Notes for Applicants

* Information is subject to change without prior notice

Your provision of all the personal data requested in the application form is obligatory. Your application may not be considered if you fail to provide all information as requested or it is not clear from your statements that you have the minimum qualifications.

Programme Information and Entrance Requirements

Please visit the following websites for information on the University’s General Entrance Requirements and English Proficiency Requirements, as well as individual programmes' specific admission requirements.

Medium of Instruction and Assessment

The normal medium of instruction and assessment at the University is English.

Application Fee (Non-refundable and Non-transferable)

The application fees for 2025-26 entry are as follows:

	Research Degree Programme	Professional Doctorate Programme
Online Application	HK$500	HK$800

Please submit additional applications if you wish to apply for more than one programme. The application fee is non-refundable and non-transferable. You are required to pay the application fee online using a credit card (VISA or MasterCard) before submitting the online application.

If you need to submit a paper application due to special circumstances, please write to SGS.

Application Period

Please visit here for the up-to-date application period for various programmes. You are required to submit the online application before the specified deadline.

PhD by Innovation

Students may opt for PhD by Innovation.

Students must meet the admission requirements of CityUHK, including the English language proficiency requirement and specific requirements set by relevant Colleges/Schools/Departments of CityUHK. The rules and procedures for admission of students will be the same as those for admission of regular PhD students at CityUHK.

Students admitted to the programme will be “full-time” or “part-time” non-UGC or self-financing PhD students of CityUHK.

In accordance with the established procedure for monitoring study progress, if a student fails to meet the performance requirements of the programme, a recommendation for termination of study may be made.

Supporting Documents

Applicants are required to submit the following documents to the Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies in support of their applications:

official certificates and transcripts of academic qualifications (Certificates and transcripts that are not in English should be accompanied by a formal certified translation in English.) [If the degree classification and/or GPA obtained by the applicant is not shown in the relevant degree’s certificate or transcript, the applicant is required to also submit copies of any other official documents that indicate the formal degree classification or GPA.]
certificates of professional qualifications, if applicable (Certificates that are not in English should be accompanied by a formal certified translation in English.)
(in support of the applicant's publication record, if applicable) the front page of the papers (for papers that have been published) or the letter of acceptance (for papers that have been accepted for publication). [If applicants to the School of Law have already published academic work, they may submit full copies of up to three publications. Where any publication is submitted in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by an abstract in English.]
international English language tests results, if applicable [For TOEFL results, applicants may submit a copy of their score record or arrange with the TOEFL service centre to send the record directly to the University (Institution Code: 3401).]
For applicants who are in the process of completing a programme, in addition to the interim transcript, an official document issued by the programme offering institution indicating that they are studying the relevant programme and the expected completion time is also required.
For applicants applying for admission to the following College/Schools, a research proposal/statement with clear objectives and proposed methodology is required. Please refer to the respective guidelines for preparing the research proposal:

College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
School of Creative Media
School of Energy and Environment
School of Law

Please note the following while you are preparing the required documents.

Please upload the required supporting documents for your academic and/or professional qualifications (such as academic transcripts and award certificates, examination and English test results) before submitting your application. Documents unrelated to academic qualifications (e.g., HKID card) need not be submitted.
Submitted documents will not be returned.
It is your responsibility (including CityUHK students) to provide full information to facilitate the evaluation of your application. Incomplete submission may delay the processing of the application.
Selection decisions will mainly be based on the qualifications set out in your application. Additional information and documents provided to the University after the commencement of the selection process may or may not be considered, at the discretion of the relevant department.
Original documents (including CityUHK qualifications and public examination results) should be presented for verification at a later time upon request by the University. Provision of any false or misleading information or failure to supply the original document for verification will lead to disqualification of the admission application and any offer or enrolment made will be rescinded. All fees paid will not be refunded.

Multiple Applications

If you wish to apply for more than one programme, click the “Apply for a New Programme” button after logging into your application account.

If you have applied for more than one programme, your programme choices will receive the same priority in our processing. Please note that if you receive more than one admission offer from the University, you can choose to enrol in one programme only.

Change of Contact Information

Please log in to your online application to update your correspondence address, email address and contact phone number at any time.

Use of Application Information Collected

The information that you provide in the application, including the HKID card/passport/travel document number, examination results and qualifications, will be used for the following purposes:

(a)	as a basis for various types of processing in relation to your application;
(b)	as a basis for the selection of applicants for admission to the programmes offered by the University and for other relevant or related purposes;
(c)	for identifying multiple applications and checking records of academic/professional qualifications with parties concerned;
(d)	to transfer relevant data to the student record system of the University upon the successful outcome of your application;
(e)	for statistical and research purposes (with personal identifiers removed);
(f)	for direct marketing of the University's programme and activities (if deemed appropriate).

In accordance with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Chapter 486, Laws of Hong Kong), you have the right of access and the right to correct all personal information contained in the application form, as well as the right to request a copy of such data during the admission exercise. If you wish to obtain more information, please write to the Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies. You may be charged a fee for each request. Data relating to unsuccessful applications will be destroyed at the end of the admission exercise.

Please refer to the University’s European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Privacy Notice that may be applicable to you.

Applicants with Physical or Other Disabilities

The admission of an applicant to the University is based on academic criteria and other specified entrance requirements. If you have a physical or other disability, you are not required to declare this at the application stage. However, if you need assistance regarding your application (e.g., to attend an interview), you may discuss your needs with us so that special arrangements can be made if practicable.

Information for CityUHK Staff

For CityUHK staff seeking application for admission, normal admission procedures will apply.

Academic staff of the University are not allowed to pursue a research degree in their own Department/School under the supervision of colleagues from the same Department/School.

Information for International and Mainland Applicants

Students holding a valid visa/entry permit under the following categories for the purpose of studying in Hong Kong are defined as "non-local students":

Student visa/entry permit;
Visa/entry permit under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG); or
Dependant visa/entry permit for students who were 18 years old or above when they were issued with such visa/entry permit by the Director of Immigration of Hong Kong.

Student Visa/Entry Permit

Non-local students must obtain a student visa or an entry permit to study in Hong Kong.

Students admitted from overseas countries should direct their applications for a visa to the Chinese Embassy or Consulate General in their place of residence or to the Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). As part of the application for a visa, applicants are required to nominate a Hong Kong resident aged 18 or above to act as a sponsor. Those who have difficulty in nominating a sponsor may write to the University to act in this capacity. For mainland students, the University will be required to act as the sponsor for their study.

In accordance with the regulations of the Immigration Department in Hong Kong, students holding a student visa or an entry permit for studying in Hong Kong are allowed to undertake part-time paid employment during their stay in Hong Kong under stipulated conditions.

If you need advice on visa requirements, please consult the Hong Kong Immigration Department, HKSAR.

Personal Accident and Medical Insurance/Travel Insurance

It is mandatory for non-local students to purchase a personal accident and medical insurance/travel insurance policy during their study period at the University. For further information, please visit the Global Engagement Office.

Cost of Living

The cost of living in Hong Kong is generally high. The estimated basic cost of living for a single student is around HK$13,000 to HK$23,000 per month to cover food, lodging and general living expenses, depending on the type of accommodation selected and level of living and personal expenses. The above estimate does not include the tuition fee, which may vary by programme and depending on the credit load to be taken.

Student Accommodation

The University offers on-campus accommodation for full-time research students in UGC-funded programmes. Due to the very limited residence places and increasing demand, the University is unable to offer residence places to UGC-funded research students for their entire study period. Furthermore, there is no guarantee at all that students will be granted residence places during their studies. Application for residence places is made on a yearly basis and residence places for UGC-funded research students are primarily allocated by drawing lots. Students who are interested in applying for a place in the student residence can submit an online application during the specified application period. For details, please refer to the Student Residence Website for the application periods.

Cancellation of Programmes

The University reserves the right to cancel any programmes, in which case all fees paid by applicants will be refunded.