Admission, Application and Tuition Fee
The Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Hong Kong (HKU Business School) admits outstanding students to our full-time PhD programme, focusing on one of the six distinct fields of study. Applicants without a research Master's degree shall be considered for admission to the four-year PhD programme, while those with a research Master's degree shall be considered for admission to the three-year PhD programme.
Admission Schedule
Our PhD programme matriculates new students once a year in the fall semester, starting normally in September. The application for admission 2024/25 opens on September 1, 2023 and the Main Round application is available through December 1, 2023. Applications received after this date will not normally be considered unless there are available places left after admitting the main round applicants.
Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS), which was established by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong to attract the best and brightest students in the world to pursue their PhD studies in Hong Kong’s universities. An initial application should be made to RGC through the HKPFS Electronic System (deadline: December 1, 2023 at Hong Kong Time 12:00:00) before submitting applications for PhD admission to HKU. For more details, please visit here.
Application Requirements
All applications should be submitted via the online application system of the Graduate School of HKU. Applicants should visit the Graduate School website for full details of the application procedures. The following materials are required for making an application and should be submitted via the online application system on or before December 1, 2023:
- Completed online application form
- Academic transcripts(s) and graduation certificate(s) of undergraduate and/or postgraduate studies
- Research proposal
- Official score report of GMAT or GRE (see details below)
- Official score report of TOEFL or IELTS (see details below)
- Two academic referee's reports (submitted directly from the referees)
Degree Qualifications
To be eligible for admission to the PhD programme, applicants should possess:
- a Bachelor’s degree with first class honours (or equivalent qualification) from a recognised university; or,
- a Bachelor's degree with honours and a Master's degree (or equivalent qualification) from a recognised university.
GMAT/GRE
All applicants are required to demonstrate their capability for graduate studies by obtaining satisfactory scores in the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), taken within five years. Institution code:
- GRE – 2482
- GMAT – FS2-WL-48
Copies of the score reports should also be uploaded into the online application system.
English Language
Applicants who come from a university outside Hong Kong where the language of instruction and examination is not English are required to take one of the following English language proficiency tests, of which scores are valid for 2 years:
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Institution code: 9671; Department code: 99
- Internet-based test (iBT) score ≥ 85
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) (Academic Module)
- overall score ≥ Band 6.5; all subtest ≥ 6
Copies of the score reports should also be uploaded into the online application system.
Tuition Fees and Scholarships
Tuition Fees
For the academic year 2023-24, the tuition fee for the full-time PhD programme is HK$42,100 per annum.
Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS)
Full-time regular students are eligible to receive a Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS) during the normative study period. The basic level of scholarship is HK$18,390 per month (w.e.f. September 1, 2023).
A PGS holder whose PhD probationary candidature has been confirmed will receive a higher PGS rate with effect from the following calendar month after his/her probation is fully confirmed. The higher PGS rate is HK$18,890 per month (w.e.f. September 1, 2023).
FBE PhD Entrance Scholarship
The FBE PhD Entrance Scholarship shall be awarded to new students admitted to our full-time PhD programme on the basis of academic merit at the time of admission. Students may be considered for the general track OR the Taught Postgraduate (TPg) track of the Scholarship based on the criteria fulfilled. Candidates considered for TPg track must be registered in or within one year of graduation from an eligible TPg programme offered by HKU Business School by December 1 of the year preceding admission to the full-time PhD programme.
The number of Scholarships to be awarded and/or the exact value of each Scholarship shall be determined each year. For general track, the Scholarship shall be of the value of HK$42,100 for the academic year 2023-2024. For TPg track, the Scholarship shall offset the amount of tuition fee paid by the awardee for the eligible TPg programme preceding admission to the full-time PhD programme.
All eligible candidates will automatically be considered and no application for the Scholarship is required. In the event of there being no suitable candidate in any year, no awards shall be made.
Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS)
The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS), established by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council, aims at attracting the best and brightest students across the world to pursue PhD studies in Hong Kong.
All HKPFS holders of HKU will be concurrently awarded the HKU Presidential PhD Scholarship, details of which is provided in the section below. For more information on HKPFS, please visit here.
HKU Presidential PhD Scholar Programme (HKU-PS)
In order to attract top candidates from around the world to pursue full-time PhD studies at HKU, the HKU Presidential PhD Scholar Programme offers the most prestigious scholarship package to selected outstanding full-time PhD students.
HKU Presidential PhD Scholars will also receive strong academic and training support from the University, e.g. individualised advisory service, training in teaching and opportunities to interact with leading scholars. A group of distinguished Faculty members will also give advice, provide additional mentorship and training opportunities, and oversee the academic career paths.
More information on the programme package may be found here. All applicants applying for the full-time PhD programme will be automatically considered for the HKU-PS programme. In view of the intense competition, Main Round applicants are strongly encouraged to apply also for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS).
Enquiries
If you still have questions after reviewing our FAQ, please contact us:
Tel: (852) 3917 8369
Email: fbephd@hku.hk