comprehensive doctoral support packages available in Asia.
PhD candidates applying to CUHK for the 2027-28 academic year are automatically considered for the VC PhD Scholarship upon their admission application, with no separate scholarship application required. Selection is based on academic excellence, research potential as evidenced by publications or prior research experience, and the quality of the applicant's research proposal. The application deadline for most CUHK PhD programmes falls in December.
Who can apply.
Open to phd applicants seeking to study in Hong Kong. Eligible nationalities are listed below.
46 more eligible countries — full list available on the official application page.
Every academic discipline is accepted.
This programme does not restrict by field. Research proposals across humanities, sciences, engineering, agriculture, and medicine are all accepted.
From here to submitted.
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Other scholarships worth a parallel application.
Same eligibility window or destination. Many strong applicants apply to three or four programmes per cycle.