Application Guidelines

(For use in conjunction with the Prince Philip Scholarship application form. You MUST read these Application Guidelines carefully before you complete the application form.  Your application for the Prince Philip Scholarship will be made on the basis of the terms set out in these Application Guidelines, which you agree to observe and comply with by making your application.)

Before you complete the Prince Philip Scholarship application form, please read through the Information for Hong Kong Applicants on Cambridge’s website

Preference College at Cambridge (Application Form Page 1)

There are 29 colleges at Cambridge admitting undergraduates. Of these, 3 admit only mature students (those over 21 years on admission).  Two colleges admit women only, and the remainder admit both men and women:

Colleges admitting women only

Murray Edwards, Newnham.

Colleges admitting both men and women

Christ’s, Churchill, Clare, Corpus Christi, Downing, Emmanuel, Fitzwilliam, Girton, Gonville and Caius, Homerton, Hughes Hall (mature students only), Jesus, King’s,  Lucy Cavendish, Magdalene, Pembroke, Peterhouse, Queens’, Robinson, St. Catharine’s, St. Edmund’s (mature students only), St. John’s, Selwyn, Sidney Sussex, Trinity, Trinity Hall, Wolfson (mature students only).

Unsure about the choice of college?

Applicants should not be worried if they feel unsure about the choice of a college. In such cases, they can make an “open application” by writing “OPEN” on page 1 of the Scholarship application. Please ensure that any choice of college on the Scholarship application form is the same as that on your UCAS  application.  Applicants will not in any way prejudice their chances of selection if they make an open application.

If preference has been expressed for a particular college, we will try to meet it, but those offered scholarships may receive an offer from another college.

Proposed subject of study (Application Form: Page 1)

Please specify the subject or subjects that you hope to read at Cambridge (see the list of Triposes below).  All applicants must check the entry requirements for the courses they are applying from the Cambridge University web pages.  Please follow the link under “Courses at Cambridge” in Section 06.  Certain requirements may be specified by some Colleges at Cambridge.

Check the latest subjects (Tripos) available in Cambridge

Consult the latest “University of Cambridge Undergraduate Prospectus” at:   www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk

Courses available

In their first year of residence, applicants can choose from among the following Triposes: Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic; Archaeology; Architecture; Asian and Middle Eastern Studies; Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology; Classics; Computer Science; Design; Economics; Education; Engineering; English; Geography; History; History and Modern Languages; History and Politics; History of Art; Human, Social, and Political Sciences; Land Economy; Law; Linguistics; Mathematics (including Mathematics with Physics); Medicine; Modern & Medieval Languages; Music; Natural Sciences; Philosophy; Psychological and Behavioural Sciences; Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion; and Veterinary Medicine.

In addition to the courses listed above, the following Triposes can be taken only after Part IA or Part I of another Tripos: Management Studies and Manufacturing Engineering.

Change of subject

If you think you may want to change to another subject in your second or third year, please enter this in addition to your proposed first year subject (e.g. write “Economics + Law” if you are intending to read Economics Part I followed by Law Part II). This information is intended only as a general guide for the Selection Board. There is no need to feel that what you write here commits you in any way to a definite choice of subject in your second or third year.  However, you should also note that there is no guarantee you will be permitted to change to another subject in your second or third year.

Applicants for Natural Sciences

Applicants for Natural Sciences should state whether their interests tend toward physical or biological sciences (i.e. enter either “Natural Sciences (Physical)” or “Natural Sciences (Biological)”).  This information is intended only as a general guide for the Selection Board – you are not committing yourself to choosing physical sciences or biological sciences later on in the Tripos; in any case, the Natural Sciences Tripos is constructed in such a way as to defer specialisation until a later stage in the course.

Applicants for Architecture

(a) Applicants for Architecture must prepare a portfolio which should include graphic work and/or paintings of three-dimensional materials. It should cover as wide a range of work as possible, including drawings or sketches of a building, a natural artifact and a human-made artifact.  Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide their portfolio to the Selection Board for consideration in late October or November 2023, before their interview.

(b) Applicants should note that the Architecture Department at Cambridge is small and competition for places is particularly intense. It is likely that applicants for Architecture will be also asked to attend a college admissions interview at Cambridge at which their portfolio will be discussed, before or after they attend any interview for the Scholarship in Hong Kong.

Applicants for Medicine or Veterinary Medicine

(a) Cambridge offers only a strictly limited number of places for overseas applicants in Medicine & Veterinary Medicine.

(b) The Scholarship is tenable for both the pre-clinical BA degree and the clinical course.

Applicants for Mathematics including Mathematics with Physics

(a) Applicants who are taking G.C.E. A-level Examinations must take Mathematics as an A-level subject. Those who are taking the International Baccalaureate Examinations must take Mathematics as an HL subject. Some colleges may have additional requirements. Please check with your preference college before making an application. Further information can be found at www.maths.cam.ac.uk/undergrad/admissions  Applicants who are taking the HKDSE Examinations must take Mathematics: Extended Part (Module 2: Algebra and Calculus) and Physics as their HKDSE subjects.

(b) Specific grades in the Sixth Term Examination Papers (STEP) (Paper 2 and/or Paper 3) will normally be included as part of the conditional offers, in addition to those to be attained at HKDSE Examinations, G.C.E. A-level Examinations, International Baccalaureate Examinations, or other approved examinations (as the case may be). Information about this may be found in the University of Cambridge Undergraduate Prospectus or at:

www.maths.cam.ac.uk/undergrad/admissions/step/

Admission Assessments

There are two types of written admission assessments: (i) those that take place before shortlisting, known as pre-registration required assessments and (ii) those that take place after shortlisting, known as Cambridge College registered assessments. Applicants taking the first type must register in advance for those assessments. Further details can be found at:

http://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying/admission-assessments

"Pre-registration required" assessments

Applicants who are required to take “pre-registration required” assessments have to be registered by an authorized test centre (usually the school). The list of authorized test centres can be found at https://www.admissionstesting.org/find-a-centre/.  Many schools/colleges are authorized centres or can easily become one, so applicants please speak to the teacher/exams officer at school to find out if they can take these assessments at their school/college.

  • (a) Applicants for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Natural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine are required to take the Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment (NSAA). The registration deadline is 29 September 2023.
  • (b) Applicants for Computer Science and Economics are required to take the Test of Mathematics for University Admissions (TMUA). The registration deadline is 29 September 2023.
  • (c) Applicants for Engineering are required to take the Engineering Admissions Assessment (ENGAA). The registration deadline is 29 September 2023.
  • (d) Applicants for Law are required to take the National Admissions Test for Law (LNAT). The registration deadline is 15 September 2023.
  • (e) Applicants for Medicine are required to take the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT). The registration deadline is 29 September 2023.
  • (f) The registration deadlines for authorized centres in Hong Kong may differ from those stated above.

Further details can be found at:

https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying/admissions-assessments/pre-registration-required

"Cambridge College registered" assessments

Applicants who are required to take these assessments do not need to register separately for them.  Applicants who are selected for interview at Cambridge will take these assessments when they go to Cambridge for their interviews.  Applicants who are selected for interviews in Hong Kong will be required to take them in Hong Kong at a date to be announced.  Details of which courses require such assessments can be found at

http://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying/admissions-assessments/college-registered

Applicants for (i) Mathematics, (ii) Mathematics and Physics or (iii) Music are likely to be required to take other written assessments if they are shortlisted for interview. All applicants selected for interviews at Cambridge will take the assessments when they go to Cambridge for their interviews.

Arrangements for Hong Kong applicants for Mathematics or Mathematics with Physics to take a written assessment in Hong Kong will be confirmed in due course. All Hong Kong applicants for Mathematics or Mathematics with Physics who are selected for interviews must make themselves available to take this assessment.

Correspondence email address

We must be able to contact applicants by email. All applicants must indicate their preferred email account for correspondence on the front page of the application form. The same address must be entered as the correspondence email address on the second page for verification. It is of crucial importance that the email account specified is an active, functioning email account with sufficient capacity to receive emails at all times during the course of the application.

Applicants must check the email account provided regularly during the course of the application. We are likely to contact you by email (our email account for this purpose is pp_scholarship@cambridge.org.hk). Please check to ensure that our email to you will not be caught by any screening mechanism for spam or junk mails. You should read the instructions set out in our emails to you very carefully and respond accordingly.

Important Dates

Please refer to Important Dates 2023

Notes

Value of the Scholarship

Non means-tested portion:

The Scholarship includes a non means-tested cash award of £4,500 per annum.  One Hong Kong-London economy class return air ticket per year will also be awarded irrespective of means test results, provided the air ticket is purchased through the Scholarship Scheme under its special arrangements with designated airlines.  If the air ticket is not purchased through the Scholarship Scheme or deviates from the designated route, any airfare incurred will not be reimbursed.

Means-tested portion:

Depending on the results of a means test to be carried out, the Scholarship will also provide financial assistance for the students to meet the costs of tuition and basic maintenance.  A Full Scholarship will cover the student’s Tuition Fee and College Fee in full, as well as the student’s basic living expenses like college rent, books, meals, transport and other reasonable living expenses.

Applicants for the Scholarship may apply also for other scholarships or bursaries to support their studies at Cambridge.  It is the duty of every applicant for the Scholarship to duly and promptly notify the Scholarship Scheme when he/she applies for any other scholarships, bursaries or other forms of financial support, and also to keep the Scholarship Scheme informed of the progress and results of all such applications.  Failure to do so may result in the cancellation, revocation or withdrawal of the Scholarship (including the non means-tested portion).  A holder of the Scholarship may hold concurrent awards but any benefits received or receivable from other awards will be taken into account by the Scholarship Scheme in assessing the amount of the Scholarship award.

If a student does not complete the means test or fails to duly and promptly provide the Means Test Committee with all information requested by the Committee, only the non means-tested portion of the Scholarship will be awarded.

The decision of the Means Test Committee as to the amount of the Scholarship award shall be final, and there will be no appeal against their decisions.

Tenure

The Scholarship is reviewed annually in the light of academic progress and the student’s financial needs, and is normally tenable for the duration of the undergraduate course of three years.  In certain cases and subject to good academic performance, the Scholarship may be extended to cover a fourth year (see paragraph 7-E below).  For Scholarship holders studying medicine or veterinary medicine, the Scholarship is tenable for both the pre-clinical BA degree and the clinical course.

Eligibility for a Scholarship

To be eligible for the Scholarship, a student must, at the time of application, have ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than 7 years and hold a valid Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card.  Students applying with Home Fee status will not be considered for the Scholarship.

Students already registered as a student with any other university or tertiary education institution, whether in Hong Kong or overseas, will not be eligible for the Scholarship.  Unless the Scholarship Scheme decides otherwise, if an applicant registers with any other university or tertiary education institution, whether in Hong Kong or overseas, of a place in a programme involving undergraduate studies, the applicant will cease to be eligible for the Scholarship, and his/her application for the Scholarship will be deemed to be automatically and immediately withdrawn and cancelled (and any offer of the Scholarship to him/her revoked).

Choice of College

Prince Philip Scholarships are tenable at any Cambridge college admitting students for undergraduate courses leading to a first degree of the University of Cambridge: they are not tied, or restricted, to any particular college or colleges within Cambridge.  Although applicants may indicate a choice of college, it is not essential to do so and an “open application” may be made.

Courses Available

All Cambridge undergraduate courses, except for the Foundation Year pre-degree course, are open to Prince Philip Scholarship applicants. Most last for three years and lead to a B.A. degree; in Engineering, Mathematics and some subjects in Natural Sciences, subject to good academic performance, the course may include a fourth year leading to the M.Eng, M.Math or M.Sci degrees. For information about all courses, consult the latest Cambridge Admissions Prospectus or visit the website at:    www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/

Note:  A few colleges do not admit students for certain Cambridge courses – you MUST check the website above for any subject restrictions at each college before making your choice.  Open applications automatically take account of any subject restrictions.

The Scholarship will be awarded in respect of the study of a specified course.  The Scholarship holder may not change his/her subject at Cambridge except with the prior written approval of the Scholarship Scheme.

Application Procedures

(a) The application form for a Prince Philip Scholarship, duly signed by the applicant and endorsed by the School Principal, together with the duly completed and signed School Principal’s Confidential Report (which must be put in a sealed envelope), printouts of the UCAS form and, where applicable, My Cambridge Application (see points (b) to (e) below), a copy of the applicant’s Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card, and all other relevant documents, must be received by Ms Cannie Kwan, The Friends of Cambridge University in Hong Kong, c/o The Bank of East Asia Limited, 10 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong, on or before 16th October 2023. The envelope should be marked ‘Private and Confidential’.  To ensure receipt of the completed application forms and supporting documents, please send the documents in good time.  Late applications will not be entertained.

(b) All applicants should (i) complete the UCAS form (including Cambridge in their choice of universities) and submit it online before the prescribed deadline; and (ii) complete the Prince Philip Scholarship application form (attaching to it a copy of their Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card, and a printout of their completed UCAS form) and deliver them to their School Principal. Applicants may remove the information pertaining to their other university choices from the copy of the UCAS form included in the application materials. The School Principal will attach the School Principal’s Confidential Report to the Scholarship application form, and send it, together with the attachments, to The Friends of Cambridge University in Hong Kong, so as to ensure receipt thereof on or before 16th October 2023.  The form of School Principal’s Confidential Report is available at:  cambridge.org.hk/resources 

(c) Applicants who are studying at schools other than in Hong Kong or the UK may have an earlier application deadline. Details can be found on the Cambridge website.

(d) Applicants should note that the Cambridge college listed as the preference college on their UCAS form must correspond to that given on their Prince Philip Scholarship application form. Applicants who are unsure about the choice of a college are welcome to submit an “open application” on both the Scholarship application form and the UCAS form, without any prejudice to their chances of selection.

(e) After submission of the UCAS form, applicants will be asked to complete My Cambridge Application online. It is not mandatory for an applicant to submit this to the Prince Philip Scholarship.  However, if an applicant would like information appearing on his/her My Cambridge Application to be taken into account by the Prince Philip Scholarship selection panel, he/she should submit a printout of his/her My Cambridge Application at the same time he/she submits the Scholarship application form. This means the applicant will have to submit his/her My Cambridge Application by 16th October 2023.

(f) Applicants are reminded to make all necessary and timely arrangements for taking all written assessments which may be prescribed for admission to study their proposed subjects at the University of Cambridge.  If they are asked to do so, applicants shortlisted for interview in Hong Kong MUST make themselves available to take the written assessment at the specified time.

Selection

Selection is primarily by a panel representing the Cambridge colleges and the University of Cambridge.  Shortlisted applicants will be called for interview in Hong Kong or, for those applicants who are studying in the United Kingdom or other parts of Europe, in Cambridge.  Applicants MUST make themselves available on the relevant dates to attend the interview.

Shortlisted applicants will have two interviews, one for the Scholarship and the other for college admission.  However, failure to secure nomination for a Prince Philip Scholarship does NOT preclude the receipt of a conditional offer of a place at a college.

Offers

Successful applicants will receive conditional offers from the Prince Philip Scholarship not later than March 2024.  An offer may be conditional upon the applicant (a) attaining the specified grades or scores in the HKDSE Examinations, the G.C.E. A-level Examinations, the International Baccalaureate Examinations, or such other approved examinations or tests as the Scholarship Selection Board may specify; and (b) achieving the required results in any additional conditions prescribed for pursuing the proposed subject of study at the University of Cambridge.  The Scholarship will be confirmed in July/August 2024 after the results of the relevant examinations are published.

These successful applicants will either receive a corresponding “conditional offer” from their preference college, or another college in Cambridge to which they have been allocated under the “open application” procedure.

The decision of the Scholarship Selection Board shall be final, and there will be no appeal against their decisions.

Fees

Application to The Prince Philip Scholarship is free of charge.  Most international applicants have to pay an application fee of £60 directly to the University of Cambridge.

Some assessment centres may charge an administration fee for taking written assessments there.

Enquiries

Any enquiries regarding The Prince Philip Scholarship should be directed to Ms Cannie Kwan, The Friends of Cambridge University in Hong Kong Ltd, c/o The Bank of East Asia, Limited, 10 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong. (Contact person: Ms Cannie Kwan, Tel: 3608 8277, Email: kwanc@hkbea.com).

Personal Data

Personal data of the applicants will be collected in connection with the application to The Prince Philip Scholarship. A Personal Information Collection Statement is set out here. All applicants must read the Personal Information Collection Statement carefully before submitting an application.  The submission by an applicant of an application to The Prince Philip Scholarship will be regarded as the applicant giving his or her consent to the collection, processing, use and retention of his or her personal data by The Prince Philip Scholarship (and all or any of the persons connected with The Prince Philip Scholarship scheme) in the manner set out in the Personal Information Collection Statement.  Where the consent of any third party is required or regarded as desirable or appropriate, it shall be the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all such consent is duly obtained at the time and in the form required or stated.