The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts

Key Highlights

• Publicly funded specialist higher-education institution established by ordinance in 1984
• Authorized to award its own accredited bachelor’s and master’s degrees
• Six principal fields: Chinese Opera, Dance, Drama, Film and Television, Music, and Theatre and Entertainment Arts
• Operates a main Wanchai campus and the Béthanie heritage campus in Pokfulam

Student Life & Environment

Student experience at HKAPA is shaped by rehearsals, productions, screenings, performances, technical work, and collaboration among closely related creative disciplines. The Wanchai campus includes public performance venues as well as studios, ensemble rooms, workshops, a canteen, library, computer laboratory, and roof garden. This creates opportunities for students to work in an environment where teaching and public artistic presentation share the same site. The Student Affairs Office provides services concerned with wellbeing and development. Official pages describe confidential individual counselling, psychological assessment resources, personal-development activities, orientation and adjustment support for new or non-local students, career guidance, internship information, and student financial-assistance support. Career fairs and employer talks are also arranged, while schools and Student Affairs circulate discipline-related employment and internship opportunities. Housing requires particular planning. HKAPA states that it does not have its own hostel facilities. Non-local students normally arrange private accommodation independently or with flatmates, although shared accommodation is normally offered to non-local students holding full scholarships. Student Affairs supplies accommodation guidance and may assist with housing questions and flatmate matching, but it does not guarantee a placement. Students considering private housing should budget for rent, deposits, utilities, and possible agency charges, and verify current tenancy conditions before signing an agreement.

Location & Surroundings

HKAPA’s main campus is at 1 Gloucester Road in Wanchai on Hong Kong Island. The Academy describes it as roughly midway between Admiralty and Wanchai MTR stations and slightly closer to Admiralty. Numerous bus services also reach the area. Its location provides access to a dense urban district and public transport, but students should anticipate the costs and practical constraints of living in Hong Kong rather than a self-contained residential campus. The second site, Béthanie Landmark Heritage Campus, is at 139 Pokfulam Road. It houses educational facilities for the School of Film and Television and is served by buses and minibuses. Because the two sites are in different parts of Hong Kong Island, Film and Television students in particular should confirm where individual activities take place and allow time for travel. Parking is limited at both campuses, so public transport is generally the practical choice. Accessibility provisions identified at the Wanchai performance venues include wheelchair spaces, ramps, lift access with tactile-braille indicators and audible announcements, adapted toilets, and audible and visual emergency signals. Applicants needing specific academic or production accommodations should contact the Academy directly before enrolling.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For the 2026/27 academic year, annual undergraduate tuition is HK$47,000 for local students and HK$63,000 for non-local students. These are current published fees for that academic year and should not be assumed to apply unchanged to 2027/28. Tuition is paid in two equal installments before the semesters and is non-refundable. New students also pay HK$400 caution money, while non-local students pay a non-refundable HK$400 student-visa handling fee. The online application fee published in the undergraduate FAQ is HK$350. Master’s tuition varies by program and study mode in 2026/27. The MFA programs in Dance, Drama, and Theatre and Entertainment Arts and the Master of Music are listed at HK$107,000 annually full-time; Cinema Production costs HK$129,000 full-time; and Performing Arts Studies costs HK$116,000 full-time. Part-time annual rates are lower, but program duration is longer. Subsequent-year fees are announced annually, so multi-year budgeting should allow for changes. Housing is a major separate expense because HKAPA has no hostel. Students generally use the private rental market and should account for deposits, utilities, and possible agency commissions in addition to tuition. Career support is oriented toward creative practice. Student Affairs organizes employer talks and career fairs, distributes full-time, part-time, summer, and internship opportunities, and provides career counselling, résumé and application-letter preparation, and interview training. Internships may be arranged by individual schools or Student Affairs. The Academy does not publish a guaranteed placement outcome or salary figure on the reviewed pages, so applicants should judge likely pathways by their discipline and portfolio development.