Enquiry
wg_sfo@wfsfaa.gov.hk

Non-means-tested Loan Scheme for Post-secondary Students (NLSPS)

E-Submission
Enquiry
wg_sfo@wfsfaa.gov.hk

Overview

The Non-means-tested Loan Scheme for Post-secondary Students (NLSPS) is to complement the Financial Assistance Scheme for Post-secondary Students (FASP) to provide loans to eligible students to settle tuition fees of locally-accredited, self-financing full-time programmes at the level of associate degree, higher diploma or degree.

Frequently Asked Questions

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General Information for Application
What are the eligibility criteria of the NLSPS?

For details regarding the eligibility criteria of the NLSPS, please refer to "Eligibility".

For students of distance-learning programmes of the Hong Kong Metropolitan University, please refer to the "Supplementary Guidance Notes for the FASP and the NLSPS" for the eligibility criteria and application procedures under the NLSPS.

What are the eligible courses covered by the NLSPS?
For details regarding eligible courses covered by the NLSPS, please refer to "Eligible Courses".
What is the level of the combined life-time loan limit under the NLSPS and the Non-means-tested Loan Scheme for Full-time Tertiary Students (NLSFT)?
A combined life-time loan limit is imposed on students eligible for receiving loans under the NLSPS and the NLSFT. The loan limit will be price-adjusted annually in accordance with the movement of the Composite Consumer Price Index. Please refer to "Maximum Level of Loan Amount and Life-time Loan Limit" for details.
How much can be borrowed under the NLSPS?
Eligible students who apply for the NLSPS loans only, i.e. have not applied for assistance (i.e. grant and/or loan) or have failed to obtain assistance under the Financial Assistance Scheme for Post-secondary Students (FASP), may receive loan up to their total annual tuition fees payable in the academic year. Please refer to "Maximum Level of Loan Amount and Life-time Loan Limit" for details.
What is the application deadline for the NLSPS application?
The NLSPS application for the 2024/25 academic year is closed. Please refer to "Application Deadline" for details.
Interest and Administrative Fee
What is the prevailing interest rate of the NLSPS?
For the prevailing NLSPS interest rate, please refer to the "NLSPS Admininstrative Fee and Interest Rate".
When does the interest of the NLSPS loan start to accrue?
Interest is accrued at the prevailing interest rate for the non-means-tested loan schemes upon loan drawdown and throughout the study period until the loan is repaid in full. Please refer to "Interest and Administrative Fee" for details.
How much is the current administrative fee for the NLSPS?
The prevailing amount of administrative fee for the NLSPS is HK$216. It is chargeable upon submission of the NLSPS application and annually thereafter until the NLSPS loan and interest accrued thereon are fully repaid. Please refer to "Interest and Administrative Fee" for details.
When the administrative fee of the NLSPS is charged?
An administrative fee is chargeable for each application and each loan account to recover the full costs of processing the applications and administering the NLSPS. It is chargeable upon submission of application and annually thereafter until the NLSPS loan and interest accrued thereon are fully repaid. Please refer to "Interest and Administrative Fee" for details.
How to pay the administrative fee for the NLSPS application?
Please refer to the "Points to Note for Paying Administrative Fee" on the methods to pay the administrative fee.
Application Procedures
How to apply for the NLSPS?

The NLSPS application for the 2024/25 academic year is closed. Please refer to "Application Deadline" for details.

How to submit the supporting documents for the NLSPS application？

The NLSPS application for the 2024/25 academic year is closed. Please refer to "Application Deadline" for details.

Notification of Result, Acceptance and Disbursement of Loan
When will applicants receive the result of the NLSPS application?
If students apply for the NLSPS only and the information provided is complete upon submission of application, the SFO will normally issue the "NLSPS Notification of Result" to applicants within three weeks from the issuance date of the "Acknowledgement of Receipt of Application"; or before mid-July when the life-time loan limits for the current academic year are determined, whichever is later. Please refer to "Application Procedures" for details.
How to accept the NLSPS loan?

After receiving the "NLSPS Notification of Result" or the "FASP Notification of Result", applicants have to submit the full set of duly completed loan documents and other required supporting documents to the SFO on or before the deadline as specified in the respective Notification. Please refer to "Acceptance of Loan" for details.

Please note that applicants should only submit the loan documents after the application is approved and the "NLSPS Notification of Result" or the "FASP Notification of Result" is received. Loan documents submitted before the issuance date of the relevant Notification will not be accepted.

When will loan borrowers receive the NLSPS loan?
The NLSPS loan accepted will be credited to the bank account designated by applicants directly by two equal instalments, if applicable, after successful submission of the full set of duly completed loan documents and other required supporting documents to the SFO. Please refer to "Loan Disbursement Arrangements" for details.
Loan Documents
What are the requirements of a qualified indemnifier for the NLSPS?

To be accepted as an indemnifier, a person must be:

  • a Hong Kong resident holding a Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card;
  • at or over 21 years of age;
  • gainfully employed in Hong Kong and financially sound. Persons who are not gainfully employed (e.g. retired persons, housewives, etc.), those without regular income and/or income proof (e.g. casual workers, etc.) and students are not acceptable; and
  • able to produce the required documentary evidence.

For details, please refer to paragraphs 18-21 of the "Notice of Offer of Loan"(SFO 160) enclosed in the loan documents.

Can a member of the applicant's family act as a witness on the "Undertaking" and "Deed of Indemnity" for the NLSPS?
To be accepted as a witness, a person must be -
  • a Hong Kong resident holding a Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card; and
  • at or over 18 years of age.

Please note that the applicant is not acceptable to act as the witness of his/her "Undertaking"(SFO 161) and the corresponding "Deed of Indemnity"(SFO 162). The Indemnifier is not acceptable to act as the witness of his / her "Deed of Indemnity"(SFO 162) and the corresponding "Undertaking"(SFO 161).

For details, please refer to paragraphs 22-24 of the "Notice of Offer of Loan"(SFO 160) enclosed in the loan documents.