#11 in the world · QS 2027

The University of Hong Kong

香港大學

Hong Kong's oldest university, teaching in English on a hillside campus above the city's western districts.

Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong SAR, China Public research university Founded 1911 Official website

See my chances at HKU Admissions office

Photo: Ka-Fai,So · CC BY-SA 3.0

Students: 45,303; 20,103 undergraduates
International: 55%; of students
Tuition: HK$250K; From · 2027-28
Founded: 1911

About HKU

The University of Hong Kong traces its roots to the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, founded in 1887, and was formally established as a university in 1911, making it the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. English is the main medium of instruction and assessment, which makes it one of the most accessible top-ranked universities in Asia for students who do not speak Chinese.

Teaching is organised into ten faculties (Architecture, Arts, Business and Economics, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Science and Social Sciences) plus newer schools such as the School of Computing and Data Science and the School of Innovation. The main campus climbs the slopes of Pokfulam on Hong Kong Island, with the 1912 Main Building at its heart, the Centennial Campus built for the four-year curriculum, and the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine a few kilometres away near Sandy Bay.

About 45,300 students were enrolled in 2025/26, roughly 20,100 of them undergraduates, and 55% of all students are non-local. HKU suits applicants who already know roughly what they want to study: most admissions are to a specific programme, entry bars vary widely between programmes, and many of the most competitive tracks (medicine, law, quantitative finance) interview shortlisted candidates. Students who want a residential-hall community and a professional launchpad in Asia's financial centre tend to do well here.

Sapientia et Virtus (明德格物)

“Wisdom and Virtue” — university motto

Why students choose HKU

Lectures, tutorials and exams are in English, HKU's main medium of instruction and assessment.

Distinctive double-degree and dual-degree tracks such as the Bachelor of Business Administration (Law) and Bachelor of Laws, and the HKU-Sciences Po dual degree in social sciences.

17 residential halls and colleges, including historic St. John's College and Ricci Hall, give students a strong hall-based community.

Hong Kong's financial district is minutes away, and HKU's brochure highlights internships with firms and bodies such as the Big Four, HSBC, JP Morgan and the World Health Organization.

Admissions

Entry in September 2027 (2027 JUPAS and 2027 international-qualification admissions)

Selectivity

HKU does not publish an overall admit rate. Admission is programme by programme; international applicants are assessed on grades plus interview performance, personal statement and references, and HKU publishes an 'expected lower boundary' score for each programme rather than a guaranteed cut-off.

Testing SAT is one route for US-curriculum applicants: typically 3 AP subjects plus SAT (or 5 AP subjects), with SAT expectations from 1380 to 1560 depending on programme. Not required for IB or A-level applicants.

Grades HKU's published expected lower boundaries (2026-entry admissions information) run from IB 32 / A-level 3A for many Arts, Education and Social Sciences programmes up to IB 40-43 and A-levels from 2A* 1A to 4A* for Law, Dentistry, Medicine and top Business programmes (MBBS: IB 43 or 4A*). The highest scores among past admits were IB 45, 6A* 1A at A-level and SAT 1600.

Typical entry requirements

HKDSE (via JUPAS)	Apply through JUPAS; programme-specific HKDSE requirements, minimum Level 3 in English Language
IB Diploma	32-43 points depending on programme (e.g. BA 32, Engineering 34, Business 36-41, Law 40, MBBS 43); full diploma incl. CAS, TOK, EE
GCE A-level / International A-level	3A to 4A* in at least 3 subjects depending on programme (e.g. BA 3A, LLB 3A, MBBS 4A)
SAT / AP	3 AP (grade 3-5) + SAT 1380-1560, or 5-7 APs, depending on programme
English language	IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL iBT 95 IELTS Academic 6.5 with at least 6.0 in Writing and Speaking; TOEFL iBT 95 with at least 25 in Writing and Speaking for tests before 21 January 2026, or 5.0 overall (5.0 in Writing and Speaking) on the new scale. Also accepted: IB English A grade 5 or English B grade 6, GCSE/IGCSE English B/6, SAT Reading and Writing 610, HKDSE English Level 3.

Deadlines

International qualifications - first-round evaluation Non-binding Next deadline · In 50 days

25 November 2026, noon HKT

Applications open 23 September 2026; grades and supporting documents due by 1 December 2026; interviews November-January; first-round results from December 2026.
JUPAS (HKDSE applicants) Non-binding In 57 days

2 December 2026, 5:00 pm HKT

JUPAS application period 7 October to 2 December 2026; programme choices can be modified after HKDSE results in July 2027.
International qualifications - final closing date Non-binding In ~11 months

25 August 2027, noon HKT

Final close as published by HKU (the previous cycle closed on 21 August 2026). Applications after 25 November 2026 are reviewed on a rolling basis and interviews are extended case by case, so apply early: competitive programmes may fill well before the final close.

Dates from HKU's International Qualifications page and the JUPAS 2027 application-period page, both checked 28 September 2026. JUPAS late applications (with a HK$500 late charge) run from 4 December 2026 to 13 January 2027. Individual faculties may set their own document timelines.

How to apply

HKDSE candidates apply through JUPAS (HK$500 application fee). Applicants with IB, A-levels, SAT/AP and other non-HKDSE qualifications apply directly on HKU's online system, entering all predicted and actual grades themselves, with a personal statement, references and counsellor-submitted documents; shortlisted candidates may be interviewed.

What admissions looks for

Strong results in school-leaving examinations that clear the programme's expected lower boundary, which HKU says is not by itself a guarantee of admission.
Subject-specific prerequisites listed in each programme's entrance requirements.
Interview performance for shortlisted candidates in programmes that interview.
A convincing personal statement and supportive references.

Tips for applying to HKU

1 Submit by the 25 November 2026 first-round deadline: early applicants are evaluated and interviewed first and can receive offers from December.
2 Type every predicted and actual grade into the application system; HKU explicitly says uploading transcripts alone is not enough.
3 Check the interview schedules page after applying, as interviews for first-round applicants run from November to January.
4 If you are a US-curriculum student, plan your APs: most programmes want at least 3 AP subjects on top of the SAT, and top programmes expect grade 5s.

Costs & financial aid

2027-28 · figures in HKD

Local students eligible for government-subsidised fees Tuition HK$49,500

+ general living expenses, upper estimate per year excluding housing (on-campus halls hk$17,290-37,940 per year) HK$50,000 ≈ HK$99,500 per year

Non-local students (HK$250,000 non-STEM, HK$280,000 STEM, HK$590,000 Medicine/Dentistry) Tuition HK$250,000 – HK$590,000

+ general living expenses, upper estimate per year excluding housing (on-campus halls hk$17,290-37,940 per year) HK$50,000 ≈ from HK$300,000 per year

Tuition General living expenses, upper estimate per year excluding housing (on-campus halls HK$17,290-37,940 per year)

Financial aid

HKU offers entrance scholarships for non-local students, including the HKU Scholarship for Future Leaders and Belt and Road Scholarships featured in its international brochure. Local students can apply for government financial assistance; non-local students should not expect need-based aid beyond scholarships.

Academics

Academic calendar: Semesters (two per year, plus a summer semester)

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)

HKU's founding discipline and its most selective programme, with an expected IB 43 or 4A* at A-level.

Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and double-degree law tracks

Offered alone or combined with business, government, arts or science, with expectations of IB 40-41 or 3A*.

Bachelor of Science in Quantitative Finance

One of HKU's most competitive business programmes, with expected lower boundaries of IB 40, A-level 3A* 1A, or SAT 1520 plus 4 AP subjects at grade 5 (2026-entry figures).

Bachelor of Engineering and MSc in Artificial Intelligence in Engineering

An integrated bachelor's-to-master's route in AI within the Faculty of Engineering.

Bachelor of Social Sciences (HKU-Sciences Po Dual Degree)

Students study in France and Hong Kong and graduate with degrees from both institutions.

Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Digital Technologies

Described by HKU as a world-first programme combining data science and programming with humanities.

Research

HKU reports 54 Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers, the most of any Hong Kong university.
HKU microbiologist Guan Yi's team helped identify palm civets as an intermediate host of the SARS coronavirus.
HKU alumna Dr Lai Ka-ying was selected as the first Hong Kong payload specialist for the Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceflight.

Schools & faculties

Faculty of Architecture
Faculty of Arts
HKU Business School
Faculty of Dentistry
Faculty of Education
Faculty of Engineering
Faculty of Law
Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Social Sciences
School of Computing and Data Science
School of Biomedical Engineering

Of HKU's bachelor's graduates surveyed as of December 2025, 69.3% were employed and 27.8% were in further study.

Student life

Hall life is the defining part of the HKU experience. Its 17 residential halls and colleges each have their own colours, mottos and inter-hall competitions, from historic St. John's College and Ricci Hall to the Jockey Club Student Villages and Swire Hall. Students run societies through the Hong Kong University Students' Union and its faculty and hall associations. The campus mixes early-20th-century buildings like the Main Building and Loke Yew Hall with the glass-and-steel Centennial Campus, and Kennedy Town and Sai Ying Pun's cafes are a short walk downhill.

17 residential halls and colleges, including St. John's College, Ricci Hall and University Hall
Loke Yew Hall in the 1912 Main Building hosts ceremonies and concerts
Off-campus housing near HKU typically costs HK$30,000-50,000 a year, depending on housing type and district, according to the admissions office.
HKU runs a Pre-University Programme for secondary-school students

Housing. HKU has 17 halls and colleges plus non-hall housing in three residential areas; hall places cost about HK$17,290-37,940 per year (285 residential days) according to the admissions office.

Location

HKU sits in Pokfulam on the western end of Hong Kong Island, with an MTR station (HKU) connecting campus to Central in minutes. Hong Kong is dense, safe and extremely well connected by public transport, with hiking trails and beaches never far from the city. Rents are among the highest in the world, which is why most non-local students rely on hall places.

Nearest airport: Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)

Notable alumni

SY
Sun Yat-sen

Founder of the Republic of China; studied at HKU's predecessor, the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese
EC
Eileen Chang

Influential novelist and essayist
AH
Ann Hui

Award-winning Hong Kong film director
AC
Andrew Cheung Kui-nung

Chief Justice of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal
YK
Yuen Kwok-yung

Microbiologist and infectious-disease expert
SH
Stanley Ho

Hong Kong and Macau business magnate
SH
Samuel Hui

Cantopop singer, lyricist and actor
CL
Carrie Lam

Former Chief Executive of Hong Kong

Frequently asked questions

What IB score do you need for HKU?

HKU's expected lower boundaries range from 32 points for many Arts, Education and Social Sciences programmes to 40-41 for Law and 43 for Medicine. Meeting the boundary does not guarantee an offer.

Is HKU taught in English?

Yes. English is the main medium of instruction and assessment, and non-local applicants need IELTS 6.5 (6.0 in Writing and Speaking), TOEFL iBT 95 or an equivalent qualification.

How much does HKU cost for international students?

For 2027/28, non-local tuition is HK$250,000 a year for non-STEM programmes, HK$280,000 for STEM and HK$590,000 for Medicine and Dentistry. Subsidised local students pay HK$49,500.

When is the HKU application deadline for 2027 entry?

International-qualification applicants should apply by noon on 25 November 2026 for first-round evaluation (applications finally close 25 August 2027). HKDSE students apply through JUPAS by 2 December 2026.

Does HKU interview applicants?

Yes, many programmes interview shortlisted candidates; for first-round international applicants interviews run from November to January, and interview performance is part of the decision.

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.