Up to 10 scholarship offers will be made for the 2023/24 academic year.

All awardees will receive a scholarship amount of HK$42,100 which is intended to cover the cost of year one tuition fees. The scholarship amount will be distributed in two instalments (First and Second semesters). Awardees can retain other scholarships or bursaries concurrently held by them.

Full-time government and aided secondary school female students entering their first year of undergraduate studies in Fall 2023 (2023/24 school year) are eligible to apply for the scholarship. Applications will be assessed on the following criteria. The candidate must:

Other Factors for Consideration:

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

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 this scholarship.

Please note these important dates

The deadline to apply for the Step into STEM Scholarship this year has passed.

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

• Copies of School transcripts from Form 4 – Form 6
• Proof(s) of any extra-curricular activities
• Proof(s) of any awards or achievements
• Proof(s) of financial need*

Information for Referee

Applicants will be asked to submit the contact information of their 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 may be submitted as part of the application. Referees are reminded to send the recommendation letter to stepintostem@twfhk.org by the deadline of April 15, 2023. Applicants are suggested to contact their referee prior to application submission to inform them of a letter of recommendation request. Kindly plan well before the application deadline, to ensure referees have sufficient time to submit the letter.

Financial Assistance

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, and to build a pipeline of female talent in STEM. 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 $61,536 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 expenses.

Scholarship recipients who have received an unconditional offer from their university programme will be required to provide the following supporting documents to facilitate the payment process. Please be mindful of the relevant university's payment deadline to ensure no unnecessary delays are made toward the payment process. Morgan Stanley and The Women's Foundation are not responsible for the payment of any late fees accrued.

Ongoing Eligibility

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 2023-2024 academic year at the same university
• Receive the requisite grades to proceed to the 2nd year

During the 2023-2024 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

Depending on the enrolment criteria and enrolment status, 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 an Offer Letter.