Enquiry
wg_sfo@wfsfaa.gov.hk

Financial Assistance Scheme for Post-secondary Students (FASP)

E-Submission
Enquiry
2152 9000
wg_sfo@wfsfaa.gov.hk

Overview

The Financial Assistance Scheme for Post-secondary Students (FASP) provides means-tested financial assistance in form of grant and/or loan to eligible full-time students pursuing locally-accredited, self-financing post-secondary education programmes at the level of associate degree, higher diploma or bachelor’s degree.

Eligibility

  • To be eligible to apply for FASP in the 2024/25 academic year (AY), applicants shall:

    1. be a registered full-time student; aged 30 or below (i.e. born on or after 1 September 1993) #;

      • For face-to-face teaching programmes, "full-time" study refers to a curriculum of not less than 450 contact hours per year or a minimum of 30 credit points per year (i.e. one credit point equaling 15 contact hours).
      • For non-face-to-face teaching programmes, "full-time" study means a curriculum of not less than 1 350 study hours.

    2. be engaged in full-time locally-accredited self-financing post-secondary education programmes at sub-degree (i.e. associate degree or higher diploma) or degree level #;

      • Locally-accredited programmes refer to those included in the "Register of Locally-accredited Programmes" recognised by the Secretary for Education. For the 2024/25 AY, only programmes which have been included in the Register on or before 31 December 2024 will be covered by FASP.

      • Please approach the relevant institutions for more information about the programmes. Applicants may visit Information Portal for Accredited Post-secondary Programme Coding Sheet for information as well.

    3. not have accepted financial assistance under any other publicly-funded student finance assistance schemes [e.g. the Continuing Education Fund (CEF)] for the programme / course covered by the application in the same academic year; and

    4. have the right of abode in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“Hong Kong”); or alternatively, applicants or their families must have resided in Hong Kong continuously for three complete years prior to the commencement of the course*.

      (Remarks: This does not cover non-local students holding –

      • student visas / entry permits;
      • visas / entry permits under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates; or
      • dependant visas / entry permits which were issued to them by the Director of Immigration when the relevant students have reached 18 years old.)
    Note:
    *

    Applicants without the right of abode in Hong Kong (i.e. without the alphabet "A" beneath the Date of Birth field of the Hong Kong Identity Card) should also provide a copy of their entry permits to Hong Kong, e.g. "Permit for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao" (commonly known as the "One-way Permit") / dependant visa, etc., with their applications.

  • (If you are taking distance-learning programmes at the Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU), please also refer to the Supplementary Guidance Notes for FASP/NLSPS for students taking distance-learning programmes for the eligibility criteria and application procedures under FASP.)

Attention: Applicant's eligibility is restricted to only one eligible full-time programme in any one academic year.  If applicants have applied for financial assistance under the Tertiary Student Finance Scheme ("TSFS"), they cannot apply for the FASP simultaneously in the same AY.

Applicants who are eligible to apply for assistance under FASP in the 2024/25 AY may also apply for:

Attention: Applicants who attend distance-learning programmes are not eligible to apply for the STS Scheme.

Hostel Subsidy for Eligible Undergraduate Students
#

  • An applicant is eligible to receive hostel subsidy if he/she is:

    1. an undergraduate who is eligible for and has passed the means test of FASP; and

    2. confirmed by his / her institution as a registered occupant of a hostel place for at least 75% of the time in the relevant semester. (Remarks: Students who reside in premises other than the student hostels provided by institutions, such as residing solely in or sharing a private flat as tenants are not eligible for the hostel subsidy.)

  • Eligible students need not file separate applications for the hostel subsidy.

Additional Academic Expenses Grant for Students with Special Educational Needs
#

  • An applicant is eligible to receive additional academic expenses grant if he/she is:

    1. eligible for and has passed the means test of FASP; and
    2. confirmed by a relevant professional as having at least one kind of special educational needs including Specific Learning Difficulties, Intellectual Disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder, Physical Disability, Visual Impairment, Hearing Impairment, Speech and Language Impairment and Mental Illness.

  • Applicants who wish to apply for the additional academic expenses grant should complete and return the request form (Paper Form / Online Form) to the Student Finance Office (SFO) by 17 January 2025.

    The paper form can be submitted by one of the following means:

    • by post to the Application Processing Registry of Vetting Section 1B at Room 401, 4/F, Trade and Industry Tower, 3 Concorde Road, Kai Tak, Kowloon; or
    • by fax to 2157 9520

    Attention: In any case, the request form should reach the SFO on 31 March 2025 the latest.

Special Support for Students receiving Disability Allowance
#

  • SFO will consider providing additional financial assistance to applicants who are receiving Disability Allowance. Relevant applicants please provide the information and enclose certifications in the FASP application. They are not required to file separate application.