The Social Welfare Department and the Student Financial Assistance Agency will soon inform eligible students of the disbursement arrangements for the $1,000 one-off grant which starts in mid-October.

The grant is part of the Chief Executive's package of short-term measures to ease domestic households' financial burden. About $550 million will be granted to 550,000 students in the 2008-09 school year.

Students who have applied for financial assistance from the agency and who have qualified to receive aid under specific means-tested student financial assistance schemes will automatically be eligible for the grant. They include kindergarten to post-secondary students and those receiving welfare assistance, students of designated evening adult education courses, full-time students of the Vocational Training Council or Institute of Vocational Education, and full-time or part-time Project Yi Jin students.

The grant will be disbursed via bank transfer or cheque. For details, click here.