Link 20th Anniversary Outstanding Students Scholarship

Youth empowerment has always been at the core of Link’s flagship community and charity engagement programme, Link Together Initiatives. Over the past decade, Link University Scholarship has encouraged young people in Hong Kong who are the first generation in their family to attend University to pursue upward social mobility, enhancing their quality of life and learning experiences as they work towards a brighter future.

This year, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Link REIT, Link is pleased to introduce the special “Link 20th Anniversary Outstanding Students Scholarship”. This non-means-tested scholarship for local secondary school students is designed to recognise their academic excellence and dedication to their schools and communities.

Awarding 100 Scholarships

Scholarships of varying amounts will be awarded based on the rankings announced on the interview day (second round of interview) cum awards ceremony:

1st to 5th place: HKD 6,000
6th to 30th place: HKD 4,000
31st to 100th place: HKD 1,000

More than just scholarships, we are dedicated to helping students learn and grow through the application process. All 100 awardees will benefit from our workshops focused on communication and public speaking, giving them the confidence to present their opinions effectively. The 30 finalists will gain valuable preparation for the final interview day through a special workshop on design thinking and understanding social issues.

Application Notes

Student applicants must be full-time Secondary Three OR Four students for the 2024/25 academic year. They must be nominated by their attending secondary schools and submit their applications online
Each secondary school can nominate a maximum of one eligible student

Eligibility

The nominee must be

A Hong Kong resident*, who entered local secondary schools through the following channels and is currently studying in full-time Secondary Three OR Secondary Four courses:
(A) The government, aided and caput schools participating in Secondary School Places Allocation (SSPA); or
(B) The Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) Secondary Schools participating in SSPA; or
(C) The DSS Secondary Schools NOT participating in SSPA
Demonstrating outstanding performance in both character and academics
Making exceptional contributions to the community and/or school
Actively participating in extra-curricular activities

* Definition of Hong Kong resident: https://www.basiclaw.gov.hk/en/basiclaw/chapter3.html

Application Procedures

Link has commissioned HKCSS to send an e-invitation to all local secondary schools, inviting them to nominate students to participate in this programme.

Interested schools must complete the Letter of Intent for Nomination (online) between 21 February and 5 March 2025 (at or before 4:59 pm). HKCSS will provide a link to online application system and a first-time login password to the school’s contact person via email.
The nomination should be submitted via the online application system on or before 31 March 2025 (4:59 pm). Late submissions will not be accepted.
Eligible applicants will be invited to join the first interview via the designated online platform.
After the first round of scoring, the top 30 students will be invited to attend two workshops in May and the interview day in July. Selection will be conducted by the Panel and the results will be announced at the awards ceremony on the same day^{^}. Students ranked 31^st to 100^th will also receive a commendation award^# and be invited to attend one workshop in May and the aforementioned awards ceremony in July.

^{^} Scholarships of varying amounts will be awarded based on the rankings announced on the interview day (second round of interview) cum awards ceremony
^# Based on the rankings from the first round of interviews

Programme Schedule

Deadline for the submission of the Letter of Intent for Nomination	Deadline for the submission of nomination by secondary schools	First round of video interview (online)	Workshop (1)	Workshop (2)	Scholarship interview day cum awards ceremony	Scholarship disbursement

5 March 2025 (at or before 4:59 PM)	31 March 2025 (at or before 4:59 PM)	9 - 14 April 2025	17 May 2025	24 May 2025	5 July 2025	On or before Late September 2025

Use of Scholarship

Awardees can make use of the grant to realise their goals and plans for improving of their learning environment, seeking further learning opportunities and/or serving the community.

Enquiry

For enquiries, please contact HKCSS (20aoss@hkcss.org.hk) or Link (linktogetherinitiatives@linkreit.com).

Data Privacy and Use of Personal Information

According to the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, Link and HKCSS will use the personal data for various contact and verification purposes, and also for direct marketing of the Link 20A Scholarship defined in the Personal Information Collection Statement and Guideline for the Use of Personal Data of HKCSS. If there is any inconsistency, Link’s documents shall prevail. A copy of Link’s Personal Information Collection Statement is enclosed.