Student Enrichment Activities Support Scheme

Are you looking to enrich your student life? Look no further than the Student Enrichment Activities Support (SEAS) Scheme! The Scheme encourages and supports students to organize activities that enhance their university experience. Successful projects will receive the following support options, together with assistance in event publicity:

Eligibility to book and use campus facilities, subject to availability and relevant guidelines of respective offices/departments; and/or
Student enrichment activities subsidy

Depending on your need, you may apply for either or both of the options above.

SEAS STUDENT-INITIATED 35A CELEBRATION SERIES
To celebrate HKUST’s 35th anniversary, applicants are invited to bring their creativity to life by adding 35A-themed elements or highlighting HKUST’s core values in their proposed events. Applications will be evaluated based on:

relevance to HKUST or the 35A theme,
impact,
creativity.

Additional funding will be provided to successful proposals.

01 About The Scheme

02 Application Guidelines

03 Subsidy Guidelines

04 Selection Criteria

05 Selection Committee

06 Project Completion Report

07 FAQ

About the Scheme

The Student Enrichment Activities Support (SEAS) Scheme aims to provide support to students and student groups organizing or participating, on a voluntary basis, in activities or projects that promote one or more of the following objectives:

Celebrate diversity and inclusivity, and promote multicultural competence
Foster a sense of belonging and integrate students within HKUST community
Engage students in understanding and serving a wider community
Encourage global perspective and awareness
Prioritize holistic development and well-being of students

Application Guidelines

Who can apply?

Full-time undergraduate or postgraduate students, who would like to access campus resources or looking for a subsidy to their student projects/activities.
Applications can be made by individual students, registered student groups (e.g. SU-affiliated societies, Department-associated groups), or other project groups.

How to apply?

Complete the Online Application Form, attach an Advisor’s Recommendation and a Budget Proposal with detail breakdown of all income and expense items, as well as any other relevant documents.
Submit only one application form that covers all proposed activities from the same organizer. Do not submit multiple applications.

When to apply?

If funding is NOT required: Applications open all year round.
If funding is required:

Open for Application	Application Deadline
In August	14 September 2025
In December	8 February 2026
In April	19 April 2026

Projects awarded during the 1st and 2nd rounds should be completed by August of the same academic year. Projects awarded in the 3rd round are expected to finish by December of the following academic year. For extended projects, approval must be obtained during the application period or subsequently.
Interested applicants are recommended to work out their activity plan ahead of time to avoid last minute submission. The above dates may subject to change.
Each group of applicants may book a 30-min Consultation Session to ask questions and receive advice from the Scheme Secretariat before submission of an application. Please email seaf@ust.hk for making an appointment.

Subsidy guidelines

In general, the amount of the funding subsidy granted by the Scheme will only cover partial of the total expenses. Expenses that may be considered include venue and equipment rental, marketing and promotion, food and beverage, materials and supplies, program or registration fee, honorarium, and transportation fee. Offshore traveling and accommodation expenses may be considered depending on availability of funding.

Subsidy is considered based on the online application and submitted documents. Should there be any changes to the submitted proposal, the project organizer has the responsibility to inform the Secretariat as soon as possible, and the amount of subsidy may be adjusted as a result. The Secretariat reserves the right to withdraw the subsidy if the change deviates significantly from the approved proposal.

Selection Criteria

Each application will be assessed by the following criteria:

Community need: whether it identifies and addresses a campus or a broader community need;
Originality: whether it is new and creative;
Feasibility: whether it is achievable within the proposed time frame and budget;
Impact: the potential impact of the proposal in the university or a broader community.

Preference would be given to projects/activities which demonstrate collaboration between different student societies or groups, or include a balanced mixed of local and non-local student participants, and/or highlight diversity among students involved. Social parties and activities involving outsiders would be given lower preference.

Selection Committee

Applications shall be considered and approved by the SEAS Scheme Selection Committee or its delegates.

Membership

Chairperson	Dean of Students (ex-officio)
Members	1 Faculty Representative 1 Staff Representative 2 Student Representatives (normally 1 UG and 1 PG student) Head of Student Support & Activities, DSTO (ex-officio)

Terms of Reference

The Selection Committee typically serves a term of two academic years, beginning in the Fall of the year and concluding in the summer of the second year (i.e. September to August of two consecutive years). Its primary responsibilities include assessing, providing feedback and approving applications for subsidies and/or eligibility to reserve and utilize campus facilities.

Secretariat

The Student Support & Activities of DSTO serves as the Secretariat for the Scheme to provide administrative support, offer guidance and assistance to potential applicants and approved activities, assess applications or making recommendations to the Selection Committee.

Project Completion Report

Under normal circumstance, the project organizer should submit the Project Completion Report along with the Financial Report and all expenses receipts in original or payment proof and relevant documents to the Secretariat within one month after the project completion date. Otherwise, the approved subsidy may be forfeited without further notice.

If the project remains incomplete on the following dates, the project organizers will be required to submit brief progress reports providing updates on project’s status, including accomplishments, budget information, and upcoming steps:

14 November 2025
27 March 2026
5 June 2026

FAQ

Yes, the funding is available every year, which would be open for applications normally in August, December and April.

Student societies/groups and individual students will be treated equally in the selection process. Applications will be considered based on individual merit.

Individual students participate in activities only for their personal development will not be considered. Partial support may be awarded to student groups/teams participating in offshore trip, which is self-initiated or organized by recognized organizations.

The purpose of the funding is to support student enrichment activities outside classroom and exclude academic requirements.

The projects must be non-profit making, student-led and voluntary. Commercial elements are prohibited and will not be considered. Students can collaborate with commercial firms, but the projects must be initiated and led by students.

For most of the cases, the subsidy will only cover partial expenses. Students (organizers or participants) are expected to bear part of the cost and/or seek other funding support, especially for meal costs, offshore activities. The range may vary case by case. Applications demonstrated high feasibility, impact, originality and matching community needs are likely to receive a higher amount of subsidy. Moreover, the subsidy range may also be affected by the budget plan. Items that will be considered include venue and equipment rental, marketing and promotion, food and beverage, materials and supplies, etc.

There is no specific duration required. It can last 2 hours for a single event or span several months with one or more activities. However, organisers should note that awarded projects are expected to be completed within the same academic year, or by December of the following academic year for those awarded in the 3rd round.

Application result will be released within one month after the application deadline.

Yes. However, the funding cannot be used as a direct donation or a subsidy for any fundraising activities. Normally, only fundraising activities for legitimate charitable organizations will be considered and prior approval must be obtained from DSTO.

If the activity was not able to carry out, the organizer must inform the Scheme Secretariat as soon as possible. The approved subsidy will then be revoked.

Yes. It is required to submit attendance record along with the project completion report.

Students should apply for funding beforehand. Past activities will not be considered and subsidies will not be awarded retrospectively.

An advisor is expected to advise the organizer on planning and proposal and help monitor the project implementation. It is essential to submit a completed Advisor Recommendation Form together with the application. Applicants should contact us at seaf@ust.hk if they anticipate difficulty in meeting this requirement before the application deadline.

Applicants are welcome to make a 30-min consultation appointment with the Scheme Secretariat before applying. To book a consultation session, please email seaf@ust.hk with the contact information and preferrable timeslots within the available schedules as announced by email. Applicants will receive an email notice once the appointment is confirmed.

Requests by SEAS Projects would be considered like other eligible applications that are subject to the availability of resources, suitability, safety, etc. Offices that manage campus resources will have full discretion on whether to accept or decline requests from SEAS Projects.