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Link University Scholarship, established in 2015, is Link’s flagship programme supporting local youth development. Over the past decade, the scholarship’s distinctive application criteria and evaluation process have gained widespread recognition from students, universities, schools, NGOs, and community groups. Much like a thriving tree, it has taken root in Hong Kong’s educational landscape, nurturing successive generations of bright young minds.
Link University Scholarship specifically targets first-generation university students – outstanding students who are the first generation in their family to attend a local university in Hong Kong. This non-means-tested award aims to alleviate financial burdens while encouraging recipients to pursue their aspirations and improve their social mobility.
When the scholarship was launched in 2015, it offered only 50 places – but received 200 applications. To cater to this overwhelming response, Link promptly increased the number of places to 100. The programme has steadily expanded since then. By 2021/22, despite the challenges of the pandemic, Link decided to broaden the scholarship’s eligibility beyond University Grants Committee-funded institutions. The programme extended to cater for students from self-financing institutions and those admitted to local universities through non-JUPAS routes, with the number of scholarships further increasing to 220. At present, students from 12 local universities are eligible to apply.
A decade on, Link University Scholarship has grown significantly, becoming one of Hong Kong’s largest corporate scholarship programmes. The company has invested more than $36.4 million and awarded more than 1,800 scholarships, with 21 outstanding students receiving support for four consecutive years.
Each scholarship recipient receives $20,000. Besides easing financial worries, the scholarship creates opportunities for growth. Chan Wing-yin, a history student at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, explains: “The scholarship meant I didn’t have to struggle to make ends meet. I was able to fully commit to my studies and join activities that broadened my horizons. I even used some of the funds to learn sign language to communicate with the hearing-impaired, enabling me to connect with a diverse range of people.”
In addition to changing students’ present circumstances, the scholarship’s impact extends to their future. Kelvin Hui, who studies physiotherapy at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, says, “Coming from an ordinary family, this scholarship means a great deal to me. I hope to improve my family’s living conditions after graduation.”
This support represents not just an individual opportunity but a pathway for upward family mobility, helping countless students turn their aspirations into reality. Most gratifyingly, yesterday’s saplings have grown into new trees. Several four-time scholarship recipients now serve on judging panels and participate in applicant interviews, transitioning from beneficiaries to mentors.
Nick Li, who graduated from The University of Hong Kong, is one of them: “The scholarship inspired me to pay it forward and actively help those in need when I have the means. I hope to encourage others to take on this ‘take and give’ spirit, extending these roots of support throughout our community.”
If Link University Scholarship is a tree, it certainly owes its flourishing to the nourishment and support from the judges who select the recipients. Each year, dozens of seasoned professionals from the government, public organisations, the private sector, social welfare agencies, social enterprises and media come together to assess applicants. They engage with scholarship applicants face-to-face, focusing not only on academic achievements but also on students’ personal qualities, community contributions and future potential, identifying which promising new buds will be nurtured by this growing canopy of support.
The scholarship has also fostered its own ecosystem – Link Scholars Alumni. Here, scholarship recipients serve society and better understand themselves and their community through career workshops, environmental volunteering and cultural inclusion activities. Young scholars from different universities and disciplines forge meaningful bonds through alumni activities, exchanging ideas and experiences while helping each other grow.
In a significant development last year, Link Scholars Alumni formed a committee, allowing scholars to evolve from participants to organisers. One member, Adrian So from The University of Hong Kong, shares: “Joining the committee gave me the opportunity to organise activities, experience new things and gain different kinds of fulfilment.”
Beyond the alumni committee, several scholars have secured summer internship opportunities at Link, gaining valuable work experience for career development.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the listing of Link REIT and continue supporting the next generation, Link is establishing Link 20th Anniversary Outstanding Students Scholarship for secondary school students. The special scholarship will recognise academic excellence alongside contributions to schools and communities, deepening Link’s commitment to nurturing young talent in their educational journey for generations to come. .
