How I Secured a Fully Funded Bachelor's at The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Through the HKU Belt and Road Scholarship

Hi guys! My name is Muhammad Nusayr Bin Rahman. I am a Year 3 Mechanical Engineering undergraduate at The University of Hong Kong (HKU). I am here as an international student from Bangladesh, and have been in Hong Kong for about 2 years now.

My engineering interests have existed for as long as I can remember. From trying to separate the sodium from table salt at home (doesn’t work btw ☹), to planning a rocket launch using springs in 8th grade – most of my “sidequests” were of such nature. Pairing my math/physics-y A-level experience, Mechanical Engineering seemed to be the best fit for me. And I wasn’t wrong! As tough as the classes are, I get to struggle in courses that I genuinely like. So there’s a sense of achievement every time I understand something, and the courses carry more weight than just GPA.

HKU Belt and Road Scholarship Details

I received the HKU Belt and Road Scholarship for my undergraduate studies at The University of Hong Kong. The award value equals that of the tuition fees for international students registered in a Bachelor of Engineering Program, and is subject to renewal based on academic performance. The exact value changes due to changes in tuition fees.

Were You Offered Any Other Scholarships?

I applied to some other universities, mostly in the United States, and received some scholarship offers from them. It has been a while, so I do not remember all of them, but some of them are:

• Saint Louis University (SLU) Entrance scholarship – covered the tuition fees for SLU
• University of Cincinnati (UC) Entrance scholarship – covered a part of the tuition fees at UC.

Educational Background

I studied the Cambridge CIE A levels and IGCSEs before my undergraduate studies. By the grace of God, I had some incredible support in high school and managed to pull through these pretty smoothly. One of my favourite academic highlights is receiving back-to-back world-highest in Cambridge A-level Mathematics in 2023 and 2024. It meant a lot to my parents and teachers, and it made me very happy.

IGCSEs were a bit too simple in my opinion, but A levels helped me prepare for university very well. Specifically, A levels Further Maths (9231) was inexplicably helpful in engineering courses. It familiarized me with complex operations and how to navigate them. A levels Physics (9702) and Chemistry (9701) also helped me widen a lot of concepts, which made a lot of the engineering courses - like materials, dynamics and electronics - more digestible in university.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to The University of Hong Kong?

How Did You Find Information About HKU Belt and Road Scholarship and The University of Hong Kong?

This was one of the toughest bits in my opinion. As helpful as the official websites are, the information is ALL OVER THE PLACE, and it’s so tough to navigate through. A good approach was to start from the international admissions page and look into scholarships/tuition fees shown there first.

Another thing I did often, if applying to some uni with a few friends, we would divide segments of the official webpages, and share notes later. This would make the process mildly simpler.

And lastly, good documentation was an ABSOLUTE NECESSITY. For me, Google Sheets saved the day here.

And lastly, a very helpful aspect is to request a meeting with an admission representative from the university of interest (f2f or online). Because they deliver very precise, targeted info that students find helpful, but this can only be done for a few universities of interest, as the process is rather time-consuming. School-arranged uni meets/sharing were also very helpful here, but I usually had to push the representatives for more info that was not made public in general.

Did You Take Any Standardized Tests? If So, How Did You Prepare for Them?

Yes, I took the SATs and IELTS.

To be very honest, I did not prepare too well for the IELTS. I had a pretty good grip on English on the whole, and had a “just go for it” vibe for the test. Luckily, 2 past papers 1 day before the exam worked out for me and I managed an 8.0, but in retrospect, it’s definitely not a recommended approach. That being said, it’s important to know what examiners look for in these exams, which I think I did; thus, it was a bit easier to score. The best source for these is to look through solving videos on YouTube, which helped me a lot.

For SATs, the Bluebook test quizzes were extremely helpful, and I did a few of those mainly. Aside from that, the solving videos were very helpful too, as they showed some tips and tricks to manage time better.

I know there’s a lot of resources online, but a good rule of thumb for me was to try watching the longer videos on 2x, they usually had SOMETHING on offer by the end of the videos.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for the HKU Belt and Road Scholarship?

I had a main personal statement revolving around my interest in studying the subject. I would use this baseline model to modify and add/subtract specifics relating to the scholarship/university I was applying for. This was helpful for me because one of my biggest struggles is in “starting off”. But once I had this base ready, I could build up on it.

Another important pre-step was to sort and tag all my activities and involvements, particularly in high school. I had a Google Doc listing all my clubs, awards, voluntary work, competitions, etc. – and would refer to this while working on the scholarship applications. This streamlined the process greatly.

Lastly, I would usually take feedback from friends (over AI) for linguistic refinements and adjustments. I’d rarely change core points based on others’ opinions, though. And VERY

IMPORTANTLY, I ensured to write info that was 100% accurate. Any minimal form of misinformation, even if by mistake, would have damaging repercussions on the application if detected. Plus, authenticity was easier to display, rather than a made-up persona. It was important for me to highlight the non-academic aspects of me too. I didn’t want to portray a person who’s 24/7 in books. Rather wanted to show that even when I was out of academics, I was doing something productive and valuable for myself and society.

How is Your Experience at The University of Hong Kong?

HKU has been an incredible experience for me. The academic part is as expected – pretty tough but rewarding to pull through.

I have been working part-time in HKU’s Communication Support Services, which was a great way to meet new people and contribute meaningfully. I also helped the HKU Common Core Department as a data-collection intern, and again, met some amazing people. These opportunities for genuine connections are the best part about HKU for me. My best experiences are building model aircrafts with HKU Design, Build and Fly, and being an active member of clubs such as HKU Muslim Students’ Association and HKU Cricket Club. HKU lets me express all my sides. I also love the trips they organize to Mainland China; it complements my interests in travelling and photography, while allowing me to meet incredible new people.

HKU’s funding schemes are also amazing. I ended up pitching multiple projects of various dimensions (hardware engineering, software engineering, medical health products, etc), and even secured support for a few.

Are Your Classes Conducted in English or Cantonese?

English

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

I think my strong point was definitely academics. Getting the world's highest in A-level Mathematics definitely acted as a booster, especially for an institution as academically oriented as HKU. But that being said, it definitely benefited from elements that highlighted my personality that came WITH the academic orientation. This involved small things like short humorous elements in essays, or listing activities that leaned more towards non-academic aspects (Model UN, leading clubs/etc). Or even within academics, highlighting more self-learning activities through YouTube/online courses.

I think my academic record is pretty good, but not incredibly stand-out exceptional. Thus, pairing with smaller elements that reflect a jolly, friendly personality, and a lot of self-learning, I was able to highlight a nice package that can develop in the respective institutions.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again?

Probably done a few more specific activities that complemented academic interests. Like maybe a few projects. I would also develop my coding skills, as that’s a very much needed essential for all fields nowadays, and would have been a nice addition. A research experience would have helped a lot too, as my interests in academia were very visible, but had no strong backing in terms of experience.

What Advice Would You Give Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

To plan ahead and start with more time in hand.

Look through details, and plan with friends if possible – crosschecking notes helps a lot!

Mention your strengths AND highlight how you are working on your weaknesses. Show how your actions complement your interests.

Try to add a unique back story for liking the subject. There is ALWAYS a “turning point”, we just are unaware sometimes. Try to identify it and highlight it!

Try to mention activities/extra-curriculars you have been involved with for a while (6 months or more), and highlight how they link with your academic interests.