Some HKUers are the first in their family to study at university. Some have come to Hong Kong from distant lands and have never left their home countries before. Some are strong in body as well as in mind. Many are determined to pursue their educational dreams in spite of financial hardships.
Because HKU believes these dreams deserve to be supported and aims to recruit the brightest young minds from around the world, the University provides a wide range of scholarships to support students worldwide who have diverse backgrounds, experiences and skills, to help them join us for their university studies.
The University held its HKU Entrance Scholarships Award Ceremony earlier to recognise the outstanding academic and non-academic achievements of these students who were admitted to the University in the 2025–26 academic year.
Many of those who believed in these students and provided them with support were in attendance to honour them and present them with their awards. These included inter alia benefactors of the ‘Hon Ping Entrance Scholarship for Nigerian Students’, ‘Jardine HKU Scholarship’, ‘Lee Shau Kee Top Athletes Scholarships’, ‘QRT-HKU Scholarship’, ‘Rosita King Ho Scholarship’, ‘The Hong Kong Jockey Club Chairman’s Scholarship’, and ‘The Hong Kong Jockey Club Striding On Scholarship’.
Representatives of 11 Consulates-General, including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Turkey, Thailand, and Vietnam, attended the event to extend their warm wishes to the student awardees. Representatives from over 30 local secondary schools were also present to celebrate with their former students.
HKU President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Xiang Zhang, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) Professor Jay Siegel and Registrar Professor Ian Holliday were also among the guests of honour who presented awards to the students.
The students awarded have excelled in a wide variety of fields. They included 55 President’s Scholars. Other scholarships awarded included ‘The Hong Kong Jockey Club Chairman’s Scholarship’, for students with exceptional academic achievements; the ‘Lee Shau Kee Top Athletes Scholarship’, for outstanding young athletes admitted to HKU through the ‘Top Athletes Direct Admission Scheme’; and the ‘Belt and Road Scholarship’, which recognises students coming from Belt and Road countries.
João Davi de Morais from Brazil is a recipient of the HKU Scholarship for Future Leaders and a student in the Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Digital Technologies programme. He highlighted the scholarship’s transformative impact in enabling him to become the first person in his community to pursue international higher education. A strong advocate for education for underprivileged youth, he presented his journalism work on Brazilian early childhood education at the 80th United Nations General Assembly. “I hope my story will inspire low-income youth to pursue education as a path beyond social barriers,” João said.
Yusuf Karimli from Azerbaijan is in his first year of the Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering programme and is a recipient of an HKU Undergraduate Entrance Scholarship for Outstanding Academic Talents.
Reflecting on his journey to HKU and his experience here so far, Yusuf said, “‘Act, to react.’ That is what youth do best: we move first and create the momentum the world must follow.”
While in high school, he founded Azerbaijan’s first youth-led NGO for underprivileged children and its first aviation-and-engineering-based organisation for youth.
“The HKU Entrance Scholarship for Outstanding Academic Talents was a real turning point for me. It gave me the power to act, and transformed both my academic journey and my personal resilience,” he notes. He feels that young people must stay curious, nurture their aspirations, and lead – whether in education, sustainability, or technical fields.
“From my very first walk across the Main Building to late-night brainstorming sessions in InnoWing, every day here has reminded me that ‘Act, to react’ isn’t just a slogan – it’s the heartbeat of HKU,” he says.
As a recipient of the Lee Shau Kee Top Athletes Scholarship and a long-jump athlete representing Hong Kong at the 15th National Games of the People’s Republic of China and the Asian Athletics Championships, Tiffany Jia Wai-yin is now pursuing a Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences degree. She attributed her academic success to the perseverance and resilience she developed through sports as a student-athlete.
“I’m very grateful to the University and the scholarship for providing flexibility, guidance, and support as I continue to pursue excellence in both athletics and academics,” she said.
Naziba Sayem from Bangladesh is a Bachelor of Science student and a recipient of the Belt and Road Scholarship. She highlighted her mother’s resilience in battling a rare autoimmune disease as the inspiration behind her pursuit of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at HKU.
“Despite financial constraints, my parents offered unwavering support for my education and encouraged me to remain ambitious and hopeful,” she recalls.
As a Belt and Road Scholar, she is proud to represent her country and the spirit of the initiative. Naziba hopes to leverage her education at HKU to contribute to research in Bangladesh and inspire others to overcome challenges, pursue their dreams, and further the values of global cooperation.
Hayden Luke Brazer is a first-year Economics and Finance student from Cape Town, South Africa, and was also awarded a Belt and Road Scholarship. While at school, he already had a passion for community engagement, worked with NGOs, advocated for inclusivity, and studied social justice – particularly around equity and development for stateless children in South Africa.
“Studying abroad in Hong Kong felt like the next step for me to grow further and make the most of my efforts and achievements – learning new cultures, horizons, and education,” he says. “However, this goal often felt unattainable. Financial limitations held back this reality, leaving my goals to remain dreams.”
He credits HKU and the Belt and Road Scholarship for turning his dream into a reality. “I am beyond grateful. At HKU, I’ve connected with individuals from around the world. This truly global student body makes HKU so special and has made my experience both enriching and rewarding,” he says, adding, “I hope other students find the courage to believe in their potential – amazing things happen when you do!”
