Explore funding options to support students’ academic and professional pursuits.
• Faculty Global Exploration Fund (FGEF)
Financial assistance for a variety of non-local academic and career development activities.
• Judy Lee So Scholarship for Arts Students – Enrichment Scholarship
Financial assistance for a variety of non-local academic and career development activities.
• Gallant Ho Experiential Learning Fund
Support for undergraduate students striving for excellence and leadership in the arts.
Objective and Overview
To encourage student mobility and align with the University’s targets listed in the University’s Academic Development Proposal 2016-19, the Faculty of Arts is pleased to offer subsidies to Arts undergraduate students, who plan to participate in and have demonstrated commitment to the proposed mainland China or international learning experience (hereinafter the “activity”) starting from the 2017-18 academic year. The subsidy was renamed from the “Faculty Student Mobility Fund” to the “Faculty Global Exploration Fund” (hereinafter the “Fund”) in the 2018-19 academic year.
The Fund cannot be held concurrently with other funding sources (e.g. HKU, government, offshore universities) to support the same activity, failing which applicants are required to report to the Faculty in writing to withdraw the application immediately, and if applicable, return the funding to the Faculty. Hence, students are advised to consider carefully the terms and conditions of various funding support from the University and the government (e.g. https://tl.hku.hk/horizons/overview/). Students are expected to explore other funding options that support learning experience abroad before applying for the Fund.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible Students
The Fund is applicable to students (NOT including incoming exchange students) from the below programmes:
- BA
- BA(GCIN)
- BA(HDT)
- BASc
- BA&BEd(LangEd)
- BA&BEng(AI&DataSc)
- BA&LLB
Eligible Activities
Eligible activities include, but are not limited to, the following categories, which should be organized by an HKU office or endorsed by an HKU teacher:
| Category | Definitions | Examples |
| 1. Student Exchange | · Academic studies · Normally credit-bearing · For at least one semester · Applications of the activity are submitted to an HKU office | Student exchange programmes organized by the Faculty, the School of Modern Languages and Cultures or International Affairs Office |
| 2. Visiting | · Academic studies · Normally credit-bearing · For at least one semester · Applications of the activity are submitted to other organisations | Fee-paying study abroad programme |
| 3. Short-term study/ Study trip / Career Activity* | · Structured series of learning and/or study activities, normally discipline-related · May be credit-bearing · For a short period of at least 3 weeks, of which at least 2 must be outside Hong Kong; or the trip is tied to a credit-bearing course | Field trip; language immersion programme; summer/winter programme Departmental internship; Company visits, job shadowing, internship endorsed by CEDARS |
*For Category 3, it will be regarded as short-term study abroad programmes, the FGEF support amount will benchmark the maximum amount of HK$10,000, please refer to the important notes below for more details.
Support Amount
From the academic year 2018-19 onwards, each eligible student can seek reimbursement up to HK$20,000 during their degree studies. The maximum amount of funding* of the total major cost (i.e. transportation cost#, accommodation cost^ and course/programme fee) of each approved activity is as follows:
| Destination | Max. amount of funding |
| Americas, Europe, Israel, Japan & South Africa | HK$12,000 |
| Australia & New Zealand | HK$11,000 |
| South Korea | HK$7,000 |
| Singapore, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Macau | HK$5,500 |
Applications for funding support for a second activity with justifications may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Notes:
* Maximum amount of funding may vary among programmes with potential benchmarking with other funding supporting similar programmes.
# Transportation cost is confined to (a) the cheapest return economy class of transport at the most direct route to the place of the activity from Hong Kong, and (b) necessary domestic travelling expenses between home/accommodation and airports during the designated activity period. If applicants choose to extend their stay beyond the designated activity period voluntarily, or travel beyond the designated country/countries (i.e. not departing from or returning back to Hong Kong), they are required to provide a quotation showing the transportation price of the cheapest return economy class of transport on the exact start and end dates when the designated activity should take place, failing which the Faculty will not be able to process the reimbursement. Reimbursement will be considered based on the actual cost, or the quotation of the assumed flight in point (a), whichever is less.
^ Accommodation cost only covers standard room cost during the designated activity period. Applicants who share a room with others shall indicate so in the reimbursement form.
Application Timeline and Procedures
Before the activity:
- Complete an online registration form BEFORE your proposed activity.
- Register individually even if participating in an Arts Faculty credit-bearing course.
- Special approval may be considered if ineligible for registration - apply at least 6 weeks BEFORE the activity starts. Please submit via here.
- If you choose to extend your stay beyond the designated activity dates voluntarily, please obtain a quotation showing the price of the cheapest return flight on the exact activity start and end dates when the designated activity should take place. This is to determine the amount that will be reimbursed for your transportation costs.
After the activity:
Within 8 weeks of completing your activity, please:
- Complete an online reimbursement form
- Submit the following supporting documents in hard copy to the Faculty Office:
a completed online reimbursement application form with original signatures and relevant supporting documents, e.g. original receipt, transportation ticket, boarding pass;
a report not exceeding 1,000 words, with 10 photos taken during the activity attended;
an official document certifying completion of the activity (e.g. academic transcript, evaluation report, certifying letter) issued by the host institution(s)/organizer(s); and
for self-initiated activities that are not organized by HKU, applicants should submit a supporting letter endorsed by an HKU teacher.
Applicants will be notified of the application result via the FGEF Portal.
Important Notes
- Students who plan to apply for FGEF for a second activity should contact the Faculty Office before submitting a new application. The application will be considered case-by-case.
- For activities which do not completely meet the terms and conditions will still be considered case-by-case. Special Approval Application is required at least 6 weeks prior to the activity date indicated on the online application system.
- Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
- Applicants would also need to submit the softcopy of the report and relevant photos to the office for further promotion usage when requested.
- The maximum amount of funding may vary among programmes with potential benchmarking with other funding supporting similar programmes.
For reference:
Situation 1: Students participating in exchange programmes organized by the Arts Faculty or IAO (International Affairs Office, HKU)
- May apply for the FGEF provided that they are not eligible for receiving first-time full scholarship offered by the IAO and/or have not accepted another scholarship for the same activity beforehand
- The FGEF maximum support amounts will benchmark the IAO award scales, whichever the less will be applied.
Situation 2: As for short-term study abroad programmes
- The FGEF support amount will benchmark the maximum amount of HK$10,000 regardless of students’ CGPA scores and whichever the less will be awarded (with reference to the IAO award scales).
Register Now
On the Donor
Professor Douglas So, BBS, JP, is a corporate lawyer by profession who was formerly the Vice-President at The University of Hong Kong, his alma mater, in charge of institutional advancement. In 2023, he joined the HKU Faculty of Arts as a Professor of Practice with his wealth of experience in art, heritage conservation and museum management. He is the Founder and Owner of the F11 Foto Museum and f22 foto space, and is also devoted to serving the community including being the current Chairman of the Museum Advisory Committee of the Hong Kong SAR Government. In recognition of his excellent public service and contributions, Professor So was appointed a Justice of the Peace and awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star by the Hong Kong SAR Government, as well as the honour of Chevalier dans l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government.
In 2024, Professor So, set up a Scholarship in honour of his mother Madame Judy Lee So to support undergraduate students in the Faculty of Arts with the goal to foster and encourage a deeper understanding and appreciation of France and the French culture. With the meaningful cultural exchanges and learning experiences, the Scholarship can serve as a platform to nurture cultural ambassadors who will further promote cross-cultural dialogues and strengthen the ties between Hong Kong and France.
Purpose and Scope
The Scholarship will be granted to qualified full-time Bachelor of Arts students (in the second year or above) in the Faculty of Arts, based on academic merit (cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above), and have secured a structured experiential learning experience in France.
The experience may include internships, fieldtrips, summer/ winter programmes, study visits, etc., and can be credit-bearing or non-credit-bearing. In addition to the academic merit and secured experiential learning experience in France, the quality and relevance of the travel plan to the student’s studies will be considered.
Support Amount
HK$10,000 will be awarded to up to TWO selected students each academic year. The Scholarship shall be used to cover the costs of air and local travel, accommodation, and other relevant expenses incurred during the trip. Applicants are required to submit their travel plan and budget with their application.
Important Notes
- The Scholarship cannot be held concurrently with other merit-based enrichment scholarships administered by the University for the same activity. The Scholarship may be held concurrently with non-merit based financial aids.
- A student can only be granted the Judy Lee So Scholarship for Arts Students ONCE during his/ her studies
Application
- Students must have secured a structured experiential learning experience in France before applying for the scholarship
Activity Period | Application Deadline / Period | Report Submission to Donor |
May – August 2026 | April 17, 2026 | August 31, 2026 |
September – December 2026 | July 3, 2026 | December 31, 2026 |
January – April 2027 | November 27, 2026 | April 30, 2027 |
Complete the registration from HERE by the above application deadline / period, with the following items included:
- Confirmation Letter of your secured experiential learning activity in France
e.g. Internship Offer Email / Letter, Acceptance Letter to the summer / winter programme
- Your latest academic transcript
- Travel and budget plan and how the activity is relevant to your studies
- Roundtrip flight quotation of the planned activity period
Successful students will be informed via email.
Successful students are required to submit the below items within 4 weeks upon completion of the activity:
- Thank-you Letter to the Donor
- Report of around 1,000 words, and 5 photos with captions
- Receipt of all transportation (e.g. flight, train, intercity buses), accommodation, and programme fee
- Physical copy of all transportation tickets (e.g. boarding pass, bus / train tickets)
- Bank statement showing the transaction records of the airfare and any other transportations, accommodation payment, and programme fee (if applicable)
Enquiries
Email: Arts.global@hku.hk
