Information checked ·
On this page
University study as a dependant: status, funding and admission
A dependant visa does not automatically confer funding eligibility or a university place. Under the announced arrangements, dependants first issued a visa before age 18 must also meet residence requirements for subsidised post-secondary places and funding.
| Entry year | Residence requirement for these dependants | Action now |
|---|---|---|
| 2027/28 | Transition: one year before course commencement. | Check the institution’s school-attendance or movement-record evidence. |
| 2028/29 onwards | Two years before course commencement. | Build actual residence into the education timeline early. |
If you do not meet the residence requirements, ask the institution which courses and categories remain open to you. Admission still depends on academic and course criteria. Other categories, including permanent residents, have separate rules.
Residence evidence: local schooling or movement records
For the announced JUPAS first-year bachelor’s arrangements, evidence may be full-time attendance at a regular Hong Kong school during the relevant period ending 31 May in the entry year. Alternatively, Immigration movement records may establish no more than 90 days outside Hong Kong in each relevant year. The period is one year for the 2027/28 transition and normally two years afterwards.
This is not a general “275 days” rule for immigration, permanent residence or all schools. Institutions assess other programmes on similar principles, and funding eligibility is reviewed annually. Confirm the applicable period, evidence and exceptions with the institution.
Bring five records together before applying
- Date and age when the child first received a dependant visa.
- Current visa, permission expiry and status category.
- Target course, entry year and whether it is government-funded.
- Relevant Hong Kong full-time schooling or movement records.
- The institution’s written funding-eligibility assessment, evidence deadline and review process.
For a 2028/29 intake, plan early for the applicable two-year residence requirement. Residence that did not occur cannot be added retrospectively after an offer in 2028.
Ask specific questions, not only “Am I local?”
Tell the institution your visa category, age at first issue and intended intake. Ask whether you meet the course’s admission and funding criteria, which period your residence evidence must cover, who supplies each record and how a change in status is reviewed.
Local/non-local classification, funding eligibility and admission are separate assessments. Keep written replies.