Must-Do-List

If you have secured a place at the University's Student Residence or in the Jockey Club House of the Academic Exchange Building, you should plan to arrive in Hong Kong and check in to your room from the beginning of the residential period. Please follow the check-in procedures as advised by the Student Residence Office.

Visit the Greeting Lounge for non-local new students arranged by the Global Engagement Office (GEO) after arriving on the CityUHK campus.

At the Greeting Lounge, you will be able to receive the Orientation Programme schedule, access information from different booths that will help your adjustment to living in Hong Kong and at the University, as well as receive welcome gifts from us! 

Important note for inbound exchange students and students admitted via Gaokao, the National University Entrance Examination (NUEE) in Mainland China: You must collect an enrolment letter with a timeslot from the Greeting Lounge before you can complete on-campus enrolment and collect your Student Identity Card.  Please bring along your travel documents containing your validated student visa or entry permit for identity verification.

Enrolment

New students are required to complete the enrolment process in person at the University. The enrolment deadline is typically set to be at the end of Teaching Week 2 in each semester.

Bachelor’s degree, exchange and visiting students at undergraduate level should visit the Academic Regulations and Records Office (ARRO), or the designated venue for enrolment as provided in their enrolment letter, and complete the new student enrolment procedure by the last enrolment date. For details of the Rules Governing Enrolment of Local and Non-local Students, please visit https://www.cityu.edu.hk/arro/regu/regu_rule.htm.

Postgraduate students should follow the instructions of the Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies (SGS) and complete the enrolment procedure. For enquiries, please contact the SGS.

Student Identity Card

All students will be given a Student Identity Card once the enrolment process is complete. The Student Identity Card is a student’s personal identification document at CityUHK. It is required for access to various facilities on campus including the Library, Sports Centre, Computing Services Centre and the residential halls. Students must observe and comply with the Regulations on Student Identity Card.

Course registration takes place during the Course Add/Drop period of each semester. Students must finalise their study plans by Monday of Teaching Week 2, which is the end of the Add/Drop period.

To maintain full-time student status and fulfil student visa requirements, non-local students are required to register for a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 18 credits in each semester (with the exception of the summer term, in which 6 up to 7 credits are required). Students can check their class schedule online to see if all the classes they selected have been registered successfully. It is wise to plan your credit hours in advance and have multiple options for classes should your first-choice class be fully occupied.

Course registration can be completed via the Web Add/Drop platform or the electronic form for add/drop of non-web-enabled courses (depending on whether the course is web-enabled or is with registration restrictions).

More details are provided on the course registration website.

Students will receive a payment notice through their CityUHK email, showing how much they owe for fees and charges, such as tuition fees, Student Residence charges, insurance premiums, and the payment due date. They can also check their account summary on AIMS. The fees can be settled by various methods.

Students who do not pay the fees and charges in full by the payment due date may have their student enrolment status suspended by the University. A late payment charge may also be imposed on the outstanding balance.

For more details, please see 'Tuition Fees'.

The Octopus Card is a stored-value card accepted by almost all public transport, and at many restaurants and other places including fast-food outlets, convenience stores, supermarkets, vending machines and pay phones.

Full-time students aged 25 or under whose programme duration is at least 30 weeks in an academic year are eligible to apply for a Personalised Octopus Card with 'Student Status', offering MTR concessionary fares. Students should submit an online application form and upload a soft copy of their valid CityUHK Student Identity Card, via either the MTR Mobile application or the MTR website. Please read through the important note about the MTR Student Travel Scheme before submitting your application. 

For other information about the Octopus Card, please visit the website of Octopus Card.

Students who are permitted to stay in Hong Kong for more than 180 days are required by law to apply for a Hong Kong Identity Card within 30 days of entering Hong Kong. No fee is charged for the first application. For more information and to book an appointment via the internet, visit www.gov.hk/icbooking, or phone the Hong Kong Immigration Department’s 24-hour appointment booking hotline at (852) 2598 0888.

Orientation provides information that you will need about living and studying at CityUHK. These programmes also include social events which give you opportunity to get to know other students. You should definitely attend the Orientation.

The Orientation Week starts one week before the semester begins. Please click here for the programme schedule.

The University may use your personal data such as contact address or telephone number to communicate with you from time to time on your studies and other matters.  You are reminded to update your address, contact phone number (e.g. mobile phone number in Hong Kong), emergency contact information, etc. in AIMS whenever there are changes to ensure that you will receive the necessary information from the University.  Should you have any enquiries about updating your contact information in AIMS, please contact ARRO (or SGS for postgraduate students). 

Be sure to give your family and friends your contact information, and keep them updated of any changes.

While tuition and other fees can be settled by international payments, many students choose to open a bank account in Hong Kong for the ease of receiving money transfers from parents and keeping money. As it takes at least one week for a bank to process a bank account application, students are advised to make an application to their preferred bank once settled down. Click to learn more about cost of living and finance.