STEM Internship Scheme Summer 2026 | Student Affairs Office

Set up by the Innovation and Technology Commission (“ITC”), HKSAR government, the STEM Internship Scheme (the “Scheme”) encourages STEM students to gain innovation and technology (“I&T”)-related work experience during their studies and to foster their interest in pursuing a career in I&T after graduation, so as to enlarge the local I&T talent pool.

Internship Requirements

Full-time internships in Hong Kong with duration of at least four consecutive weeks (i.e. 28 calendar days), and are advised to last no more than 59 consecutive days.
The employer should ensure that student interns have the opportunity to work in offices, fostering direct interaction with supervisors and colleagues for the majority of their internship time. Fully remote working, or remote working where the employer and the interns are in different territories, is not allowed.
I&T-related, i.e. actual work which contains sufficient I&T elements.
Internship positions directly subsidised by the Government DO NOT fall under this Scheme.
The summer internship should commence no earlier than May 2026.

Employer Registration

Internship Vacancy Posting

Each employer may request for posting a maximum of five vacancies for each job position, and no more than five job positions from each employer on PolyU Job Board, and the maximum intake of student interns should be five. Please submit your request via the Job Posting Request Form.
Employers should declare details regarding the number of student interns engaged or to be engaged from all universities under the Scheme at any one time during the internship period.
PolyU will verify each job description to ensure the job is I&T-related. Employer will be notified within five working days whether the vacancy is eligible for posting.
Employers may be requested to provide supporting information and proofs as may be considered necessary to substantiate that the internships offered are I&T-related and proper.
After verification, the vacancy will be posted on PolyU Job Board. Interested students would follow the instructions and make their applications directly to the employer.
The employer will contact the student applicant(s) and conduct own screening and selection.
Please set an application deadline for each vacancy to at least three weeks before the start date of the internship to allow time for processing the verification of student’s eligibility and employment confirmation.

Student’s Eligibility Verification and Employment Confirmation

Upon offer confirmation, the employer should complete the Eligibility Verification Form for student’s eligibility verification and obtain confirmation from PolyU in relation to student’s eligibility/funding availability.
The employer should not commence the internship prior to receiving PolyU’s approval of the application and the duly signed internship agreement.
PolyU will advise the employer regarding the eligibility of the proposed student intern (within five working days for local undergraduate students and within 14 days for non-local/postgraduate students) after receiving the completed Eligibility Verification Form.
Student applications have to go through PolyU for approval, which is subject to student eligibility, internship nature, and funding availability at students’ time of submission.
The employer should submit the Eligibility Verification Form with the company/organisation and internship details for verification and approval, if they have not submitted the Job Posting Request Form or the Eligibility Verification Form prior to students’ applications to the Scheme.
The Scheme will be closed when the provision of funding is exhausted.

Allowance and Disbursement

The allowance for the internship for each student intern is HK$11,490 per month (i.e. 30 days), capped at two months. The abovesaid allowance will be disbursed directly to student interns by PolyU. The actual amount is subject to change, pending confirmation by ITC.
The employer can, at own discretion and expenses, extend the internship duration or offer additional allowance to the student intern(s), provided that the arrangements comply with the Employment Ordinance, the Minimum Wage Ordinance, the Mandatory Provident Fund Ordinance, and other related ordinances.
Salary, wage and any expected allowance, including the allowance under the Scheme, should be clearly stated in the employment contract for the internship.
The employer is expected to remind and support the student intern(s) to complete online application(s) upon offer confirmation, the required documents for disbursement after the internship, and communicate with PolyU as early as possible if any problem arises that would affect the disbursement of the allowance.

See Guidelines for Employers for more details.

Enquiries
Tel: 3400 2446
Email: stem.cps@polyu.edu.hk

Eligibility

As required by ITC, the Scheme is open to undergraduates and postgraduates who are:

local or non-local students enrolling in one of the full-time STEM programmes (please refer to the “List of Eligible STEM Programmes” on this page) recognised by ITC to be eligible for the Scheme;
from any year of studies; and
legally employable in Hong Kong.
Non-local students are capped at a quota of 40% of all PolyU participants. Quota is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the quota is met, further non-local applications will be put on hold or rejected without additional notifications. These applications may proceed only if quota becomes available.

Internship Requirements

Full-time placements in Hong Kong with duration of at least four consecutive weeks (i.e. 28 calendar days), allowance capped at two months.
The duration of the internship is the number of calendar days in the contract period, and the start and end days of the internship should be working days. If the internship start/end days fall on Saturday, General Holiday or Statutory Holiday, they will be regarded as unpaid leave.
I&T-related internship positions, i.e. actual work which contains sufficient I&T elements.
The summer internship should commence no earlier than May 2026, with a duration of at least four consecutive weeks (i.e., 28 calendar days).
The internship funded by the Scheme, as required by ITC, CANNOT be used to fulfil WIE requirements. However, the internship period IN ADDITION TO that required for WIE requirements could be funded by the Scheme.
Internship positions directly subsidised by the Government DO NOT fall under this Scheme (e.g. internship programmes of the HKSAR Government).
Students must declare any potential conflicts of interest in relation with the employer and/or internship. Failure to do so may result in disqualification from the Scheme.

Application Procedures

Students can apply for STEM internship through PolyU Job Board or Faculties/Schools/Departments, or source on their own.
Submit the followings to CPS, SAO AFTER confirming a STEM internship offer and by the application deadline:

Online Application Form (for applicants undertaking an internship period in addition to their WIE requirements, click HERE)
Copy of Employment Contract
Signed Student Charter (for applicants undertaking an internship period in addition to their WIE requirements, click HERE)
Copy of Student ID Card
Copy of “No Objection Letter” (“NOL”) issued by the Immigration Department (for non-local students only)
Copy of Landing Slip (for non-local final year undergraduate students and all postgraduate students only)
Home Faculty’s/School’s/Department’s approval for student’s internship participation (for research postgraduate students only)

		Student Application Deadline
	1st Batch (Summer)	15 June 2026

Approval for student applications will be granted by CPS, SAO based on student eligibility, internship nature, and funding availability at students’ time of submission. The first batch of applications will receive priority consideration for approval. CPS, SAO may consider later batch(es) of applications subject to the funding availability.
The Scheme will be closed when the provision of funding is exhausted.
Successful applicants are required to attend a pre-internship training workshop organised by CPS, SAO.
Students should submit the following items to CPS, SAO within two weeks upon the completion of internship:

Assessment/Evaluation Form (to be filled in by both employer and student intern)
Timesheet (signed by work supervisor)
Salary Statement (if applicable)
Learning Journal and Photos

Submit bank account information to the Finance Office of PolyU (for undergraduates/taught postgraduates; for research postgraduates).

Allowance and Disbursement

Allowance for summer internship for each student intern is HK$11,490 per month (i.e. 30 days), capped at two months. The actual amount is subject to change, pending confirmation by ITC.
Student interns may receive the allowance under the Scheme for more than one internship place, PROVIDED THAT

the participating employers are different and the internship periods do NOT overlap; and
the maximum amount of allowance does NOT exceed three months in one academic year (i.e. current academic year is from 1 September 2025 to 30 August 2026).

Only students who have successfully enrolled in the Scheme, completed the entire internship, and submitted post-internship documents are eligible to receive the allowance.
Allowance will NOT be disbursed to students who fail to achieve 80% attendance rate or cannot complete the internship as planned.
Unpaid leaves will NOT be taken into consideration in the calculation of allowance under the Scheme, and will be deducted from the calculation of internship duration.
The employers may, at own discretion, offer additional allowance to student interns, which the arrangements should comply with the Employment Ordinance, the Minimum Wage Ordinance, the Mandatory Provident Fund Ordinance, and other related ordinances.
Salary, wage and any expected allowance, including the allowance under the Scheme, should be clearly stated in the employment contract for the internship.
Student interns who do NOT receive a minimum wage from employers for the internship under the Scheme should check their eligibility to work as “Work Experience Student” under the Minimum Wage Ordinance, and submit to employers the Confirmation of Student Status and the statutory declaration (Click HERE for details).
Attendance of pre-internship training workshop is a mandatory requirement for the release of allowance.
Students may expect to receive the allowance around three months after the post-internship submission.

See Guidelines for Students for more details.

Enquiries
Tel: 3400 2446
Email: stem.stud@polyu.edu.hk

Approved by ITC (as of April 2026)

Faculty/School/Department	#	Programme
Faculty of Business (FB)
Accounting and Finance (AF)	1	BBA (Hons) Scheme in Accounting and Finance (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
		BBA (Hons) in Accountancy
		BBA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance
		BBA (Hons) in Digital Finance and Investment
		BBA (Hons) in Financial Services
	2	MSc in Accounting and Finance Analytics
Logistics and Maritime Studies (LMS)	3	MSc in Operations Management
Management and Marketing (MM)	4	MSc in Business Analytics
Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE)
FCE	5	Bachelor’s Degree Scheme in Construction and Environment (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE)	6	BEng (Hons) in Building Services Engineering
	7	BEng (Hons) Scheme in Building Sciences and Engineering/ BEng (Hons) in Building Sciences and Engineering
	8	MEng Building Services Engineering
	9	MPhil / PhD (hosted by BEEE)*
	10	MSc in Building Services Engineering
	11	MSc in Facility Management
	12	MSc in Fire and Safety Engineering
	13	MSc in High Performance Buildings
	14	MSc in Sustainable Urban Development/ MSc in Carbon Neutral Cities and Urban Sustainability
Building and Real Estate (BRE)	15	BSc (Hons) Scheme in Building and Real Estate (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
		BSc (Hons) in Architectural Studies
		BSc (Hons) in Building Engineering and Management
		BSc (Hons) in Surveying
	16	MSc in Construction and Real Estate
	17	MSc in Intelligent Construction
	18	MSc in Project Management
Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)	19	BEng (Hons) in Civil Engineering
	19	BEng (Hons) in Civil Engineering (Smart Mobility) with a Secondary Major in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (AIDA)
	20	BSc (Hons) in Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health
	21	BEng (Hons) in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development
	22	BEng (Hons) in Structural and Fire Safety Engineering / BEng (Hons) in Civil Engineering (Structural and Fire Safety Engineering)
Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI)	23	BSc (Hons) Scheme in Spatial Data Science and Smart Cities (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
		BSc (Hons) in Land Surveying and Geo-informatics/ BSc (Hons) in Land Surveying and Geo-informatics with a Secondary Major in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (AIDA)
		BSc (Hons) in Urban Informatics and Smart Cities
Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences (FCMS)
FCMS	24	Bachelor’s Degree Scheme in Computer and Mathematical Sciences (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
Applied Mathematics (AMA)	25	BSc (Hons) Scheme in Applied Mathematics and Finance Analytics (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
		BSc (Hons) in Applied Mathematics/ BSc (Hons) in Applied Mathematics with a Secondary Major in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytic (AIDA)
		BSc (Hons) in Investment Science and Finance Analytics/ BSc (Hons) in Investment Science and Finance Analytics with a Secondary Major in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytic (AIDA)
		BSc (Hons) in Quantitative Finance and FinTech
	26	MPhil / PhD (hosted by AMA)*
	27	MSc in Applied Mathematics for Science and Technology - Actuarial and Investment Science
	28	MSc in Mathematics for Artificial Intelligence Technology
	29	MSc in Operational Research and Risk Analysis
	30	MSc in Quantitative Finance and Fintech
Computing (COMP)	31	BSc (Hons) Scheme in Computing
	32	BSc Scheme in Computing and AI (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
	33	MPhil / PhD (hosted by COMP)*
	34	MSc in Blockchain Technology
	35	MSc in Information Technology
	36	MSc in Metaverse Technology
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAI)	37	BSc (Hons) Scheme in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
		BSc (Hons) in Data Science and Analytics/ BSc (Hons) in Data Science and Analytics with a Secondary Major in Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IE)
		BSc (Hons) in Financial Technology and Artificial Intelligence
	38	MPhil / PhD (hosted by DSAI)*
	39	MSc in Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Computing
	40	MSc in Data Science and Analytics
Faculty of Engineering (FENG)
FENG	41	Bachelor’s Degree Scheme in Engineering (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering (AAE)	42	BEng (Hons) in Aviation Engineering
	43	BEng (Hons) Scheme in Aviation Engineering (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
		BEng (Hons) in Aeronautical Engineering
		BEng (Hons) in Air Transport Engineering
	44	MPhil / PhD (hosted by AAE)*
	45	MSc in Aviation Engineering/ MSc in Aerospace Engineering
	46	MSc in Aviation Engineering and Operations Management
	47	MSc in Low-altitude Economy
Biomedical Engineering (BME)	48	BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Engineering
Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)	49	BEng (Hons) Scheme in Electrical Engineering (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
		BEng (Hons) in Electrical Engineering/ BEng (Hons) in Electrical Engineering with a Secondary Major in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (AIDA)
		BEng (Hons) Transportation Systems Engineering
	50	BEng (Hons) in Electronic and Information Engineering
	51	BEng (Hons) in Internet-of-Things with a Secondary Major in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (AIDA)
	52	BEng (Hons) / BSc (Hons) Scheme in Information and Artificial Intelligence Engineering (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
		BEng (Hons) in Electronic Systems and Internet-of-Things/ BEng (Hons) in Electronic Systems and Internet-of-Things with a Secondary Major in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (AIDA)
		BSc (Hons) in Artificial Intelligence and Information Engineering
		BSc (Hons) in Information Security
	53	BSc (Hons) in Internet and Multimedia Technologies
	54	MPhil / PhD (hosted by EEE)*
	55	MSc in Electric Vehicles
	56	MSc in Electrical Engineering
	57	MSc in Electronic and Information Engineering
	58	MSc in Microelectronics and Quantum Systems Engineering
Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE)	59	BSc (Hons) Scheme in Logistics and Enterprise Engineering (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
		BSc (Hons) in Enterprise Engineering with Management
		BSc (Hons) in Logistics Engineering with a Secondary Major in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (AIDA)
		BSc (Hons) in Logistics Engineering with Management
	60	BEng (Hons) Scheme in Product and Industrial Engineering (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
		BEng (Hons) in Industrial and Systems Engineering
		BEng (Hons) in Product Engineering with Marketing/ BEng (Hons) in Product Engineering with a Secondary Major in Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IE)
	61	BEng (Hons) Scheme in Product Innovation and Smart Manufacturing (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
	61	BEng (Hons) in Product Innovation with Marketing BEng (Hons) in Product Innovation with Marketing with a secondary major in Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IE) BEng (Hons) in Smart Manufacturing
	62	BSc (Hons) in Aviation Operations and Systems (2-year programme)
	63	BSc (Hons) Scheme in Intelligent Supply Chain and Engineering Management (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
		BSc (Hons) in Aviation Operations and Systems
		BSc (Hons) in Engineering Management with Data Analytics
		BSc (Hons) in Intelligent Supply Chain
		BSc (Hons) in Intelligent Supply Chain Engineering with a secondary major in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (AIDA)
	64	MPhil / PhD (hosted by ISE)*
	65	MSc in Smart Manufacturing
Mechanical Engineering (ME)	66	BEng (Hons) Scheme in Mechanical Engineering (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
		BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering
		BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering with a Secondary Major in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (AIDA)
		BEng (Hons) in Product Analysis and Engineering Design
		BEng (Hons) in Intelligent Robotics Engineering
	67	MPhil / PhD (hosted by ME)*
	68	MSc in Mechanical Engineering
Faculty of Humanities (FH)
Language Science and Technology (LST)	69	BSc (Hons) in Language Sciences and Analytics/ BSc (Hons) in Language Sciences and Analytics with a Secondary Major in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (AIDA)
	70	BSc (Hons) in Language Science and Technology/ BSc (Hons) in Language Science and Technology with a Secondary Major in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (AIDA)
	71	MSc in Generative AI and the Humanities
Faculty of Health and Social Sciences (FHSS)
Health Technology and Informatics (HTI)	72	BSc (Hons) in Medical Laboratory Science
	73	BSc (Hons) in Radiography
	74	Master of Medical Imaging
	75	Master of Medical Laboratory Science
	76	MPhil / PhD (hosted by HTI)*
	77	MSc in Medical Data Science
	78	MSc in Medical Imaging and Radiation Science
	79	MSc in Medical Laboratory Science/ MSc in Medical Laboratory Science (Molecular Diagnostics)
	80	MSc in Medical Physics
Rehabilitation Sciences (RS)	81	Master in Occupational Therapy
	82	Master in Physiotherapy
	83	MPhil / PhD (hosted by RS)*
Nursing (SN)	84	MPhil / PhD (hosted by SN)*
Nursing (SN)	85	MSc in Dietetics
Optometry (SO)	86	BSc (Hons) in Optometry
	87	Doctor of Optometry
	88	Master of Science in Vision Science and Innovation
Faculty of Sciences (FS)
FS	89	Bachelor's Degree Scheme in Science (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
Applied Biology and Chemical Technology (ABCT)	90	BSc (Hons) in Analytical Sciences for Testing and Certification
	91	BSc (Hons) Scheme in Biotechnology and Chemical Technology (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
		BSc (Hons) in Applied Biology with Biotechnology/ BSc (Hons) in Applied Biology with Biotechnology with a Secondary Major in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
		BSc (Hons) in Chemical Technology
	92	MPhil / PhD (hosted by ABCT)*
	93	MSc in Biopharmaceutical Development and Commercialization
	94	MSc in Sustainable Technology for Carbon Neutrality
Applied Physics (AP)	95	BSc (Hons) in Engineering Physics
Applied Physics (AP)	96	BSc (Hons) in Physics with a Secondary Major in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (AIDA) or Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IE)
Food Science and Nutrition (FSN)	97	BSc (Hons) Scheme in Food Science and Nutrition (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
		BSc (Hons) in Food Safety and Technology
		BSc (Hons) in Human Nutrition and Health
		BSc (Hons) in Human Nutrition and Health (Nutrition in Practice)
	98	Doctor of Food Science and Management
	99	MPhil / PhD (hosted by FSN)*
	100	MSc in Dietetics
	101	MSc in Global Food Safety Management and Risk Analysis
	102	MSc in Nutrition and Healthy Ageing/ MSc in Nutrition and Healthy Ageing (Nutrition in Practice)
School of Design (SD)
SD	103	BA (Hons) in Design (Environmental Design)
		BA (Hons) in Design (Interaction Design)
		BA (Hons) in Design (Interior Design)
		BA (Hons) in Design (Media Design)
		BA (Hons) in Design (Product Design)
	104	Master of Design (Intelligent Systems Design)/ Master of Design (Smart Service Design)
	105	MSc in Innovative Multimedia Entertainment
School of Fashion and Textiles (SFT)
SFT	106	BA (Hons) Scheme in Fashion and Textiles/ BA (Hons) Scheme in Fashion (for students who have not yet specialised in their major programmes)
SFT	106	BA (Hons) in Fashion and Textiles (Technology)/ BA (Hons) in Fashion (Fashion Innovation and Technology)
School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM)
SHTM	107	MSc in Artificial Intelligence in Hospitality

*Research postgraduate students who receive Research Scholarship are NOT permitted to take up any employment with the University or with any other employers unless special approval is granted by home Faculty/School/Department.
*Research postgraduate students who would like to participate in the Scheme must seek prior approval from their home Faculty/School/Department, and provide written proof to CPS, SAO during application.

To be eligible for receiving allowance under the Scheme, the internship should last at least 28 consecutive calendar days (at least 4 consecutive weeks), with both the start and end dates as working days. To ensure full compliance with the Minimum Wage Ordinance (MWO) and the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) Ordinance, it is recommended that the internship period not exceed 59 consecutive days.

The Scheme allowance is capped at 60 days, and PolyU will disburse it directly to the student interns. Employers may extend the internship beyond 59 consecutive days, provided that the employment fully complies with the Employment Ordinance, MWO and MPF requirements.

In general, the student interns are eligible to receive allowance for the intervening non-working Saturdays, General Holidays and Statutory Holidays that fall during the internship period. If, however, the start or end days fall on Saturday, General Holiday or Statutory Holiday, they will be regarded as unpaid leave.

Student interns may take unpaid leaves during the internship. For instance, students may take unpaid leaves due to academic engagement or other justified reasons and upon mutual agreement with the employer. Unpaid leaves will not be taken into consideration in the calculation of allowance under the Scheme. The internship must still meet the Scheme’s minimum duration requirement of 28 calendar days (after deducting any unpaid leave days) to remain eligible.

A student intern may receive the allowance under the Scheme from more than one internship, provided that

the participating employers are not the same and the internship periods do not overlap; and
the maximum amount of allowance does NOT exceed three months in one academic year (i.e. the current academic year is from 1 September 2025 to 30 August 2026).

There is no restriction if the student intern has separate internships with the same employer over different academic years.

Only one period of internship in the same calendar year can be exempted from the minimum wage requirement as “Work Experience Student” under the Minimum Wage Ordinance. Details can be found at the website of Labour Department.

Student interns should work in offices to have direct interaction with supervisors and colleagues for the majority of their internship time. Fully remote working, or remote working where the employer and the interns are in different territories, is not allowed.

To minimise any potential conflict with students’ academic commitments and to ensure the internship remains full-time (at least 35 hours per week), the internship should take place during the summer break or winter break periods.

If the proposed internship period extends beyond these break periods and overlap with academic term time, the employer and student must contact SAO in advance to seek approval, confirming that the arrangement will not affect the student’s studies and meets all Scheme requirements.

The internship funded by the Scheme, as required by ITC, cannot be a compulsory requirement of the degree programme to which the student is admitted, (i.e. students cannot use this internship to fulfil their WIE requirements). However, the internship period in addition to that required for WIE requirements could be funded by the Scheme. Students should inform the employer and the period length in addition to the WIE requirement should be longer than four consecutive weeks.

Both the employer and student must communicate clearly and prior to confirming the employment about the purpose of the internship, whether it is solely for applying to the Scheme or partly for fulfilling WIE requirements. The period funded under the Scheme should be at least 28 calendar days and must not overlap with or used for the compulsory WIE component.

To ensure students gain meaningful I&T-related work experience under proper supervision and guidance as intended by the Scheme, applications giving rise to real or perceived conflicts of interest will normally be ineligible. Examples include, but are not limited to, situations where the student is a shareholder or director of the hiring company, or where the internship is with a start-up owned, co-owned, or operated by the student or other student(s). Such arrangements typically cannot guarantee the independent supervision, impartial assessment and structured learning outcomes required by the Scheme, and are therefore not supported.

As part of the application process:

Employers must declare whether they are a current student of PolyU or any other participating university; and
Students must declare any actual or potential conflicts of interest with the employer and/or internship.

Non-disclosure or misrepresentation of conflicts of interest may result in disqualification from the Scheme and/or withdrawal of any application or approval.

STEM-related full-time programmes are reviewed annually and approval is granted by ITC. Only students enrolling on the STEM programmes approved by ITC are eligible to participate in the Scheme.

Programme eligibility may change each year. Please click here for the latest List of Eligible STEM Programmes.

No, the internship should not start prior to receiving PolyU’s approval of the application and the duly signed internship agreement. Any days worked before official approval or outside the approved contract period are not eligible for allowance under the Scheme and may risk non-compliance with Scheme requirements.

Employers should not request interns to perform tasks or activities before the approved contract period unless they fully comply with the Employment Ordinance and Minimum Wage Ordinance, e.g., treating such work as regular employment and paying at least the statutory minimum wage. Such tasks should not form part of the Scheme.

To align with the Scheme requirements, the internship period under the Scheme should start after PolyU’s approval and the signed agreement.

Please contact SAO for guidance on specific arrangement if in doubt.

For the purpose of calculating allowance under the Scheme, one month has 30 days. The allowance is HK$11,490 per month (equivalent to HK$383 per calendar day). It is prorated based on the actual calendar days of the internship, after deducting any unpaid leave days, capped at two months (60 calendar days) for each internship.

The formula for allowance calculation is:

Allowance = HK$11,490 ÷ 30 calendar days × (Internship period in calendar days – Unpaid leave days), capped at 60 calendar days per internship.

Example:

Calculation of allowance for the internship period from 1 June 2026 to 30 July 2026, with one day of unpaid leave:
= HK$11,490 ÷ 30 calendar days × (60 calendar days – 1 day of unpaid leave) = HK$22,597

The allowance is disbursed directly to student interns by PolyU after internship completion. Only students who have successfully enrolled on the Scheme, completed the internship, and submitted post-internship documents are eligible to receive the allowance after these three requirements are fulfilled.

The employer may, at own discretion and expenses, extend the internship duration or offer additional allowance to the student intern(s), provided that the arrangements comply with the Employment Ordinance, the Minimum Wage Ordinance (MWO), the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) Ordinance, and other related ordinances. Salary, wage and any expected allowance, including the allowance under the Scheme, should be clearly stated in the employment contract for the internship, before the commencement of work.

If students are not exempt from minimum wage requirements (See Q15), employers are obligated to pay the minimum wage on top of the Scheme allowance.

If employers do not offer a minimum wage to student interns in addition to the Scheme allowance, they must check whether the interns are eligible to work as “Work Experience Student” under the Minimum Wage Ordinance. Student interns should provide the following items to employers before internship commencement:

the Confirmation of Student Status for “Work Experience Student” under the Minimum Wage Ordinance, endorsed by home Faculty/School/Department, and
the statutory declaration obtained in-person at the Home Affairs Centre.

Only one period of exempt student employment may commence in the same calendar year. Student interns must make a statutory declaration verifying this fact and provide the declaration to employers. (Click here for details.)

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