Student-Athlete Learning Support and Admission Scheme (SALSA)

The Student-Athlete Learning Support and Admission Scheme (SALSA) 「學生運動員學習支援及入學計劃」was launched in 2022 by the University Grants Committee (UGC). PolyU has joined this scheme since 2022/23 academic year as a sub-scheme of Outstanding Sportsmen Recommendation Scheme (OSRS) to further enhance our all-round support for student-athletes. This scheme provides opportunities for student-athletes who are eligible to represent Hong Kong in significant regional or international competitions with remarkable achievements in sports to pursue their undergraduate studies at PolyU.

SALSA Scheme opens for local elite athletes without academic and age requirements for admission.

Balancing studies and sports life could be challenging, but hat does not undermine my enthusiasm to experience university life. I am confident that with the support of PolyU and my coaches, I will continue to improve my performance, and achieve academic and swimming success.

Swimmer Tinky HO Nam Wai

BA (Hons) in English and Applied Linguistics
- Represented Hong Kong at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
- City’s record holder in 1500m Freestyle and 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay

I am grateful for this opportunity from PolyU, which will enable me to excel in both academia and sports. I will leverage the qualities I have as an athlete in order to push myself towards my goal of achieving excellent results in my studies.

Track Cyclist LEUNG Chun Wing

BBA (Hons) in Management
- Won the Men’s Madison, Men’s Omnium and Men’s Team Pursuit in the 18th Asian Games,
Jakarta & Palembang, Indonesia (2018)

Injuries are the greatest enemy for every athlete, who must learn to avoid them. Therefore, I started to develop an interest in learning physiotherapy and finding ways to prevent injuries.

Triathlete YIP Tak Long

BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy
- Won the Boy’s Short Distance in the 2019 2nd National Youth Games

Living in hotels in different countries for competitions has stoked my interest in the hospitality industry. PolyU offers the world’s best Hotel and Tourism Management education and I’m delighted to have been admitted to my dream programme.

Squash Athlete WAI Sze Wing

BSc (Hons) in Hotel and Tourism Management
- Represented Hong Kong in the 26th Asian Junior Individual Championships 2019

Apply SALSA

This scheme opens for local elite athletes who satisfy the following criteria:

Nominated for admission by Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI); or of a recognised National Sports Association (NSA) and has achieved Elite Vote (EV) Point 3 or above according to the EV Level of Elite Athletes
Eligible to represent Hong Kong in competitions that are sanctioned by the respective international federation
Have satisfactory performance in selection interview.

There is no minimum academic or age entrance requirement for this scheme. The suitability of an applicant is assessed based on his/her sport talents, interests, future plans, commitment and potential to complete the programme successfully.

At the University level, PolyU will provide a one-stop services for the student-athletes in pursing both academics and sports excellence. The Scheme enables student-athletes to take part in sports competitions representing Hong Kong while pursuing their academic studies simultaneously. A Student-Athlete Support Coordinator (SASCO) will be assigned to oversee the care and support to the student-athletes.

At the individual level, SASCO will liaise with Programme Leaders and Academic Advisors from academic departments to offer individual consultation to student-athletes in handling their learning needs. Teaching Assistants (TAs) will be assigned to individual student-athletes to provide additional support to them on academic issues. Counselling and Wellness Section of Student Affairs Office will provide counselling and academic advising services to student-athletes when necessary.

As a whole, PolyU will provide holistic support services for student-athletes throughout every stage of their studies from admission to graduation.

Please refer to PolyU Study website for the details of programme information.

Applicants will be considered automatically on the eligibility for the STARS Scholarships ^# .
^{# Non-academic entry scholarships are subjected to meeting the required conditions for scholarship renewal}

For applicants who have submitted application via the Outstanding Sportsmen Recommendation Scheme (OSRS) will be considered automatically by the SALSA Scheme.

Apply OSRS