Scheme Characteristics
Applicants must be registered as a full-time student of a recognised post-secondary programme at one of the institutions under the TSFS, taking up an exclusively publicly-funded student place; and 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 before the commencement of the programme.
Loan borrowers have to pay interest for their loans. Interest is accrued upon loan drawdown and throughout the study period until the loan is repaid in full.
An administrative fee is chargeable for each application and each loan account in every academic year, upon submission of application and annually thereafter until the loan and interest accrued thereon are fully repaid. Administrative fee paid is neither refundable nor transferable. Loan accounts will be created on a course basis.
Eligible students who apply for the NLSFT loans only, i.e. have not applied for assistance (i.e. grant and/or loan) or have failed to obtain assistance under the TSFS, may receive loan up to their total annual tuition fees payable in the academic year, subject to the combined life-time loan limit under the NLSFT and the Non-means-tested Loan Scheme for Post-secondary Students (NLSPS) not being exceeded.
Applicants can submit applications anytime and anywhere via the "SFO E-link – My Applications" online platform, save the incomplete application form for filling in afterwards, or download the submitted application form for reference. Applicants can also use "iAM Smart+" to sign the "Declaration Form" and submit it with the supporting documents online to save time and hassle.
