CUHK
News Centre

Twelve undergraduate and graduate students of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have received full fellowships/studentships amounting to more to HK$20m from top universities in North America to further their studies. The students will be leaving for the universities by September. Seven had been admitted to CUHK via the Early Admissions Scheme (EAS). The universities include Stanford, California Institute of Technology, Columbia, Indiana, UCLA, Illinois, North Carolina, and Waterloo. In order to attract excellent overseas graduates, these universities generally provide each student with a 5-year scholarship of US$40,000 – $50,000 per year, in order that they could concentrate on their research and studies overseas.

Chairman of the Department of Mathematics, Prof. Lau Ka-sing is heartened by the students' performance. “We are very happy to have 12 students receiving full scholarships from famous institutions. The mathematics departments of these universities usually accept only a handful of overseas graduates per year, but this year, they have offered full scholarships to twelve of our students. This is a recognition of their academic ability. I hope that they will make the best of this wonderful opportunity and serve Hong Kong after they complete their studies.”

Prof. Raymond Chan, Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Science says, “Besides mathematics, some of the students will pursue studies in engineering and applied science. In the past, some also pursued studies in economics and finance. We can see the possibilities of a mathematics major are many.”

In the past, more than 20% of CUHK mathematics graduates chose to further their studies. The percentage is very encouraging compared to any famous university in the world, and it proves that the academic capabilities of CUHK students have been internationally recognized. During the past three years, over 20 CUHK graduates have received full scholarships from famous universities in North America and Europe to further their studies, such as Princeton University and Cornell University. Clearly, CUHK has the capability to produce world-class mathematics graduates and is well positioned to compete with the best in the world. Besides, the Department conducts important research with very promising findings.

The Department is also committed to nurturing exceptionally gifted secondary students in Hong Kong. The “Enrichment Programme for Young Mathematics Talents” hosted by the Department has helped many talented secondary students to gain admission to top universities in Hong Kong and overseas. The “Hang Lung Mathematics Award” initiated by the Department is another prestigious mathematics honour for local secondary students.

Besides academic excellence, CUHK also attaches great importance to the whole person development of students. To broaden their horizons and increase their competitive edge, CUHK has remained in close contact with world-famous universities and organizations to provide students the opportunity to go on exchange and internship. Over the past three years, some 70 CUHK mathematics students have gone on exchange or internship to universities in different countries. Moreover, there are also some 10 outstanding overseas students from North America, Europe and Asia coming to the Department for exchange and research, resulting in a truly international learning environment.