HKPFS PhD Interview: Criteria and Questions

HKPFS PhD Interview: Criteria and Questions

The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) interview is held by the university, not by the Research Grants Council (RGC). The RGC's 2027/28 Guidance Note says each "university will usually conduct interviews with applicants as part of the assessment for selection", and CUHK schedules its HKPFS interviews for September to December 2026. The RGC's initial application closes on 1 December 2026 at 12:00 noon Hong Kong time.

The interview is the one stage where someone hears you speak, and two of the RGC's four published criteria are about how you deal with people. Our view: this is where a strong-on-paper applicant can lose ground, on the two criteria that are not about research. Prepare one true example for "communication and interpersonal skills" and one for "leadership abilities", as carefully as you prepare your project summary.

Every RGC and university page quoted below was checked on 31 October 2026. University interview formats are not published centrally; the invitation email is the authority for yours.

How HKPFS selection works

Two consequences follow (our reading):

• The university interview decides whether you are nominated at all. Only nominated candidates reach the RGC panels.
• Your first choice matters at both levels. If two universities nominate you, "the RGC will only process the nomination tendered by the university for which the applicant has indicated priority". HKU adds that "declining the offer from the institution placed in the 1st choice will not lead to the transfer of offer to the institution placed in the 2nd choice" (HKU Graduate School).

Because CUHK's interview window runs from September and the application deadline is in December, an early application can be interviewed early. Our recommendation: submit the full university application weeks before 1 December, not on the day.

The award is large enough to explain the competition. The RGC page states that "In the 2026/27 academic year, the Fellowship provides an annual stipend of HK$344,400" plus a travel allowance of "HK$14,400", and that "400 PhD Fellowships will be awarded in the 2027/28 academic year". HKU states the 2027/28 award as "HK$28,700 per month" (our arithmetic: HK$28,700 × 12 = HK$344,400). HKU's own page says "Around 300 fellowships are awarded by the RGC each academic year", so the two pages give different counts; the RGC's is the scheme's own figure.

The four criteria and the questions they produce

The RGC states: "While candidates' academic excellence is of primary consideration, the Selection Panels will take into account factors as follows: Academic excellence; Research ability and potential; Communication and interpersonal skills; and Leadership abilities." CUHK lists the same four, plus "Cultural Diversity", under its HKPFS requirements.

No page publishes interview questions. The questions below are ours: what a panel would need to ask to test each criterion.

Write your one-minute summary for the panel, not for your supervisor. The RGC's two panels each cover broad areas ("Sciences, Medicine, Engineering and Technology" and "Humanities, Social Sciences and Business Studies"), so a nominated application will be read by people outside your subfield. Our guide to the HKPFS research proposal and personal statement maps the same criteria onto the written documents; this page covers what you say in the room.

For the general structure of a research interview, PhD interview questions for international students covers the common questions, and tell me about yourself in a PhD interview covers the opening answer.

Leadership examples for researchers

Leadership does not need a student-union title. For a research applicant, a role counts if three things are true: you made a decision, other people acted on it, and you can say what happened. Examples that meet that test: running a reading group, training a junior student on a method, coordinating data collection across a team, organising a seminar series.

What does not meet it: a list of positions with no decision in them, or a group project where you cannot name your own call.

Constructed example: a leadership answer, weak and revised

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant's answer.

Context (invented): Li Wen, an MSc student in materials science in mainland China, is asked "Tell us about a time you showed leadership."

Weak version (45 words):

I am a natural leader. In my lab I organised a journal club, which improved everyone's research skills and teamwork. I also served as class monitor for two years and was responsible for many activities. I believe leadership is very important for a PhD student.

Revised version (98 words):

In my second MSc year our lab's weekly meeting had stopped discussing papers. I proposed a journal club and asked for one slot every two weeks. The hard part was attendance: after a month only three of nine students came. I changed the format so each first-year student presented with a senior partner, and I posted the paper five days ahead. By the end of the semester most of the group was attending, and two first-year students used papers from the club in their thesis proposals. Next time I would ask the group to choose papers, not me.

Why the revision works: the weak version claims the trait. The revised version shows a decision ("I changed the format"), the people who acted on it, a result stated without an invented statistic, and a limitation. That last line also answers the "communication and interpersonal skills" criterion, because it shows the applicant listening to the group.

The countercase: academic excellence is "of primary consideration" on the RGC page. A good leadership answer does not rescue a weak academic record, and an applicant with an outstanding record and a thin leadership example is not out of the running. Prepare the example anyway; the RGC page does not say how the four are weighed.

NUS and NTU PhD interviews

We tried to verify Singapore interview practice for this page and could not. NUS pages returned an automated-traffic block when we checked on 31 October 2026, so this page quotes nothing from NUS. NTU's graduate research admission guide loaded but does not mention an interview. If you are applying in Singapore, read your department's admissions page and the invitation email. The preparation method above (one example per criterion, a one-minute summary for a non-specialist) does not depend on the country.

Questions about HKPFS interviews

Applying for a taught master's in Hong Kong instead? See Hong Kong master's interview questions.

Does the RGC interview HKPFS applicants?

The Guidance Note says the universities do: "Individual university will usually conduct interviews with applicants as part of the assessment for selection." The RGC's Selection Panels then review shortlisted applications.

When are HKPFS interviews?

CUHK lists "Sep - Dec 2026" for 2027/28. Other universities set their own dates; check the invitation.

What if I am interviewed but not awarded the fellowship?

The Guidance Note says applicants not selected "may be accepted by a university for regular PhD admission and may be offered a postgraduate studentship or other funding support by the university." CUHK states that "all PhD candidates nominated by CUHK for the RGC but not selected for HKPFS will receive a regular PhD place" with its Vice-Chancellor's PhD Scholarship.

Will the RGC tell me why I was not selected?

No. The Guidance Note says the RGC "will not provide feedback to individual applicant."

Can I ask the panel questions at the end?

Yes, and you should have two ready about the supervisor's current projects and the first-year plan. Our list of questions to ask a professor in a PhD interview is a starting point, and a short thank-you email after a PhD interview can carry anything you forgot to say.

Who writes my reference reports?

Your referees, through each university's system. Our guide to HKPFS referee reports covers the deadlines and who to ask.

Get a free review of your personal statement

Get a free Quick Review of your personal statement against GradPilot's general PhD statement of purpose rubric, the closest rubric we have for a Hong Kong PhD application. It reads whether your statement presents a clear research direction, shows how your prior work prepared you for it, and explains why the programme and supervisors fit, which is what the interview panel will ask you to explain. For a US-style statement, start a PhD SOP review and choose the general PhD statement of purpose rubric; more doctoral guides are on the PhD essays hub.

Sources

Retrieved 31 October 2026, except where noted.

• Research Grants Council, Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme: criteria, Selection Panels, stipend (2026/27), number of fellowships (2027/28).
• Research Grants Council, How to Apply (2027/28): initial application dates, two choices, university deadlines.
• Research Grants Council, HKPFS 2027/28 Guidance Note for Applicants (PDF): university interviews, nomination, priority rule, results in May 2027, no feedback, regular admission if not selected.
• The Chinese University of Hong Kong Graduate School, HKPFS (2027/28): interview window, notification window, criteria, Vice-Chancellor's PhD Scholarship.
• The University of Hong Kong Graduate School, Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (2027/28): monthly award, first-choice rule, fellowship count.
• Nanyang Technological University, Research Programmes Admission Guide: no interview stated.
• National University of Singapore pages: not retrieved (automated-traffic block); not quoted.