Enquiry
wg_sfo@wfsfaa.gov.hk

Extended Non-means-tested Loan Scheme (ENLS)

E-Submission
Enquiry
2150 6223
wg_sfo@wfsfaa.gov.hk

Overview

The Extended Non-means-tested Loan Scheme (ENLS) provides loans to eligible students to settle tuition fees of specific post-secondary/continuing and professional education courses studied in Hong Kong.

Interest and Administrative Fee

Interest

  • The ENLS operates on a full-cost recovery basis. Loan borrowers have to pay interest for their loans.

  • Interest is accrued at the prevailing NLS interest rate upon loan drawdown and throughout the study period until the loan is repaid in full.

  • The interest rate of non-means-tested loans is derived on a no-gain-no-loss (NGNL) basis (the NGNL interest rate is currently set at 3.538% below the average best lending rate of the note-issuing banks) plus a risk-adjusted-factor (RAF) rate which seeks to cover the risk of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in disbursing unsecured loans. The NGNL rate will be reviewed by the end of each month and if adjustment is to be made, the adjusted rate will take effect from the first day of the following month. The RAF rate has been reduced to zero since the 2012/13 academic year.

  • Please refer to the "ENLS Administrative Fee and Interest Rate" for the prevailing ENLS interest rate. "ENLS Administrative Fee and Interest Rate".

Administrative Fee

      • An administrative fee, to cover the full costs of processing and administering the ENLS loan, is chargeable for each application and each loan account.

      • Administrative fee is chargeable upon submission of application and annually thereafter until the ENLS loan and interest accrued thereon are fully repaid.

        • Before Submission of Application
        • After Payment of Loan
          • Administrative fee will be charged on each loan account on an academic year basis and is chargeable on 1 December each year. If there is any unsettled balance under the loan account on or after 1 December, administrative fee will be demanded for repayment in the demand note with due date falling on 1 January of the following year.
          • Under normal circumstances, loan borrowers will not receive any demand note before commencement of loan repayment. Thus, the administrative fee accrued during the study period will be demanded for repayment in the first demand note with due date falling on 1 January following the commencement of loan repayment (If loan borrowers have opted for deferred activation of loan repayment, the administrative fee accrued will be demanded for repayment in the demand note with due date falling on 1 January of the following year). If the loan repayment period shall end before 1 December of the loan repayment commencement year, the administrative fee accrued during the study period will be demanded for repayment in the first demand note after commencement of loan repayment. In other words, loan borrowers may be required to repay administrative fee accrued for more than one year in the above-mentioned demand note.
          • In general, loan accounts will be created on a course basis. Interest and administrative fee will be calculated separately for each account. Request for merging loan accounts of different courses will not be accepted. If applicants obtain loans under the ENLS as well as other financial assistance/loan schemes administered by the SFO in respect of the same course, separate loan accounts will be created under the respective loan schemes. Request for merging loan accounts of different schemes will also not be accepted.
          • Take note of the charging arrangement for administrative fee. Repayment of the ENLS loan in one lump sum on or before 30 November can save administrative fee for the ensuing academic year.

      • Administrative fee is a fixed fee and will not be charged on a pro-rata basis nor divided by instalments. The administrative fee paid is neither refundable nor transferable.

      • Administrative fee is subject to review regularly.

    Please note the administrative fees payable by eligible students under ENLS in the 2024/25 academic year:

    Students On each application Remarks
    Students of :
    • University Grants Committee ("UGC")-funded Institutions*
    • Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education, Hong Kong Design Institute and Hong Kong Institute of Information Technology under the Vocational Training Council
    		HK $296 The amount covers an administrative fee of HK$216 payable to the Government and a one-off handling charge of HK$80 for each application payable to the applicants' institution
    Students of :
    • Hong Kong Metropolitan University (including Li Ka Shing School of Professional and Continuing Education)
    • The Schools of Professional and Continuing Education of UGC-funded Institutions / other member institutions under the Vocational Training Council
    • Diploma of Applied Education / Diploma Yi Jin
    • Other Eligible Institutions/Course Providers
    		HK $216 --
    *

    UGC-funded Institutions include the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong,
    the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Baptist University, City University of Hong Kong,
    the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Lingnan University and the Education University of Hong Kong.