SELECTION CRITERIA AND PROCESS

The HKSES is merit-based, targeting the best and most outstanding Hong Kong students
who are admitted to and going to study in world renowned universities or programmes.
Selection will be based not only on the academic achievements but also other attributes
such as leadership qualities and potential, contribution and commitment to the society,
etc. Applicants will need to demonstrate inter alia how his/her study would benefit himself/
herself and eventually the community as a whole.

A Steering Committee has been set up to advise on the policy, strategy and administration
of the HKSES. It will, among other things, advise on the principles and criteria for the
selection process, as well as select the final awardees. The selection criteria will comprise
the following aspects

(a) Academic and non-academic achievements;

(b) Leadership qualities and potential;
(c) Contribution and commitment to Hong Kong, particularly the plan to return to work
and contribute to Hong Kong after completion of studies; and
(d) whether the universities/institutions and programmes applied are deemed as world
renowned universities/institutions and programmes.

In accessing (d), the Steering Committee will draw reference from the top 100 universities/
institutions in widely recognised world university ranking tables, including but not limited to
those published by QS, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityTimes Higher Education and US News
and World Report; and the top 30 colleges in the National Liberal Arts Colleges Rankings
published by the US News and World Report. Besides, the Steering Committee will take
into account the relevant justifications provided by the applicants in assessing whether
the universities/institutions and programmes applied are deemed as world renowned
universities/institutions and programmes.

In addition, the Steering Committee will take into account the following

(a) the applicants should receive confirmed offer(s) from world renowned university(ies)
for programmes at undergraduate or above levels;
(b) while there is no limitation on the disciplines of study, priority will be given to
programmes that are conducive to building up Hong Kongs long-term
competitiveness, in particular those not available in Hong Kong and disciplines
related to innovation and technology; and
(c) other things being equal, priority will be given to students from needy families who
will otherwise not have the opportunity to support their studies in prestigious
universities outside Hong Kong.

Disciplines related to innovation and technology as mentioned in paragraph 10 above

refer to STEM-related subjects in general. Examples of STEM-related subjects include
Chemistry (Science), Physics (Science), Computer Science (Technology), Civil Engineering
(Engineering), Mechanical Engineering (Engineering), Pure Mathematics (Mathematics)
and Mathematical Statistics (Mathematics). The decision of the Steering Committee on the
interpretation of disciplines related to innovation and technology shall be final and binding.
All applications received under the HKSES for the 2018/19 academic year would be
handled through a three-stage selection process - preliminary screening (January to
February 2018), shortlisting (February to March 2018) and interview (April 2018 onwards).
Shortlisted applicants will receive a notification by end May 2018. Those who do not
receive the notification may assume that their applications are unsuccessful.

Shortlisted applicants who have received confirmed offers (not including conditional
offers) from the universities/ institutions and programmes filled out in the application
form and endorsed as world renowned by the Steering Committee will be invited to
attend interviews starting from April 2018.

Shortlisted candidates who have received confirmed offers from those universities/
institutions and programmes should as soon as possible submit the relevant
documentary proof to the HKSES Secretariat.

Interview time slots will be arranged by the HKSES Secretariat at its sole discretion. The
Secretariat will normally inform applicants of the interview time slot one week prior to
the interview and applicants should attend the interview according to the assigned time
slot. If an applicant is unable to turn up for interview at the assigned time slots for three
times, he/she will be disqualified unless otherwise exceptionally justified.

We plan to award up to 100 scholarships each year to support the most outstanding
students to pursue degree education outside Hong Kong. Whilst there will be no pre-
determined split of or quotas for awardees at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, the
HKSES will primarily benefit students pursuing studies at undergraduate level. However,
the Steering Committee would handle flexibly based on the merits of applicants in each
year.

The decision of the Steering Committee on the awardees shall be final and there is no
appeal mechanism for the outcomes.

REFERENCE LETTER

All applicants of undergraduate programmes are required to provide a reference letter

by his/her school principal or one of the referees filled out in Part VII(a) of the application
form, covering strengths and weaknesses of his/her academic ability, personality,
qualifications for the proposed study and suitability as a representative of Hong Kong to
study abroad.