Objectives

To promote equal opportunities and to provide a balanced co-curricular development for first-generation university students (i.e. their parents have not received any post-secondary or university education), the “First-Generation University Student Fund” has been established at Hong Kong Baptist University to help students who need financial assistance and guidance in expanding their participation in outside-of-classroom activities for their whole person development and future career exploration.

Research has shown that many first-generation university students, compared to their second-generation counterparts, do not engage sufficiently in academic or social activities that are associated with success in university. Their participation in outside-of-classroom activities, which are an important integral part of the university curriculum, may be due to financial constraints and a lack of proper guidance. Therefore, the Fund is to provide financial support to eligible students, while appropriate advice and guidance on how they should plan for their co-curricular programmes and/or outside classrooms activities throughout their undergraduate years will be provided by student advisors in order to ensure that students can benefit fully from outside-of-classroom learning. 

Eligibility

Eligible applicants should be:

1. local students studying in full‐time UGC‐funded undergraduate programmes at HKBU;
2. first-generation university students (i.e. your parents have not received any post-secondary or university education); and
3. receiving 50% or above grant* under the Tertiary Student Finance Scheme – Publicly-funded Programmes (TSFS) of the HKSAR Government in 2021-22. Eligible students will be invited via individual emails to make applications. 

*Please refer to this website for the amount of maximum grant: https://sa.hkbu.edu.hk/sfa/government-grants-and-loans/ugc-funded-full-time-programmes/tsfsnlsft#maxgl_tsfsnlsft

Amount of Subsidy

Basic Plan: Up to HK$15,000 subsidy will be given to each Year 1 successful applicant and the amount will be pro-rata for applicants of senior years as shown below. Eligible students are encouraged to plan for their learning and development, and apply for FGF as early as possible in order to get a higher subsidy amount as well as a longer period to use the entitled fund for approved activities.

Top-up Plan: To encourage and support students to attain learning experience outside Hong Kong with the Fund, the total amount of FGF subsidy granted to year two or above students will be topped up to a maximum of $15,000, on condition that they have used or will use the entitled fund to join at least one approved outside Hong Kong activity.

For example, a student who successfully applied for the Fund in Year 3 will be given $7000 FGF subsidy under the Basic Plan. However, if he/she now applies to spend his/her FGF on an approved outside Hong Kong activity (e.g. summer exchange programme), he/she may get up to $15,000 after top-up.

Scope & Activities supported by the Fund

First-Generation University Student Fund supports outside-of-classroom activities offered by HKBU Departments, Offices, student bodies and external organisations which fall under the scope of the Fund. The maximum amount of subsidy set for different categorises of activities are shown below:

Rules & Regulations:

1. The Fund is not a bursary which subsidizes students' study or daily expenses. Students can only use it to support their participation in one or several co‐curricular programmes and/or outside classroom learning activities until the approved amount is depleted. They have the flexibility in choosing when to use the Fund and how much to spend on each activity. However, the minimum claimed amount for each activity should be HK$500 or above.

2. Students can use the Fund during their course of study at HKBU. For final year students, the learning activity must be completed by 31 August of their graduation year. (special arrangement for 2020/21 graduates: the activity completion deadline will be extended to 28 February 2022. Request for further extension with strong and valid reasons may be considered and is subject to the decision of the Office of Student Affairs.)

3. Students should join the activities/courses via an organization which can provide official proofs and receipts for the cost/fee paid, i.e. personal trips and private instructors are not allowed. 

4.  The Fund does not subsidize honours project, research or graduation‐tied trips which receive additional support from the Government as well as profit‐making activities.

5. Students are allowed to receive the Fund with other funding sources (e.g. EDB Exchange Subsidy, Government Hall Subsidy, Reaching Out Award, scholarships, internship salary & allowance, etc.) concurrently provided that the total funding support obtained does not exceed the net fees/cost they have paid. Students should inform SFA if the activity is funded by other sources of funding concurrently.

6. Students will not be reimbursed any subsidy if they could not complete the approved activity/course or fail the exam/test for professional certificates.

7. The Office of Student Affairs reserves the right to make final decision on each activity application, and to adjust the approved fund amount if deem appropriate.

Application Procedures and Timeline

Please see the flowchart below for the application procedures in brief:

FORM I: Confirmation of Eligibility

Applicants should first complete Form I to confirm their eligibility before proceeding to apply funding for specific activity (Form II).

• Eligible students should first fill in an online application form (Form I) to confirm their eligibility. 
• Application results of Form I will be released to your HKBU email account normally within 2 weeks upon the application deadline, i.e. mid‐Nov and mid‐April of each year.
• Each successful applicant will be randomly assigned an advisor from the Office of Student Affairs who will give advice/guidance on the learning plan and recommend activities that fulfill the student’s interests and learning goals. Advisors may invite students for a meeting when necessary. Students are obliged to meet and communicate with their advisors.
• There will be 2 rounds of application in the academic year 2021-22:
  - Round 1 from 1 September 2021 to 31 October 2021
  - Round 2 from 10 January 2022 to 31 March 2022
• Late applications will NOT be considered unless there are special and valid reasons.
• Please apply for the Fund via FORM I. 

FORM II: Funding Application for Specific Learning Activity

Applicants should have submitted “FORM I: Confirmation of Eligibility” and received our approval email before filling out this FORM II for funding application.

• When students wish to use the fund to support a specific learning activity, they should apply for funding by providing the activity details and budget via FORM II, normally at least 2 weeks prior to the commencement of the activity.
• Separate application for funding should be made for each activity.
• Application result and the approved funding amount will be released to the students via email normally within 4 weeks.
• Please apply funding for a specific learning activity via FORM II.

Submission of Reflection Reports & other obligations

• Upon completion of each approved learning activity, students are required to submit a reflection report in the format of an essay or video if the approved amount for the activity is HK$5,000 or above, with an emphasis on insights, intellectual gains, learning impact and outcomes. Reports for activities under HK$5,000 are optional but they may join the “Best Reflection Reports Competition” with cash prize awarded to winners (please scroll down for the details).
• The essay/video, with requirements stipulated below, should be submitted within two months upon completion of the activity. 

• Upon invitation, recipients are obliged to attend some experience sharing occasions, and/or meeting with donors of the Fund.

• To measure the effectiveness and outcomes for joining the activities/programmes, recipients are required to complete the online evaluation form for each activity.

Best Reflection Reports Competition

• Aiming to give students incentive to submit reports and produce quality works, the "Best Reflection Reports Competition" will be held annually. All reports submitted during the period 1 May to 30 April will enter the annual competition automatically but students can opt out of it if they wish. 
• The reports can be submitted in the format of a journal, video or any proposed forms which have obtained the prior approval of the Office of Student Affairs.
• Up to ten good reports will be shortlisted by the Office of Student Affairs for the final selection of the Steering Committee at its annual meeting in June each year.
• Up to five best reports will be selected each year. Each awardee will receive a certificate of award and a cash prize of $500 which is fully funded by FGF donations.
• The selected reports may be fully or partly publicized on the Fund’s website and/or other publicity materials as appropriate. Awardees may be invited to give sharing or performance in the Annual Donor Appreciation Event.

Reimbursement of Subsidy

• Subsidy reimbursement via the Finance Office will be arranged upon students' submission of report, photos, participation proof, expenditure proofs, if applicable, as well as completion of the online evaluation form. Students may receive the subsidy normally in around 8 - 12 weeks (subject to Finance Office's approval) on condition that the documents they submitted have fulfilled the requirements and are submitted before the designated deadline. 
• For activities organized by HKBU Departments or Offices, the organizer will be asked to verify the participation status of students and provide the cost details.
• For students attending academic exchange or activities offered by student societies or external bodies, they need to provide expenditure proofs such as the original invoice/receipt issued by the organizer, flight or train tickets, boarding pass, etc. to the Finance Office via SFA for verification.
• The approved amount will be spent according to the details described in the activity application. Any unspent amount will be retained by or returned to the Fund. 
• Students will not be reimbursed any amount spent in excess of the approved amount.
• Students can check their funding disbursement record via BUniport.

Support the Fund

The First-Generation University Student Fund at HKBU is jointly supported by the Strategic Development Fund, Schools/Faculties/Academy, as well as private donations. The University would like to express its immense gratitude to the following alumni, organisations, groups and individuals for their generous support of the Fund.

List of Donors (listed in alphabetical order):

Make a Donation

To sustain the First-Generation University Student Fund and benefit more students, we appreciate and need the generous suppport of alumni and friends of HKBU, as well as the general public of Hong Kong Society.

Your donation, regardless of amount, will help our students to achieve their full intellectual and whole-person development, and eventually, motivate them to give back to those with fewer advantages in the future!

If you are interested in supporting the First-Generation University Student Fund, please contact the University Advancement Office at uao@hkbu.edu.hk or by completing the donation form at https://foundation.hkbu.edu.hk/sites/default/files/smallBanners/02_FGUSFund_191024.pdf​.

Sharing of Recipients

Sharing videos:

During the pandemic when most overseas activities are cancelled or postponed, many FGF students turned to use the fund on learning languages, developing their interests, enhancing a particular skill or attaining some professional qualifications which are beneficial to their career development. 

1. Five Arts students used FGF on attending different language courses.

2. A Visual Arts student continued her Guzheng learning with the support of FGF.

3. Three Social Work students simultaneously attained the Pastel Nagomi Art Associate Instructor qualification. ​

Sharing articles:

 

Yeung Wing-yung (English Language and Literature)
Activity Joined: Academic Exchange

Traveling aboard has been in my bucket list since I was little and hardly could I imagine it came true, especially during the pandemic. Before going to Boston, I was a bit petrified because of my race, my ethnicity, I always questioned myself like whether I would be discriminated or barricade because of the use of language, yet I was completely wrong. When I arrived in the US, all these apprehensions I had before my arrivals were gone completely. People in the United States are very genuine and nice. Spending time in the States for a quarter of 2021, studying in one of the famous colleges in the US, exploring every tiny little thing in Boston or in other States…I did enjoy and genuinely am in love with this country...(more)

Wong Pik-yuk (Chinese Language and Literature)
Activity Joined: Advanced Certificate in Nutrition

During the 30 lessons, the method to assess diet is the remarkable skill I have learnt. In an assignment, we needed to record and assess our own 2-day diets. The lecturers first taught us the daily energy requirements and the nutrient daily intake for different age groups. Then, we used the software – Nutritionist ProTM to conduct nutrition analysis. I like this activity so much as we can apply our knowledge practically. I found that myself was in malnutrition and learnt which nutrients should be taken in order to improve my diets. Also, I found that this is important to reach daily calcium intake requirement at young age as it helps to increase bone density.

I also used the knowledge to analyse the diets of my friends and family, then gave them some suggestions on changing their diets to be more balance and healthy...(more)

 

WONG Ying-tung (Geography)
Activity Joined: KCCA Candle Artist Instructor Class

This course taught up to 30 skills for making candles, and it is a recognized course by Korea. With the teacher's step-by-step teaching, I learned that different materials are suitable for making different candles. I also learned how to make different styles of candles. When making candles, the teacher also encouraged us to be creative.

We could use any color we want. We could also make candles with a series of colors. As my favorite color is blue, my whole work used blue as the theme. The mixing of colors was not easy. I had to try several times to test for the colors. This process has to be fast before the soy wax dried up. At the same time, we may put dried flowers in making the candles as a decoration...(more)

 

Chan Kin-yu (Sociology)
Activity Joined: Clarinet learning

Learning clarinet is a good start to learning music. I have not learned any musical instrument before, it is the first time I take such a course. The reason why I choose clarinet is that it is easy to handle and the price is relatively cheap. It is not that troublesome to maintain the student model in plastic. The price is manageable, compared to other classical instruments. Clarinet is a great choice for beginners like me.

Learning music can calm me down. It is a good way to release stress from the academic pressures and career worries, particularly for year four students. It is a good way to explore some potentials interest. Besides, it gives me a sense of confidence. When I finish to play a full song, it somehow gives me a sense of achievement. At least I have accomplished something in addition to academic studies. It is especially important when I feel frustrated in my life and studies...(more)

Lun Wai-lam (Applied Economics)
Activity Joined: PADI Open Water Diver Course

I took a three-day course at the Paradise Diving Centre. At the beginning, I were instructed to self-study the first few chapters of the diver guideline prior to my first confined dive. I spent two nights in studying the chapter so that I could prepare myself for the practical. It is clear that my effort invested in reading through the material has paid off - my first dive was successful and I was able to fully understand all the instructions given by my diving trainer. On the second and third day, we continued our train with more dives - but in open water.  In open water, the current of the water is more rapid and therefore the situation warrants extra caution and attention from me, the trainee...(more)

鄧烷娜 (中國語言文學)
參與活動：新娘及宴會化妝證書課程

我在海外交流期間對化妝產生了濃厚的興趣，因此回港後便有意報讀化妝課程，接受正規化妝學校的訓練。在學習化妝的過程，我也考慮把化妝的興趣變成我日後的職業。第一代大學生基金為我提供了金錢上的援助，使我更有機會發掘自己的潛能，我感到非常高興。

這個課程為期十三堂，主要教授了婚禮主角的化妝與造型設計、晚宴化妝的設計與技巧、室內外化妝技巧、成熟女性和男性的化妝和噴槍粉底，為我帶來了不同的化妝經驗。由於學校聘請了不同的老師，學生可以參考多個老師的手法和化妝習慣，在比較中學習，慢慢建立適合自己的一套。當遇到化妝上的問題，學生也可以參考不同老師的意見。學校的老師都非常友好，對於學生的提問都會毫不保留地解答。另外，學校為學生提供練習場地，學生可以在學校開放時間內隨意使用...(更多)

賴子威 (應用生物學)
參與活動：SEED Incubator

在進行這個Startup的過程中，我遇到了不少困難，然而也從中獲益良多。

首先這個活動是以比賽作為開端，需要把我們的想法匯報出來，然後經過評審，繼而獲得一筆資助，讓我們可以發展我們的想法和業務，而我亦有幸通過這個評審。

在創業的初期，我們遇到了很多大大小小不同的困難。首先，我們組是以3D打印的想法作為創業的目標，然而當時我們對3D打印的技術，以及3D打印機的操作也是略懂一二，因此我們在打印的過程中曾經遇過膠料堵塞、平台沒有校準等問題，這讓我們的創業進度曾經停滯不前...(更多)

鄒秀清 (宗教、哲學及倫理)
參與活動：向量繪圖課程

從上學期報讀了學校教育學系 2+3 的通識教育課程後，我一直為自己將來成為一位老師作準備。在疫情下，全港學生都需要使用網上教學上課。同時配合現今越來越先進的科技，我認為電子學習會是未來十年的趨勢，未來電子學習將會廣泛地應用在學習中。在電子學習的時代，老師不能只依靠傳統教學工具進行教學。他們需要應用不同的電子學習工具如：電子白板、平板電腦等，指導學生實現主動學習的目標。有見及此，暑假的時候我就決定要在這個學期報讀向量繪圖課程。我認為通過報讀課程，可以學習到不同的電子繪圖技巧，從而在教學中，設計一些與教學互相呼應的繪圖。同時，這個課程也可以訓練我的排版技巧。因為在未來的教學中，可能很多時候都需要製作簡報。這個時候便可以運用學習到的技巧，放置不同的圖片、圖形吸引學生更留心上課...(更多)

FAQs

FORM I: Confirmation of Eligibility

FORM II: Funding Application for Specific Learning Activity