Subsidy Schemes for Exchange Activities

The Government provides annual funding to subsidise students to participate in exchange activities outside Hong Kong. There are four types subsidy schemes, namely:

Means-tested Schemes

Scheme for Subsidy on Exchange for Post-secondary Students (M-SSE)
Scheme for Means-tested Subsidy on Exchange to “Belt and Road” Regions for Post-secondary Students (M-SSEBR)

Non-means-tested Schemes

Scheme for Non-means-tested Subsidy on Exchange to “Belt and Road” Regions for Post-secondary Students (N-SSEBR)
Non-means-tested Mainland Experience Scheme for Post-secondary Students (N-MES)

Eligibility

Students

	Means-tested		Non-means-tested
	M-SSE	M-SSEBR	N-SSEBR	N-MES
Full-time (Sub-degree or Undergraduate level)	Y	Y	Y	Y
Recipient of Government’s means-tested financial assistance^Note(1)	Y	Y	N	N
Local Student	Y	Y	Y	Y
Non-local Student	N	N	N	Y

Note(1) In receipt of means-tested student financial assistance from the Student Finance Office (SFO) of the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency or whose families are in receipt of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) from the Social Welfare Department (SWD).

Besides, student applicants are considered through a merit-based mechanism of the following two factors:

Attainment of a minimum GPA score
- For First-year students: Fulfilling the entrance requirements
- For Second-year or above students: A Cumulative GPA of not less than 2.0 at HKMU
Ability to complete the exchange activity

Activities

	Means-tested		Non-means-tested
	M-SSE	M-SSEBR	N-SSEBR	N-MES
Destination	Anywhere outside Hong Kong	Any "Belt and Road" region^Note(2)	Any "Belt and Road" region^Note(2)	Mainland
Duration	14 days or above	5 days or above	5 days or above	5 days or above
Nature of Activity	Comprise substantive teaching and learning elements; Must be organised by HKMU; (For Sub-degree Students) Related to disciplines/fields of studies or language immersion programmes; and (If the activity is not organised by HKMU) The hosting institution must be a recognised educational institution/body

Note(2) Countries of "Belt and Road" region listed in the HKTDC website: http://beltandroad.hktdc.com/en/country-profiles and exclude the Mainland, Taiwan and Macao.

Internship and volunteer work will NOT be considered as eligible exchange activities in general unless they fulfil the requirement of comprising substantive teaching and learning element and such objectives are fully justified.

Subsidy Amount

Maximum amount of subsidy

The maximum amount varies according to the destination and duration.
For the Means-tested Subsidy, the amount is calculated by: [ (a) + (b) ] x FASP %^Note(1)
For the Non-means-tested Subsidy, the amount is calculated by: (a) + (b) .

Note(1) FASP % is the applicant’s level of student finance (in terms of percentage of full grant) approved by SFO.If a student receives low level of student finance (e.g. 5% of full grant), the level to be adopted in the calculation of the maximum amount of subsidy will be adjusted upward to 50%.

(a) Destination

Destination	Means-tested		Non-means-tested
Destination	M-SSE	M-SSEBR	N-SSEBR	N-MES
Asia (including Middle East)	HK$3,000	HK$3,000^Note(2)	HK$900^Note(2)	HK$900^Note(3)
Africa	HK$7,000	HK$7,000	HK$2,100	N/A
Oceania & Europe	HK$8,000	HK$8,000	HK$2,400	N/A
North America	HK$9,000	N/A	N/A	N/A
Central & South America & Caribbean	HK$15,000	HK$15,000	HK$4,500	N/A

Note(2) Excluding the Mainland, Taiwan and Macao.
Note(3) The Mainland ONLY.

(b) Duration

Duration	Means-tested		Non-means-tested
Duration	M-SSE	M-SSEBR	N-SSEBR	N-MES
5 – 13 days	N/A	HK$3,500	HK$1,050	HK$1,050
14 – 28 days	HK$6,000	HK$6,000	HK$1,800	HK$1,800
29 – 90 days	HK$10,000	HK$10,000	HK$3,000	HK$3,000
91 – 180 days	HK$25,000	HK$25,000	HK$7,500	HK$7,500
Over 180 days	HK$45,000	HK$45,000	HK$13,500	HK$13,500

Adjustment

The University may adjust the actual amount of subsidy to be granted to the student downwards from the above maximum amount, having regard to the actual travelling expenses and participation fees involved in the exchange activities, other subsidy/sponsorship received by the students, availability of the funding, and etc.

Other Terms and Conditions

Priority should be given to those who have not received any subsidy under scholarship/sponsorship/subsidy schemes wholly or partly funded by the Government.
Students receiving assistance under SSE/M-SSEBR/Non-SSEBR/N-MES may receive subsidies from other sources (including Government and private ones) to cover expenses in connection with the same exchange activity.
Students who have previously received assistance from other scholarships or support schemes wholly or partly funded by the Government, e.g. Pilot Mainland Experience Scheme, Matching Grant Scheme, Talent Development Scheme and Reaching Out Awards, etc, are also eligible for assistance under SSE/M-SSEBR/N-SSEBR/N-MES.
The following table shows the entitled maximum number of subsidy to be received by a student^Note(1) for the four subsidy schemes:
Means-tested Non-means-tested
M-SSE M-SSEBR N-SSEBR N-MES
Once Twice^Note(2) Once Once^Note(3)
Note(1) Throughout his/her study at the same level (i.e. sub-degree or undergraduate)
Note(2) Subject to the maximum amount of subsidy of $60,000. Example of the "twice" subsidy may be "M-SSEBR+M-SSEBR" or "M-SSEBR + N- SSEBR".
Note(3) Students previously received support from Pilot Mainland Experience Scheme is NOT counted.
Students should give consent for the Government’s SFO/SWD to release their FASP application results/CSSA status to the HKMU for the calculation of subsidy amount under SSE/M-SSEBR.
Students are encouraged to undertake exchange activities in different places. A student will NOT be eligible to receive subsidy under the SSE/M-SSEBR/N-SSEBR if he/she has been subsidised under any of these Schemes for the same destination. Such restriction does not apply to the N-MES.
For an exchange activity taking place in multiple destinations, only parts of the exchange activity taking place in "Belt and Road" regions will be eligible for the M-SSEBR and/or the N-SSEBR. Duration of the exchange activity should only include days of which the parts of the exchange activity are held in "Belt and Road" regions.
At any time students indicate to withdraw from the activity (prior to or during the activity), the eligibility to receive subsidy will be ceased at the same time. Any received subsidy amount should be returned to the government as well.
Students should take into account their personal safety and the safety of the exchange destination in choosing or joining the exchange activity. They should also take heed of travel advice given by government bureaus and departments and the latest outbound travel alerts. Please visit the https://www.gov.hk/en/residents/immigration/outsidehk/index.htm to learn more about travel tips and assistance to Hong Kong Residents. Students are also strongly advised to use the online service "Registration of Outbound Travel Information (ROTI)" provided by the Hong Kong Immigration Department. The information you provided allows the Immigration Department to contact and assist you in an emergency outside Hong Kong.
The personal data collected via the applications will be used by the University and EDB to administer, monitor and report on SSE/M-SSEBR/N-SSEBR/N-MES, and for other related purposes.

Means-tested	Non-means-tested
M-SSE	M-SSEBR	N-SSEBR	N-MES
Once	Twice^Note(2)	Once	Once^Note(3)

How to Apply

For exchange activities that are organized/arranged by School or SAO

Applicants please submit applications to the activity coordinator directly.
If applicants apply for the means-tested subsidies, they are required to give consent for HKMU to check their level of student finance (i.e. FASP %) with the Government Student Finance Office (SFO) under the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency.

For exchange activities that are NOT organized/arranged by HKMU

Applicants please submit applications after February 2021, subject to the availability of the fund and six weeks before the exchange activity.
Applicants should submit the online application via the student portal "MyHKMU" (http://www.HKMU.edu.hk/myhkmu).
Please read the "Guidance Notes to Applicants [FGSE (2020/21) Guide-e]" before completing the online application form.

The following documents are required to provide when submitting the online application:

For Means-tested Schemes	For Non-means-tested Scheme(s)
A	Supporting Documents E.g. Activity leaflet, brochure, offer letter, and payment receipt. Name of Uploaded File: S_First 7 digits of your Student No. (e.g. S_8765432)	Supporting Documents E.g. Activity leaflet, brochure, offer letter, and payment receipt. Name of Uploaded File: S_First 7 digits of your Student No. (e.g. S_8765432)
B	School Endorsement Form (completed by School) Name of Uploaded File: A_First 7 digits of your Student No. (e.g. A_8765432)	School Endorsement Form (completed by School) Name of Uploaded File: A_First 7 digits of your Student No. (e.g. A_8765432)
C	Government SFO's Approval Letter Name of Uploaded File: L_First 7 digits of your Student No. (e.g. L_8765432)	N/A

For Means-tested Schemes

For Non-means-tested Scheme(s)

Supporting Documents

E.g. Activity leaflet, brochure, offer letter, and payment receipt.

Name of Uploaded File:
S_First 7 digits of your Student No. (e.g. S_8765432)

Supporting Documents

E.g. Activity leaflet, brochure, offer letter, and payment receipt.

Name of Uploaded File:
S_First 7 digits of your Student No. (e.g. S_8765432)

School Endorsement Form (completed by School)

Name of Uploaded File:
A_First 7 digits of your Student No. (e.g. A_8765432)

School Endorsement Form (completed by School)

Name of Uploaded File:
A_First 7 digits of your Student No. (e.g. A_8765432)

Government SFO's Approval Letter

Name of Uploaded File:
L_First 7 digits of your Student No. (e.g. L_8765432)

N/A