Prince Philip Scholarship at Cambridge | How to Apply
Founded in 1981, the Prince Philip Scholarship provides full financial support for talented Hong Kong students pursuing an undergraduate degree at the University of Cambridge. Managed by The Friends of Cambridge University in Hong Kong, the award combines means-tested funding with a fixed £4,500 annual cash stipend and return airfare to ensure financial need does not stand in the way of academic ambition.
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Unlike standard independent grants, the Prince Philip Scholarship is integrated directly into Cambridge’s standard admissions system, and the cycle covering entry in 2027 is already underway. This guide breaks down the eligibility criteria, what the funding package covers, and how to coordinate your UCAS submission with the scholarship application process.
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Prince Philip Scholarship Summary
| Scholarship Name ⇒ | Prince Philip Scholarship |
| Host Country ⇒ | United Kingdom |
| Study Level ⇒ | Undergraduate |
| Benefits ⇒ | Means-tested tuition, college fees, and maintenance; plus a fixed £4,500/year cash award and return economy airfare |
| Funded by ⇒ | The Friends of Cambridge University in Hong Kong, in coordination with the University of Cambridge |
| Eligible Countries ⇒ | Hong Kong |
| Application Deadline ⇒ | The current cycle, covering entry in 2027, is open now. Admission test registration deadlines fall in September 2026, with the full application typically due mid-October |
About the Program and Getting Hong Kong Students to Cambridge
The Prince Philip Scholarship exists for one specific purpose: enabling talented Hong Kong students to pursue an undergraduate degree at the University of Cambridge without financial background standing in the way. It’s run entirely by The Friends of Cambridge University in Hong Kong, a body that has funded and managed the scheme since 1981, working alongside generous donors to ensure recipients receive genuinely full financial support for the whole of their undergraduate studies.
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What distinguishes this scholarship from a purely need-based bursary is how tightly it’s woven into the actual Cambridge admissions process itself, rather than sitting alongside it as an afterthought. Your UCAS application and your Scholarship application must name the same Cambridge College preference, your school principal is directly involved in endorsing your candidacy, and the interview process runs on a timeline coordinated with, not separate from, your College’s own admissions interviews. This is a scholarship built by people who understood the Cambridge admissions system from the inside, and it shows in how deliberately the two processes are linked together.
What the Prince Philip Scholarship at Cambridge Covers
The award is structured around two distinct components:
- Means-tested core support, covering your University tuition fee, your College fee, and your annual maintenance costs, calculated based on your family’s financial circumstances rather than as a flat amount for every recipient
- A fixed cash award of £4,500 per year, paid regardless of your means-tested result, on top of the core support above
- Return economy airfare, covering your travel between Hong Kong and the UK
For scholars who go on to complete their BA at Cambridge, a further scholarship is available to continue into a one-year taught postgraduate degree — meaning strong recipients aren’t necessarily done with Prince Philip Scholarship support once their undergraduate degree concludes, provided they apply for and are approved for this continuation award.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for the Prince Philip Scholarship, applicants generally need to meet the following:
- You must be a Hong Kong Permanent Resident
- You must be currently attending the final year of secondary school, or its equivalent, at the time of application
- Applicants with Home Fee status in the United Kingdom are not eligible — this scholarship is specifically for genuinely overseas Hong Kong applicants
- There is no fixed age requirement, though applicants under 18 at the point of admission are encouraged to check Cambridge’s own website for any additional requirements or restrictions that may apply to younger students
- You must not already be registered as a student at any university or tertiary education institution, whether in Hong Kong or overseas — registering elsewhere while your application is pending automatically and immediately withdraws and cancels it, even if a scholarship offer had already been made
- No particular examination system is preferred — HKDSE, GCE A-Levels, the International Baccalaureate, and many other national qualifications at an equivalent level are all equally acceptable
- You must apply for admission to the University of Cambridge through UCAS, since the Scholarship exists specifically to fund Cambridge undergraduate study and cannot be held independently of a Cambridge place
- Applicants studying at schools outside Hong Kong or the UK may face an earlier application deadline than the standard date — this should be confirmed directly rather than assumed
Selection itself is based solely on academic criteria — your demonstrated ability and potential, and how well suited you are to the specific course you’ve applied for. Participation in extracurricular activities unrelated to your intended course carries no weight in selection, though interviewers may reasonably ask about relevant interests or experiences you’ve mentioned in your own application where they connect meaningfully to your chosen subject.
Required Documents for the Prince Philip Scholarship at Cambridge
Applications run through a coordinated process involving both your school and The Friends of Cambridge University in Hong Kong directly:
- A completed UCAS application to the University of Cambridge, naming a College preference that matches your Scholarship application exactly — applicants genuinely unsure of their College choice may submit an “open application” on both forms without any disadvantage to their selection chances
- The Prince Philip Scholarship Application Form, completed in line with the detailed Application Guidelines published by The Friends of Cambridge University in Hong Kong
- A School Principal’s Confidential Report, which your Principal must complete and forward directly to The Friends of Cambridge University in Hong Kong, separate from your own submission
- Any additional documents specified within that year’s Application Guidelines, which should be read carefully alongside the form itself, since requirements and instructions are set out there in full
Application Process for the Prince Philip Scholarship at Cambridge
- Apply for undergraduate admission to the University of Cambridge through UCAS, selecting a College preference that will also appear on your Scholarship application.
- Register for whichever admission test your intended course requires, well ahead of that test’s own deadline — for the current cycle, this includes the LNAT for Law applicants (mid-September), the UCAT for Medicine applicants (mid-September), and the ESAT for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Engineering, Natural Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine applicants (late September).
- Read the current Application Guidelines carefully, and complete the Scholarship Application Form in line with them.
- Arrange for your School Principal to complete the Confidential Report and forward it, along with your other attachments, directly to The Friends of Cambridge University in Hong Kong, ensuring it arrives by the stated deadline.
- Submit your complete Scholarship application by the stated deadline — mid-October for the standard cycle, though applicants at schools outside Hong Kong or the UK should confirm whether an earlier date applies to them specifically.
- If shortlisted, expect an interview invitation between November and December, with Scholarship and College interviews typically taking place from December into January.
- Await your Scholarship decision, typically communicated around March — and note that failing to secure the Scholarship specifically does not preclude receiving a conditional College offer independently, since the two decisions, while coordinated, are not strictly the same outcome.
Application Deadline
The current cycle, covering entry to Cambridge in 2027, is open. Admission test registration deadlines fall through September 2026 — the LNAT on September 15, the UCAT on September 16, and the ESAT on September 28 — with the full Scholarship application itself typically due in mid-October, based on the previous cycle’s deadline of October 15. Interview invitations follow in November and December, interviews themselves run from December into January, and final Scholarship decisions are communicated around March.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Prince Philip Scholarship currently open for applications?
Yes. The cycle covering entry in 2027 is active now, with admission test registration deadlines in September 2026 and the full Scholarship application typically due in mid-October.
Do I need to already have a Cambridge offer before applying for this Scholarship?
No, the two processes run in parallel and are coordinated together — you apply to Cambridge through UCAS and submit your Scholarship application around the same time, naming the same College preference on both.
What happens if I don’t win the Scholarship — do I lose my Cambridge offer too?
Not necessarily. Failing to secure a Prince Philip Scholarship nomination does not preclude receiving a conditional offer of a place at a Cambridge College independently.
Can I still apply if I’m undecided on which Cambridge College I want?
Yes. You can submit an “open application” on both your UCAS form and your Scholarship application form without any disadvantage to your chances of selection.
Does the Scholarship end after my undergraduate degree?
Not necessarily. Scholars who complete a BA at Cambridge may apply for a further scholarship to continue into a one-year taught postgraduate degree.
Is there flexibility in which qualification system I studied under?
Yes. HKDSE, GCE A-Levels, the IB, and many other equivalent national examination systems are all equally acceptable, with no preference given to any particular one.
Disclaimer: All programme details, deadlines, and eligibility criteria in this post were verified from official sources as of August 2026. Information is subject to change without notice. Always confirm the latest details, including exact deadlines for your specific circumstances, directly on The Friends of Cambridge University in Hong Kong’s official website before applying. ScholarWaka is not affiliated with the University of Cambridge or The Friends of Cambridge University in Hong Kong.
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