For many years, Durham University has recruited outstanding students from Hong Kong. In fact, students from Hong Kong form the largest single cohort of overseas students at Durham outside Mainland China.

Overseas study is becoming less accessible for many, but the value of a global education remains. We have a proud and active alumni community, and we are keen to grow and strengthen this connection to ensure that all talented students are able to join us at Durham University.

As we approach our bicentenary in 2032, we want to put in place a new suite of scholarships specifically targeted at students from Hong Kong, and we are looking for your support in developing them.

Durham University

Durham offers a unique educational model that equips graduates with the skills needed to make a real difference. Our model stands apart from all other institutions by offering:

• An intellectually stretching and highly engaging academic journey in an academic environment in which students are known and supported as individuals.
• An anchor in one of our 17 Colleges, each with its own distinctive identity and values. Colleges give a sense of belonging, an instinct for community, promote interdisciplinary understanding and a life-long community.
• An experience imbued with a strong sense of place, located in a beautiful and inspiring city environment, and enhanced through digital learning tools.
• An exceptionally enriching and participatory way of student life. We prioritise self-development, through volunteering, sports (including e-sports), the arts, entrepreneurship, internships, and overseas experiences.

These opportunities to take part, to organise and to create new initiatives foster leadership qualities. A pathway to becoming a Durham Graduate: individuals who in their different ways are confident, resilient, prepared for any challenge, determined to make a difference in the world, and ready to lead.

Elizabeth Fung (Combined Honours in Arts, University College, 2010) 

In 2007, I arrived in Durham after two years of living in India.

Raised in Hong Kong, I had limited exposure to India while I was growing up. Life in India piqued my interest in why human societies came to be so different – in cultures, beliefs, development status, and more. In particular, I was perturbed by the drastic inequalities that I witnessed and was keen to learn about the causes.

So, I started looking into anthropology. Durham University was renowned for anthropology, and I was fortunate enough to be admitted.

The three years at Durham was mind opening. I travelled through the history of humanity as I stared into the fossil skull of an ancient hominoid, looked up the vault of the Durham Cathedral, and observed the multifaceted impact of industrial transition right at the doorsteps of where it happened.

It was all quite magical and inspiring.

Since graduation, I have pursued a career in public affairs, having worked in both the government and private sector, now in a global financial institution. In addition to hard core public policy, I also serve public duties with the Hong Kong Sports Institute, and the Hong Kong Government’s Film Development Council and Museum Advisory Committee. The work requires a versatile mind and constant hunger for knowledge.

I owe Durham for both.

Mark Wong (Philosophy, Grey College, 2020) 

I arrived at Durham from Hong Kong to study Philosophy in 2017 and, following a health scare, started brewing non-alcoholic beer in my bedroom.

I am pleased to say that this has turned into a successful business: Impossibrew. The business has grown rapidly. We were recently ranked number 29 in the UK for speed of growth, and our products were voted the UK's best pale ale and lager in the World Beer Awards 2023. So far this year, we have sold one million cans.

For me, Durham opened the doors to a successful business. My degree provided me with transferable skills, and, crucially, I had the support of the incredible team in the Hazan Venture Lab, which offers mentoring, advice and coaching to students and graduates with business ideas.

With their guidance and connections, I was fortunate enough to win the Blueprint Prize and secure some ERDF funding, which was vital to the growth of Impossibrew. I was also introduced to Durham alumni with wide-ranging expertise and given access to networks that have been invaluable - in fact, our Board Chair was introduced to me by a Durham alumnus.

The business support network in the North East is outstanding and far more beneficial than those I've worked with elsewhere in the UK. It is much more accessible and there's a real sense of kinship. Without Durham University, I wouldn't be where I am today.

I cannot stress enough the value of my Durham experience, and I will continue to recommend it whenever I can.

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