Student Financial Assistance Agency - Financial Assistance Schemes

In the 2011/12 academic year, full-time and part-time students enrolled in Project Yi Jin (PYJ) may be eligible for financial assistance for tuition fees – this comprises 30% or 100% reimbursement of the tuition fees paid, subject to the students' meeting the prescribed criteria.

1.1 All PYJ students are eligible for reimbursement of 30% of the tuition fees paid for each satisfactorily completed module, subject to their having passed an overall assessment and having achieved 80% attendance or above for the module as confirmed by the institution. The modules must be essential for the completion of the PYJ programme and the students must not have obtained financial assistance for the same module under the Continuing Education Fund. In addition, students who have obtained reimbursement under the Financial Assistance Scheme for Designated Evening Adult Education Courses (FAEAEC) will not be eligible for reimbursement under PYJ unless they have refunded the HKSAR Government all the reimbursement obtained under FAEAEC. Tuition fees are reimbursed on a module basis. Even if students fail in some modules, they are still eligible for reimbursement for the satisfactorily completed modules. All PYJ students who meet the aforementioned criteria will automatically be reimbursed 30% of the tuition fees paid for the relevant modules. The institutions will inform the Student Financial Assistance Agency (SFAA) of the details of the students who are eligible for reimbursement of tuition fees at the end of each academic year. The reimbursement will then be credited to the students'/applicants' bank accounts direct.

2.1 To further assist needy PYJ students who meet the criteria described in Section 1.1 above, 100% reimbursement of the tuition fees paid for each satisfactorily completed module will be made, subject to the student's having passed a means test and obtained an Eligibility Certificate (EC) issued by the SFAA indicating that he/she is eligible for “FULL” assistance and his/her submitting the duly completed EC to his/her institution for Full Fee Reimbursement (FFR). The application procedures for FFR are described in Section 3 below. The EC will apply to modules taken in the 2011/12 academic year only.

3.1 The applicant should normally be the parent or the legal guardian of the student. Eligibility for “FULL” level of assistance is based on a means test – see Section 3.6 below. The application forms are “Application for Assessment of Eligibility” Form A (SFAA 7B) or Form B (SFAA 106B).

3.2 In general, the SFAA will not accept Form A or Form B submitted on or after 1 March 2012. If applicants need to apply for FFR on or after 1 March 2012 for their children attending part-time PYJ courses commencing during the period from 1 March 2012 to 31 May 2012, they should contact their institutions for details of the application procedures and the deadlines for application. Application documents should be submitted through the institutions to the SFAA for processing.

Applicant who has already submitted Form A (SFAA 7B) or Form B (SFAA 106B) to the SFAA

3.3 If an applicant has already submitted Form A or Form B to the SFAA for assessment of eligibility in 2011/12, he/she does not need to submit another application. The SFAA will assess his/her eligibility according to the information already provided in the application and in accordance with the means test described in Section 3.6 below. Successful applicants will be notified by the SFAA of their result in writing. Students provided with an Eligibility Certificate (EC) for “FULL” level of assistance and meeting the criteria mentioned in Section 1.1 above should apply for FFR by completing the EC and submitting the EC to the PYJ institution in accordance with Section 3.8 below. Students assessed as eligible for “HALF” level of assistance are not eligible for FFR, but they will be reimbursed 30% of the tuition fees paid if they satisfy the criteria mentioned in Section 1.1 above.

3.4 If the applicant has already submitted Form A or Form B to the SFAA and is eligible for “FULL” level of assistance, please approach the SFAA (Address: Room 803-806, 8/F., One Mong Kok Road Commercial Centre, 1 Mong Kok Road, Kowloon) in person, to obtain replacement of an EC for the PYJ student if (i) he/she has lost the EC; or (ii) he/she omitted to indicate in his/her Application for Assessment of Eligibility the request for an EC for the student-applicants; or (iii) he/she omitted to include the student-applicants who need to apply for 2011/12 student financial assistance in his/her Application for Assessment of Eligibility.

3.5 The applicant should obtain a set of application Form A (SFAA 7B) from the institution, the SFAA or District Offices, complete the form, and then mail it with copies of the required supporting documents to the SFAA for processing of the application. The applicant can use the envelope enclosed with the application form for mailing the documents. The Guidance Notes and the application form can also be downloaded at http://www.sfaa.gov.hk/eng/public/index.htm#fts. For details about the application procedures for Full Fee Reimbursement, please visit the procedures for assessment of eligibility for Primary and Secondary students.

3.6 The SFAA will use the “Adjusted Family Income” (AFI) mechanism as the means test to assess the eligibility of a family for student financial assistance and its assistance level. The formula is as follows:

3.7 Applicants with AFI value not exceeding 29,738 are eligible for “FULL” level of assistance^. Applicants with AFI value between 29,739 and 57,502 are eligible for “HALF” level of assistance. The SFAA will conduct authentication, including home visits or other means to verify the truthfulness and completeness of the information reported in the application. The SFAA may adjust the level of assistance granted, if necessary, according to the findings of the authentications.

3.8 Applicants will be notified of the result of the means test in writing. Students eligible for “FULL” or “HALF” level of assistance will be issued with ECs. However, only students eligible for “FULL” level of assistance may apply for FFR. These students should complete and return the ECs to the institution within one week from the commencement date of school or within two weeks from the date of issue of the EC (whichever is later) in accordance with the Guidance Notes issued with the EC for FFR applications. FFR is NOT applicable to PYJ students who are assessed to be eligible for “HALF” level of assistance only. However, full-time students who are assessed as eligible for “HALF” or “FULL” level of assistance may apply for Student Travel Subsidy and Subsidy for Internet Access Charges.

3.9 At the end of each academic year, the institution will inform the SFAA which students have satisfactorily completed each module. Students who have submitted their ECs with “FULL” eligibility level to the institution will receive FFR of the modules through direct credit to their bank accounts.

If applicants submit their “Application for Assessment of Eligibility” on or after 1 November 2011, payment of student travel subsidy to the successful student-applicants may be effected from the date of approval for application.

Students wishing to apply for STS should complete and submit their ECs to the institution within one week from the commencement date of school or within two weeks from the date of issue of the EC (whichever is later) in accordance with the Guidance Notes issued with the EC. Payment will be made to eligible applicants by direct credit to their bank accounts. For details about STS scheme, please click here.

The subsidy is granted on a household basis. Eligible families will receive a flat-rate cash grant, regardless of the number of children in the family, to meet the Internet access charges for e-learning at home for their children.

If the applicant submits the “Application for Assessment of Eligibility” at a date on or after 1 February 2012 (i.e. in the latter half of the 2011/12 school year), partial payment of SIA may be made to the successful applicants provided the applicant can pass the means test.

Students wishing to apply for SIA should complete and submit their ECs to the institution within one week from the commencement date of school or within two weeks from the date of issue of the EC (whichever is later) in accordance with the Guidance Notes issued with the EC. Payment will be made to eligible applicants by direct credit to their bank accounts. For details about SIA scheme, please click here.

PYJ students who have the right of abode, or have resided or have had their home in Hong Kong continuously for three complete years immediately prior to the commencement of the course may apply for a loan under NLS to pay their tuition fees. Applicants are required to pay an administrative fee for each application and loan account on an annual basis. Interest is chargeable upon drawdown of the loan and throughout the repayment period until the NLS loan is fully repaid (please visit our website at http://www.sfaa.gov.hk/eng/whats/index.htm for current NLS interest rate). NLS loan is repayable in 40 quarterly instalments within 10 years upon (i) graduation; or (ii) termination of studies; or (iii) lapse of 6 years from the first disbursement of loan, whichever is the earliest. For application details, please refer to the Application Guidance Notes [SFAA 140] and the Application Form which are obtainable from the SFAA (Address: 11/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon) and Public Enquiry Service Centres of the Home Affairs Department. You may also download the documents from our website http://www.sfaa.gov.hk/eng/public/index.htm#nls2. For details about NLS scheme, please click here.