A main building on Hong Kong Baptist University's Shaw Campus in Kowloon Tong, with the university's name on its facade
#216 in the world · QS 2027

Hong Kong Baptist University

香港浸會大學

A compact Kowloon Tong university best known for communication, film and creative arts, with broad-based first-year admission.

Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR Public university Founded 1956 Official website
See my chances at HKBU Admissions office
Photo: Wpcpey · CC BY-SA 4.0
Students
12,610
7,580 undergraduates
International
40%
of students
Tuition
HK$190K
2026-27
Founded
1956

About HKBU

Hong Kong Baptist University was founded in 1956 as Hong Kong Baptist College with support from American Baptists, became a public, non-religious college in 1983 and gained university status in 1994. It has about 12,600 students (7,580 undergraduates in 2024-25) on a cluster of campuses in Kowloon Tong, plus sites at Kai Tak and Shek Mun. In 2005 it co-founded Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University in Zhuhai with Beijing Normal University.

HKBU has six Faculties and Schools: Arts and Social Sciences, Business, Chinese Medicine, Communication, Creative Arts, and Science and Technology, offering 22 undergraduate programmes with more than 45 majors. Most students enter through broad-based admission: you join a Faculty or School, explore its subjects in first year, then choose your major. Its communication, film and creative arts programmes and its School of Chinese Medicine set it apart from Hong Kong's larger research universities.

International students (non-local, non-mainland) apply directly to HKBU, not through JUPAS. The minimum entry bar is modest, but admitted students score well above it: the middle half of 2026 entrants with the SAT scored 1,460-1,540, and with the IB 30-34 points. HKBU suits students who want a smaller, creative-leaning university in Hong Kong, with guaranteed first-year housing and automatic scholarship consideration.

篤信力行

“Faith and Perseverance” — university motto

Why students choose HKBU

01

Broad-based admission lets you enter Arts and Social Sciences, Business, Communication or Science and Technology and choose your major after exploring subjects in first year.

02

Every admitted non-local student is considered automatically for scholarships of up to full tuition (HK$190,000) plus HK$52,500 in living subsidies, renewable for the normal length of study.

03

Non-local students are given a place in University accommodation in their first year.

04

HKBU's communication school has trained prominent Hong Kong filmmakers, broadcasters and journalists, including director Stanley Kwan and reporter Nabela Qoser.

Admissions

2027 entry (non-JUPAS, international non-local non-mainland applicants)

Selectivity

HKBU does not publish an admission rate. It publishes the 25th-75th percentile scores of admitted students: for 2026 entry, SAT 1,460-1,540, IB 30-34 points (including TOK and EE bonus points) and 128-160 UCAS Tariff points for three A-levels.

SAT 1460–1540
1000120014001600

Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.

Testing No specific test is required; you apply with your school-leaving qualification. US-system applicants need a high school diploma plus SAT (minimum 1,190), ACT (minimum 23) or at least two AP subjects at grade 3. HKBU verifies SAT, AP, ACT and IB scores directly with the exam boards.
Grades SAT range is the 25th-75th percentile of admissions scores for 2026 entry (data as of 8 September 2026); the minimum SAT for entry is 1,190.

Typical entry requirements

IB DiplomaMiddle 50% of 2026 entrants: 30-34 points including TOK and EE bonus points (30-35 in 2025)
A-levelsMinimum grade E in three A-levels (or two A-levels plus two AS), excluding Chinese and English; middle 50% of 2026 entrants: 128-160 UCAS Tariff points from three A-levels
US high school diplomaPlus SAT (minimum 1,190; 2026 middle 50%: 1,460-1,540), ACT (minimum composite 23) or two AP subjects at grade 3 or above
English languageIELTS 6 · TOEFL iBT 79 TOEFL iBT (including Home Edition) 79 or IELTS Academic 6.0 overall; from 2027 entry the test must be taken on or after 1 September 2025. TOEFL MyBest scores, IELTS Indicator and IELTS One Skill Retake are not accepted. An SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 590 also meets the requirement. Some programmes also require Chinese.

Deadlines

  1. Early Round (international students) Non-binding Next deadline · In 41 days
    16 November 2026

    Opens 2 October 2026. Early-round applications are shortlisted for advance assessment; offers from late December 2026. Applicants without an offer by late January 2027 are considered with the Main Round.

  2. Main Round (international students) Non-binding In ~4 months
    1 February 2027

    Opens 17 November 2026.

  3. Extended Round (international students) Non-binding In ~8 months
    31 May 2027

    Opens 2 February 2027; places depend on availability.

Dates are from HKBU's 2027 entry timeline for international (non-local, non-mainland) students. Local and mainland applicants follow a different timetable, and Mainland Gaokao applicants apply through the separate JEE scheme.

How to apply

Apply directly through HKBU's Online Application System (not JUPAS), paying the application fee online. You submit one application with up to two programme choices, upload transcripts and exam results, and can add documents until 31 August. Most programmes shortlist applicants for an interview or test, held between February and July, though some make straight offers to outstanding applicants.

What admissions looks for

  • Academic results comfortably above the minimum: the middle half of 2026 entrants scored 1,460-1,540 on the SAT or 30-34 in the IB.
  • English proficiency at TOEFL iBT 79 or IELTS 6.0, plus Chinese for programmes that require it.
  • Performance at interview or in a programme test, which most programmes use for shortlisted applicants.
  • A holistic review of your application, with your first choice considered before your second.

Tips for applying to HKBU

  1. 1 Apply in the Early Round (by 16 November 2026): those applications are assessed in advance, with offers from late December.
  2. 2 Use both programme choices, and rank them carefully: second choices are considered only if places remain.
  3. 3 Take your English test on or after 1 September 2025; older TOEFL or IELTS results will not count for 2027 entry.
  4. 4 Be ready for an interview or test between February and July; tell the department early if you cannot attend in Hong Kong.
  5. 5 There is no separate scholarship form: strong applicants are considered automatically for full, tuition-waiver or half scholarships.

Costs & financial aid

2026-27 · figures in HKD

Local students, full-time undergraduate programmes, 2026/27 Tuition HK$47,000
+ estimated on-campus accommodation (hk$24,000-30,000) plus personal expenses (hk$22,500-50,000) for 9 months, lower end; off-campus living is estimated at hk$142,000-237,000 for 12 months HK$46,500 ≈ HK$93,500 per year
Non-local students, full-time undergraduate programmes, 2026/27 (subject to annual review); a non-refundable HK$10,000 admission confirmation fee counts toward the first instalment Tuition HK$190,000
+ estimated on-campus accommodation (hk$24,000-30,000) plus personal expenses (hk$22,500-50,000) for 9 months, lower end; off-campus living is estimated at hk$142,000-237,000 for 12 months HK$46,500 ≈ HK$236,500 per year
Tuition Estimated on-campus accommodation (HK$24,000-30,000) plus personal expenses (HK$22,500-50,000) for 9 months, lower end; off-campus living is estimated at HK$142,000-237,000 for 12 months
Official cost of attendance HK$236,500
Financial aid

All non-local admits are considered automatically, with no separate application, for the Admission Scholarship Scheme for Overseas Applicants: a Full Scholarship (100% tuition of HK$190,000 plus HK$52,500 living subsidies), a Tuition-waiver Scholarship or a Half Scholarship, renewable with good results. HKBU also nominates admits from Belt and Road countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar and Thailand for the Hong Kong government's Belt and Road Scholarship, and some Faculties offer their own entrance scholarships. Only a few bursaries exist for non-local students.

HK$190,000 tuition plus HK$52,500 living subsidies per year
Full Scholarship for overseas applicants
HK$236,500-270,000 (2026/27)
Estimated yearly cost, non-local student in university housing
HK$10,000, non-refundable
Admission confirmation fee (non-local)

Academics

Academic calendar: Two semesters

Communication (School of Communication)

Broad-based entry to HKBU's School of Communication, whose graduates include director Stanley Kwan (mass communications) and journalist Nabela Qoser (broadcast journalism).

Creative Arts (film, music and creative industries)

The School of Creative Arts covers film, music and creative industries; the BA in Music asks applicants to submit music qualifications or exam results.

Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) in Chinese Medicine

Offered by the School of Chinese Medicine; applicants are expected to have taken Chemistry and to hold a Chinese language qualification.

Business (School of Business)

Broad-based admission lets students sample business disciplines in year one before choosing a major.

Transdisciplinary programmes

HKBU's Institute of Transdisciplinary Studies runs undergraduate programmes that let mission-driven students design study across disciplines.

Research

  • HKBU's School of Chinese Medicine is linked to the university's network of Chinese medicine clinics.
  • In 2024-25, 2,982 undergraduates took part in service-learning, logging 50,011 service hours with 183 community partners.

Schools & faculties

  • Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
  • School of Business
  • School of Chinese Medicine
  • School of Communication
  • School of Creative Arts
  • Faculty of Science and Technology

Student life

HKBU is a compact, busy campus in Kowloon Tong, spread over the Ho Sin Hang, Shaw and Baptist University Road campuses, with Lion Rock on the skyline. First-year non-local students are guaranteed University accommodation, and HKBU runs a large service-learning programme that sends thousands of students into the community each year. Exchange is common: in 2024-25, 766 HKBU students went abroad on exchange and 808 visiting students came in, through 383 exchange partners. Many students are drawn by the media, film and arts scene around the School of Communication and the School of Creative Arts.

  • Guaranteed University accommodation for non-local students in their first year.
  • 383 student exchange partners; 766 outgoing and 808 incoming exchange students in 2024-25.
  • 2,982 undergraduates in service-learning in 2024-25, with 183 community partners.
  • Around 40% of students come from outside Hong Kong.

Housing. Non-local students are given a place in University accommodation (a two-person hostel room is estimated at HK$24,000-30,000 for nine months) in their first year; later years depend on availability.

Location

HKBU's main campuses sit in Kowloon Tong, a leafy, mostly residential district in central Kowloon, with the Kai Tak campus on Kwun Tong Road and Shek Mun in Sha Tin. Hong Kong's MTR makes the rest of the city easy to reach. Living costs are high: HKBU estimates HK$142,000-237,000 a year for rent and personal expenses if you live off campus.

Nearest airport: Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)

Notable alumni

  • SK
    Stanley Kwan
    Film director and producer; mass communications degree from Hong Kong Baptist College
  • LP
    Leung Ping-kwan
    Poet, novelist and essayist (pen name Yesi); BA in English Language and Literature
  • EK
    Eva K. Lee
    Applied mathematician and operations researcher; BSc in mathematics with distinction, 1988
  • LC
    Lawrence Cheng
    Actor, director and former DJ, creator of the radio drama The Yuppie Fantasia; graduated 1978
  • NQ
    Nabela Qoser
    Television journalist; broadcast journalism graduate, 2008
  • CN
    Cherry Ngan
    Actress; studied English Language and Literature

Frequently asked questions

How do international students apply to HKBU?

Non-local, non-mainland students apply directly through HKBU's Online Application System, not JUPAS. You can list up to two programme choices in a single application.

What are HKBU's deadlines for 2027 entry?

For international students, the Early Round runs 2 October to 16 November 2026, the Main Round 17 November 2026 to 1 February 2027, and the Extended Round 2 February to 31 May 2027.

What SAT or IB score do you need for HKBU?

The minimum SAT is 1,190, but the middle half of 2026 entrants scored 1,460-1,540. IB entrants in 2026 scored 30-34 points in the middle half of the range.

How much is HKBU tuition for international students?

HK$190,000 a year for non-local students in 2026/27, compared with HK$47,000 for local students. HKBU estimates the total yearly cost at HK$236,500-270,000 if you live in University housing.

Does HKBU offer scholarships to international students?

Yes. All non-local admits are automatically considered for full scholarships (tuition plus HK$52,500 living subsidies), tuition-waiver scholarships and half scholarships, renewable with good results.

Sources & methodology

Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.

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