Objectives

Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/Sectors (SSSDP) was launched as a new initiative under the 2014 Policy Address to subsidise about 1 000 students per cohort starting from the 2015/16 academic year to pursue designated full-time locally accredited self-financing undergraduate programmes in selected disciplines.

As announced in the 2017 Policy Address, SSSDP has been regularised from the 2018/19 academic year with an increased number of subsidised places in undergraduate programmes from about 1 000 per cohort to about 3 000 per cohort. The scope of the SSSDP has been expanded with effect from the 2019/20 academic year to subsidise about 2 000 students per cohort to pursue designated full-time locally accredited self-financing sub-degree programmes in selected disciplines.  

SSSDP has been enhanced from the 2023/24 academic year to, among others, cover top-up degree programmes, as announced in the 2022 Policy Address.

SSSDP aims to achieve the following objectives:

1. To increase the supply of subsidised undergraduate places by leveraging the supply of the self-financing post-secondary education sector;
2. To nurture talent in support of specific industries with keen demand for human resources;
3. To encourage the self-financing post-secondary education sector to offer programmes in selected disciplines that meet Hong Kong’s social and economic needs by providing targeted financial support; and
4. To support the healthy and sustainable development of the self-financing post-secondary education sector to complement the University Grants Committee-funded sector in broadening and diversifying study opportunities.

Eligible Programmes

Eligible programmes must meet the following requirements –

1. the programmes must be full-time locally accredited self-financing undergraduate programmes / sub-degree programmes; 
2. the programmes are included in a list of designated programmes nominated by relevant bureaux for the purpose of nurturing necessary talent in support of specific industries with urgent or keen demand for human resources; and
3. the actual annual tuition fees payable by students should include downward adjustment to reflect the subsidy under the Scheme.

Subsidy

SSSDP will continue to be administered by a two-tier arrangement.

Undergraduate Programmes (First-year-first-degree and Top-up Degree)

In the 2024/25 academic year, a subsidy of up to $79,770 per academic year will be provided to each student admitted to a laboratory-based undergraduate programme while a subsidy of up to $45,810 per academic year will be provided to each student admitted to an undergraduate programme that is not laboratory-based.

Moreover, starting from the 2024/25 academic year, an additional annual subsidy will be provided to full-time local students enrolling in designated applied degree programmes under the SSSDP that have undergone the relevant quality assurance process.  Hence the total annual subsidy amounts for applied degree programmes under the SSSDP in the 2024/25 academic year will be up to $87,770 (laboratory-based) and $50,810 (non-laboratory-based).

The Government announced on 10.09.2024 that the subsidy amounts of the SSSDP in the 2025/26 academic year will be adjusted upward in accordance with the movement of the Composite Consumer Price Index. The annual subsidy amounts for laboratory-based undergraduate programmes and non-laboratory-based undergraduate programmes will be increased to $81,450 and $46,780 respectively. For applied degree programmes, with the additional subsidies, the total annual subsidy amounts will be increased to $89,620 (laboratory-based) and $51,880 (non-laboratory-based).
 

Sub-degree Programmes

In the 2024/25 academic year, a subsidy of up to $39,890 per academic year will be provided to each student admitted to a laboratory-based sub-degree programme while a subsidy of up to $22,910 per academic year will be provided to each student admitted to a sub-degree programme that is not laboratory-based.

The Government announced on 21.11.2024 that the subsidy amounts of SSSDP in the 2025/26 academic year will be adjusted upward in accordance with the movement of the Composite Consumer Price Index. The annual subsidy amounts for laboratory-based sub-degree programmes and non-laboratory-based sub-degree programmes will be increased to $40,730 and $23,390 respectively.