Up to 12 scholarship offers will be made for the 2024-2025 academic year.

All recipients will receive a scholarship amount of up to HK$42,100 to cover the cost of year one University Tuition fees. The scholarship amount will be distributed in two instalments directly to the University (First and Second semesters).

For the avoidance of doubt, recipients can retain other scholarships or bursaries awarded to them, but the Step into STEM Scholarship must be used for University Tuition Fees.

Full-time secondary school female students entering their first year of undergraduate studies in Fall 2024 (2024-2025 school year) are eligible to apply for the scholarship. Applications will be assessed on the following criteria. The candidate must:

Other Factors for Consideration:

NB – as this is a non-academic scholarship, academic performance will not be the primary factor determining eligibility

*Please refer to the Eligible Undergraduate STEM Programmes section for more details.

For the avoidance of doubt, Eligible Undergraduate STEM Programmes exclude medicine related programmes or programmes which fall under the College of Business etc. regardless of STEM subject matter content.

The Scholarship Review Panel reserves the final right to accept or reject any applications, and there is no mechanism for appeal.

Eligible undergraduate STEM programmes can be found below:

*Please contact community@twfhk.org if your desired STEM programme is not listed above.

*The Women's Foundation and Morgan Stanley reserve final rights to determine the eligibility of all undergraduate programmes as a qualifying STEM programme for the purposes of this scholarship.

Please note these important dates:

Applicants must also prepare the following materials / documents for submission in the application form:

• Copies of School transcripts from Form 5 – Form 6
• Proof(s) of any extra-curricular activities
• Proof(s) of any awards or achievements(if any)
• Proof(s) of financial need (see Financial Assistance section below)
• Letter of recommendation from your referee (optional)

Referee & Letter of Recommendation

Applicants will be asked to submit the contact information of a selected referee on the application form. The selected referee should be someone the applicant knows from an educational, voluntary, religious, and/or professional capacity. This can be the applicant's schoolteachers or principal, leaders from volunteering experiences, or coaches or teachers from extra-curricular sport or activity groups. We may contact the referee to learn more about the applicant’s personal development.

A letter of recommendation (optional) may also be submitted as part of the application. Please remind your referee to send the recommendation letter to stepintostem@twfhk.org by the deadline of May 19, 2024.

Means Test

The Step into STEM Scholarship Scheme aims to encourage women's further interest and pursuit of STEM subjects and careers at the post-secondary level by providing students in need with dedicated financial assistance. As such, a means test will be conducted for all applicants to determine eligibility for Scholarship.

Applicants will be required to upload relevant supporting documents for applicable proof(s) of any one of the financial assistance tests as listed below in their application form (i.e., application approval notice):

• Any Government financial assistance scheme(s) received by the applicant or applicant's parents or guardians including but not limited to:
  • Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme
  • Financial Assistance Schemes for Secondary Students, including:
    1. School Textbook Assistance (TA) Scheme
    2. Student Travel Subsidy (STS) Scheme
    3. Subsidy Scheme for Internet Access Charges (SIA)
     
• A letter from the Applicant's school principal indicating family information and financial status.
   
• A declaration administered at a Home Affairs Enquiry Centre of the Home Affairs Department by one of the applicant's parent or guardian indicating the family's annual income and Adjusted Family Income, for applicants with financial needs who are not currently in receipt of any subsidies.

  Sample of Declaration:

  I have ____ family members.
  My annual family income is $ ____.
  My Adjusted Family Income is $____.

Applicants who submit a Declaration of their family's financial status will need to upload a copy of the Declaration once it has been recognised by the Home Affairs Department.

Method of Assessment for Adjusted Family Income

Based on the method of assessment of Tertiary Student Finance Scheme provided by the Student Finance Office, the Applicant's Adjusted Family Income (AFI) can be considered for the Scholarship. The AFI can be determined based on the following formula

AFI = Gross annual income of the family / Number of family members +1

*For single-parent families of 2 to 3 members, the 'plus 1 factor' in the divisor of the AFI formula will be increased to 2

*Applicants with an AFI of not more than $62,890 will be considered as students with financial need. The amount is based on the "Ready Reckoner" provided by the Government.

Scholarship Payment

Scholarship payment will be made directly to the Scholarship recipient's university to cover first-year Tuition Fees in relevant instalments.

Enrolment Criteria

To remain eligible for the Scholarship, the recipient must satisfy the following enrolment criteria:

• Maintain full-time enrolment in a STEM majored undergraduate programme for the 2024-2025 academic year at the same university
• Receive the requisite grades to proceed to the 2nd year

During the 2024-2025 academic year, the recipient must notify the Scholarship Review Panel immediately of any of the following changes to enrolment status:

• Deferral of commencement (i.e., defer commencement to the following academic year)
• Transfer to another university
• Programme withdrawal
• Leave of absence
• Overseas exchange
• Changes to undergraduate programme major

The Scholarship Review Panel reserves the right to terminate the scholarship in part or in full by immediate notice in writing and may request that the recipient repays the Scholarship funds. Individual circumstances will be considered and assessed on a case-by-case basis by the Scholarship Review Panel.

Further details of the Ongoing Eligibility will be outlined in any Terms & Conditions Letter.