Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) welcomes the enhancement measures for the Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/Sectors (SSSDP) announced by The Education Bureau today (28 December). The measures include the expansion of the Scheme to designated top-up degree (TUD) programmes. A total of 460 places for 14 full-time undergraduate TUD programmes offered by HKMU for the 2023/24 cohort will receive the subsidy (see Table 1), which is the highest number among all self-financed institutions.

HKMU President Prof. Paul Lam Kwan-sing said he supported the Government's latest enhancement measures, which are conducive to the development of Vocational and Professional Education Training (VPET) development in Hong Kong. The measures will also provide young adults with a wide variety of quality education, especially related to those industries with keen manpower demand, as well as nurture talent for societal development. “The further expansion of the SSSDP will help alleviate the financial burden on students and allow self-financing institutions to play an important role in cultivating professionals,” said Prof. Lam.

In the 2023/24 cohort, 1,715 places will be granted to HKMU's 18 undergraduate programmes, including First-Year-First-Degree (FYFD) and TUD programmes. The annual subsidy for laboratory-based programmes will be HK$78,280, while that for non-laboratory-based programmes will be HK$44,950.

Moreover, starting in the 2023/24 academic year, JUPAS and non-JUPAS admissions for the FYFD SSSDP programmes may take place in parallel, and the limit for non-JUPAS local students has been increased to 20% of subsidised places in the respective programmes.

HKMU has strived to tailor professional programmes to adapt to market trends and meet industry needs to provide students with quality professional education and good career prospects, which is in line with the Government's policy. Additional resources have been allocated to cultivate and further strengthen the University's industry partnership. The University will continue to work with industry experts on curriculum design and implementation, and seek their support in areas such as providing internships, mentorships and service learning, as well as practical research and development projects for students' capstone work.

The University is committed to nurturing talent to support specific industries with keen manpower demand. Two new programmes, namely, the Bachelor of Arts with Honours in New Music and Interactive Entertainment and the Bachelor of Science with Honours in Construction Management and Surveying, have received a total of HK$73.9 million under the Government's Enhancement and Start-up Grant Scheme for Self-financing Post-secondary Education and are currently under development for launch in the 2024/25 academic year. HKMU will work closely with the Government in the hope of including these two programmes in the SSSDP scheme next year.

For more information about HKMU's SSSDP programmes, please visit: https://admissions.hkmu.edu.hk/ug/student-finance/government-subsidies/.

Table 1: Subsidised top-up degree programmes under SSSDP (2023/24 Academic Year)