The Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/Sectors will subsidise 4,825 places in 52 undergraduate programmes of eight post-secondary institutions in the 2024-25 academic year, the Education Bureau announced today.

They comprise 3,305 places in 52 first-year-first-degree programmes and 1,520 places in 41 top-up degree programmes, which fall under 10 disciplines that have keen manpower demand.

The disciplines are: architecture and engineering, computer science, creative industries, fintech, healthcare, insurance, logistics, sports and recreation, testing and certification, and tourism and hospitality.

The programmes include the four applied degrees selected for the second round of the Pilot Project on the Development of Applied Degree Programmes.

The bureau determined the programmes and number of places to be subsidised under the scheme after consulting relevant policy bureaus and departments.

In the 2024-25 academic year, the annual subsidy amount for laboratory-based programmes will be increased from $78,280 in the 2023-24 academic year to $79,770, while that for non-laboratory-based programmes will be increased from $44,950 to $45,810.

The scheme was launched in the 2015-16 academic year to assist students to pursue designated full-time locally accredited self-financing undergraduate programmes in selected disciplines and encourage the self-financing post-secondary education sector to offer programmes in selected disciplines that meet Hong Kong's social and economic needs.

It was expanded from the 2023-24 academic year to include top-up degree programmes.