ELIGIBILITY:

Target participants: Outstanding undergraduate students in year 3 and year 4 with a CGPA of 3.6 or above (or equivalent)
Outstanding students in Master’s degree programme with a Bachelor’s degree in 1^st Class Honours (or equivalent)

Selection criteria:
Outstanding academic performance
Strong interest in research postgraduate studies
Previous research experience
Interest in interdisciplinary studies
High English proficiency
Mature and independent

Each participant of the Summer Research Programme will be affiliated to an academic unit and mentored by a professoriate staff. 

You have to indicate your proposed faculty*/interdisciplinary area, department, and field of study in the application based on your research interest. The list of faculties, schools/departments, and interdisciplinary research areas can be found at: https://gradsch.hku.hk/prospective_students/research_areas.

You are strongly encouraged to propose one or more professoriate staff (mentors) you would like to work with in your application. Some of our distinguished professors have already expressed strong interest in meeting and working with outstanding students in this Programme. You may find the lists of potential mentors HERE. 

The online application system will be open from January 9, 2026 (10am Hong Kong Time GMT+8) to February 9, 2026 (5pm Hong Kong Time GMT+8).  The application fee (non-refundable) is HK$300. 

Required information/documents for the online application:
Personal and academic information
Proposed faculty, department, field of study and mentor(s)
Personal statement (300-500 words) describing: your reason(s) for applying to the HKU Summer Research Programme; what do you hope to gain from this experience; your short and long-term career goals; and the HKU Programme(s) that interest you.
Research interest (100-200 words): Visit the homepage of your proposed faculty/department/unit and describe the research topic(s) that interest you, and the area(s) that you would like to focus on if you are admitted to the HKU Summer Research Programme 2026.

Supporting documents: passport-size photo; your CV highlighting your academic achievement, research experience, and professional credentials, final/latest transcript and certificate of your Bachelor’s programme, final/latest transcript and certificate of your Master’s programme (if any), result of your English language proficiency test (for applicants from institutions outside Hong Kong where the language of instruction and examination is not entirely in English).

All students without the right of abode/right to land in Hong Kong must apply for a student visa for the purpose of education from the Hong Kong Immigration Department.  Admitted students should submit the visa application, if needed, immediately after you are admitted to the Programme.  Click here for details about student visa application. For inquiries, please visit this page.

BENEFIT:

One-to-one mentorship with an eminent professor: Successful applicants will be supervised by an eminent professor at HKU to plan and carry out a research project. The Programme office will help participants match with mentors based on participants’ given priorities and research interests.

Scholarship for participants: A scholarship of HK$10,000¹ will be awarded to each participant upon successful completion of the Programme.  

Financial support: Financial support of airfare up to HK$5,000 and university accommodation up to HK$5,000¹ will be provided on a reimbursement basis. (Students residing or currently studying in Hong Kong are only eligible to receive financial support for university accommodation.)

Prizes and awards for top performers: Prizes and awards will be available for top performers in the Programme.  

Possible conditional offer for an HKU Presidential PhD Scholarship : A small number of participants with outstanding performance and excellent academic records may be awarded a conditional offer of the HKU Presidential PhD Scholarship to pursue PhD studies at HKU upon completion of the current studies.  The HKU Presidential PhD Scholarship is the most prestigious entrance scholarship to attract top students from around the world to pursue full-time PhD studies at HKU. The scholarship package includes up to HK$439,500 (US$56,350) in the first year and up to HK$422,000 (US$54,110) in each of the subsequent years during the normative study period.