Frequently Asked Questions

Applications for entry in September 2025 is accepted from 16 September 2024. The deadlines for applications vary by programme. Please refer to the online programme information for the deadlines specific to individual programmes.

Applications for some programmes are considered on a rolling basis. Review of applications will start before the deadline and continue until all places are filled. Early applications are therefore strongly encouraged.  Late applications may be accepted at the discretion of the respective academic unit.

For application information about master's programmes, research degree and professional doctorate degree programmes, please visit the website of the Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies.

Our academic year consists of two 16-week semesters (i.e., Semesters A and B) and an optional 9-week summer term. For the 2025/26 academic year, the provisional calendar is:

Semester A: 1 September 2025 to 20 December 2025
Semester B: 12 January 2026 to 11 May 2026
Summer Term: 8 June 2026 to 8 August 2026

The timetable is set as follows:

Monday to Friday
9:00 am – 9:50 pm (Evening classes normally start at 7:00 pm. Classes with a duration of more than 3 hours may start earlier at 6:30 pm or extend to 10:50 pm if applicable.)

Saturday
9:00 am – 6:50 pm

For the timetable of individual course(s), please consult the respective academic unit.

The medium of instruction and assessment of the University is English, unless otherwise specified for a particular course or programme.

For details of scholarship opportunities, please contact the programme offering academic unit. Contact details are available here.

Admission 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 the programme offering academic unit so that special arrangements can be made if practicable.

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

Please arrange with the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to send your TOEFL results directly to the University. The TOEFL institution code for CityUHK is 3401 (Graduate School Admissions) and the Department code is 99.

For Research Degree and Professional Doctorate Programmes, contact details are as follows:

For Master's Programmes, contact details are as follows:

If you have studied similar courses at a recognised post-secondary institution, you may be eligible for credit transfer to meet some of the programme requirements. Applications for credit transfer for coursework completed prior to entry to the University must be made in the first semester following admission, before the deadline set by the University.

Transferred credit units must have been earned no earlier than eight years before enrolment at the University. Individual academic units may stipulate a more stringent requirement for transferred credit units, as deemed appropriate. Please contact the programme offering academic unit for more details.

Transferred credits will not be counted in the calculation of the Grade Point Average (GPA) and classification of the award. Credit transfer should be limited to a maximum of 30% of the total credit units for the award being pursued.

Information about the programmes that are open for applications is available at the online programme list. If you have questions concerning the curriculum and other programme information, please contact the relevant academic unit directly.

Master's programmes focus more on coursework, some programmes may require the completion of a project or dissertation. MPhil and PhD research degrees consist of both coursework and independent research studies culminating in the submission of a thesis. For details, please refer to the website of the Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies. 

Non-local students will be admitted to these programmes for either full-time or part-time studies. Non-local students must maintain the required credit load for their full-time or part-time studies and any changes will require approval from the University.

The definitions of non-local applicants and local applicants are set out below (with effect from Semester A 2019/20 entry):

Non-local Applicants

Persons holding the following documents issued by the Immigration Department (IMMD) of the HKSAR are classified as non-local applicants: 

• Student visa / entry permit; or
• Visa / entry permit under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG Visa); or
• Dependant visa / entry permit for applicants who were 18 years old or above when they were issued with such visa / entry permit by the IMMD

Due to immigration restrictions, nationals from Afghanistan, Cuba, Laos, North Korea (DPRK), Nepal and Vietnam may not be able to obtain a student visa to study in Hong Kong. For details, please click here.

Local Applicants

Persons holding any of the following documents issued by the Immigration Department (IMMD) are classified as local applicants:

• Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card
• Documents issued by the IMMD certifying the right of abode / right to land in Hong Kong
• One-way permit for entry to Hong Kong
• Dependant visa / entry permit for applicants who were below 18 years old when they were issued with such visa / entry permit by the IMMD
• Full-time employment visa / work permit (for part-time study)
• Visa / entry permit for Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)
• Visa / entry permit for Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES)
• Visa / Entry permit for Admission Scheme for the Second Generation of Chinese Hong Kong Permanent Residents
• Visa label for unconditional stay

If you need further advice on visa requirements, please contact the IMMD. 

If you have wrongly identified yourself as a local or non-local applicant, you should notify the Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies in writing as soon as possible. Please provide your name, application number, a copy of your Hong Kong Identity Card and a copy of your student visa / entry permit (if any). It will take 7 working days to update your status in our application system. You may login your application account for checking.

For admission to the programmes offered by the University, applicants must meet the General Entrance Requirements AND Programme Entrance Requirements AND / OR English Proficiency Requirements as specified for individual programmes, if applicable.

The General Entrance Requirement and Programme Entrance Requirement of a programme stipulate the minimum requirements that applicants are expected to fulfil. Fulfilment of these requirements does not guarantee admission to the programme. The assessment for admission is based on a number of factors, including the applicant’s academic and professional qualifications, work experience, performance in the interview or test and other criteria as required by the respective programmes.

Not all programmes require an interview or test and the arrangements also vary from year to year. Please consult individual academic unit for details of the interview arrangement, if any.

For master's programmes, applicants whose entrance qualification is obtained from an institution where the medium of instruction is not English should also fulfil one of the following minimum English proficiency requirements^:

• a score of 79 (internet-based test) in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)^@#; or
• an overall band score of 6.5 in International English Language Testing System (IELTS)^@; or
• band 6 in the Chinese mainland’s College English Test (CET-6)*; or
• other equivalent qualifications.

^@ TOEFL and IELTS scores have a validity period of two years. Applicants are required to provide their English test results obtained within the two years preceding the commencement of the University's application period.

^# Applicants are required to arrange with the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to send their TOEFL results directly to the University. The TOEFL institution code for CityUHK is 3401 (Graduate School Admissions) and the Department Code is 99.

* Please refer to the CET-6 score requirement for the individual programmes in the programme information.

(^Individual programmes may stipulate a higher English proficiency requirement, or equivalent acceptable qualifications, as deemed appropriate for their disciplines.)

As concurrent enrolment in two programmes at CityUHK is normally not allowed, you will need to withdraw from your current programme before enrolling in a new programme.

Current CityUHK students who wish to change their study programme to another one of the same level should apply for programme transfer. 

For master's programmes, 'TOEFL’s MyBest Scores' / IELTS One Skill Retake score is not accepted for fulfilling the minimum English proficiency requirement. The University only considers the TOEFL’s Score (iBT) / IELTS result from an individual test on one single test date.  Individual Colleges and Schools may stipulate a higher English proficiency requirement, or equivalent acceptable qualifications, as deemed appropriate for their disciplines. Please refer to our website for more information on the entrance requirements.

For details of the tuition fees for individual programmes, please refer here for information.

The online application fee per programme choice for master's programmes (except for EMBA programmes) is HK$500. For EMBA programmes (i.e. P01A, P01B and P12), the online application fee per programme choice is HK$800. Payment can be made by using VISA, MasterCard, UnionPay*, AlipayHK/China, WeChat Pay or Faster Payment System (FPS). If you wish to apply for more than one programme, you may submit an additional application. Please note that if you receive more than one admission offer from the University, you can choose to enrol in one programme only.

The application fee is non-refundable and non-transferable. Your application will only be processed after the application fee is paid.

*UnionPay service does not support Microsoft EDGE browser. Please use Microsoft IE or Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

If you encounter problems with the online payment gateway, please note the following:

1. Make sure the web browser you are using is either IE version 11, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox with TLSv1.2 enabled (for IE: Internet Options > Advanced > use TLSv1.2).
2. Ensure the web browser is configured to enable Javascript and turn on cookie especially for users using Apple iOS (e.g. MacBook / iPhone) where the system disables the cookie as default.
3. If your browser is set to block pop-up windows, please set it to allow pop-ups temporarily.
4. Make sure your firewall setting allows access to the CityUHK domain site.
5. UnionPay service does not support Microsoft EDGE browser. Please use Microsoft IE or Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

For online applications, please pay the application fee by using VISA, MasterCard, UnionPay*, AlipayHK/China, WeChat Pay or Faster Payment System (FPS). Please note that sometimes payment may fail due to a system error. You are advised to save your data and make the payment again later. Your application will only be processed after the application fee is paid.

*UnionPay service does not support Microsoft EDGE browser. Please use Microsoft IE or Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

If a duplicate payment is made, please notify the Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies in writing to apply for a refund. We will look into your case and arrange for a refund within six to eight weeks if excess payment has been identified.

The acceptance fee for the programme, which is stated in the offer letter, is non-refundable or non-transferable except under the following circumstances:

• when the applicant subsequently accepts another offer of an award programme of CityUHK in the same semester / term of admission and has paid the relevant acceptance fee;
• when the applicant fails to meet the condition(s) of the admission offer resulting in a withdrawal of offer by CityUHK;
• when the programmee for which an offer is made is subsequently cancelled by CityUHK.

1.  Please apply online through our website and read the 'Notes for Applicants' carefully before submitting your application.
2.  To create an application account by inputting your personal information and then note down your electronic ID, application number and password so that you can access your application account in future.
3.  When you have finished entering the data in various forms and have uploaded the supporting documents (e.g. transcripts, award certificates), click the 'Pay and Submit' button to proceed with online payment by using VISA, MasterCard, UnionPay*, AlipayHK/China, WeChat Pay or Faster Payment System (FPS). Your application will only be processed after the application fee has been paid.
4.  An acknowledgement of your application will be shown online immediately after successful payment of the application fee and you will also receive an email message to confirm the submission of your application.

*UnionPay service does not support Microsoft EDGE browser. Please use Microsoft IE or Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

Once you have successfully paid your application fee, the programme name will appear under the 'Submitted Applications' section in the application system. In addition, an acknowledgement of your application will be shown online immediately after successful payment of the application fee and you will also receive an email message to confirm the submission of your application. Please ensure your email address is valid and will not filter out emails from the University.

An application account is created once you have submitted your application online. Through your application account, you can check your application result, update your correspondence information and upload supporting documents.

You can access your application account with the electronic ID and password created at the time of application. Only one application account should be created by each applicant (applicable for multiple programme applications).

Please go to the account login page, click 'Forgot Electronic ID or Password' and provide the required information to retrieve your electronic ID or reset your password.

You can submit more than one application under the same application account. The online application fee per programme choice for master's programmes (except for EMBA programmes) is HK$500. For EMBA programmes (i.e. P01A, P01B and P12), the online application fee per programme choice is HK$800. Please do not create more than one application account. If you receive more than one admission offer from the University, you can choose to enrol in one programme only.

Applicants are not required to prioritise their programme choices. If you have applied for more than one programme, your programme choices will be given the same priority in our processing. Admission offers, if any, may be made at different times and applicants can indicate their acceptance of an alternative offer by completing the required procedures.

To log in your application account:

1. Go to the account login page, enter your application number / electronic ID and your password.
2. If you have forgotten your password, select 'Forgot Electronic ID or Password' and provide the following information to retrieve your electronic ID or reset your password:
   • HKID or ID / travel document number
   • Email
   • Date of birth

Please note that your application account will be locked if you have not logged in to it for more than 6 months.

If you are still unable to access your account, please write to us via our online enquiry form and provide us with your full name in English, application number, HKID / ID / passport number (if any) and email address.

We will reset your password. For security reasons, you are advised to change your password once you have logged in to your account successfully.

Late applications may be accepted if places are still available and it is subject to the discretion of relevant academic unit. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible. For some programmes, applications are considered on a rolling basis. Review of applications will start before the deadline and continue until all places are filled. To check whether late applications will be accepted, please refer to the application period for information.

A complete set of application submitted online should include*:

1. an application form;
2. an applicant statement, if applicable;
3. a supplementary form for some programmes, if applicable;
4. the required supporting documents of academic / professional qualifications, English proficiency result;
5. any other supporting documents required by individual programmes; and 
6. successful payment of application fee

Submitted documents will not be returned. Original documents (including CityUHK qualifications and public examination results) will need to be submitted/ presented for verification at a later time, upon request by the University. Provision of any false or misleading information as identified by the University before or after the admission offer, or failure to provide the full documentation 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.

*Except for Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (P45), please do not submit your supporting documents by post until applicants are offered an admission place (if any). Except for the official transcript / English test report (e.g. TOEFL) sent directly from the institution/exam organising unit in a sealed envelope, hardcopies of any supporting documents received by the University from applicants will not be opened and will be destroyed upon arrival. Applicants with an admission offer, however, will be required to arrange submission of the required documents by the stipulated deadline for qualification checking. Please read the details.

For applications to the School of Creative Media Programmes

Applicants are highly recommended to submit a portfolio and / or a self-introduction letter to the School of Creative Media (SCM).

Please mark your name, application number, and the programme you have applied for when submitting the portfolio. Portfolio materials may include still photography, paintings / drawings, sculpture, musical compositions / performances, films / videos, software, multi-media productions, academic or creative writing, or other forms of imaginative activity. Please refer to the School homepage for details regarding the submission deadline of the portfolio.

Document files should be uploaded via your application account before submitting your application.

Please note that selection decisions will 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 not be considered as it is subject to the discretion of the relevant academic unit.

You may submit your application stating your expected graduation date, along with any previous academic results and the latest transcript of your final year of study. Conditional offers may be made to applicants, stipulating successful completion of their current study as a requirement for admission. 

Applicants are required to arrange submission of the required documents by the stipulated deadline for qualification checking. Please read the details.

No cancellation of un-submitted applications is required. Your application will not be processed if you have not paid the application fee.

Once you have submitted your application, the system will disable the data entry function. For changes of your postal / email address and telephone number, however, you may update your record online at any time via the 'Personal Information' section of your application account.

For other amendments, please notify the Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies in writing and provide us with your full name, application number and programme choice(s) for identification. You may be asked to provide documentary proof for making these changes.

Please note that the selection results will be based on the information provided at the time of your application. Additional, updated or amended information provided to the University after the commencement of the selection process may or may not be considered and it is subject to the discretion of the relevant academic unit.

Particulars (e.g. personal information and qualifications) relating to your application are shared among the programmes which you have applied for, except for information specific to individual programmes.

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

• as a basis for various types of processing in relation to your application;
• as a basis for the selection of applicants for admission to the programmes offered by the University and/or in collaboration with other institutions; for other opportunities relating to funding schemes / awards by the University or other parties; and for other relevant or related purposes;
• to obtain, from the relevant examination authority, assessment body or academic institution in Hong Kong and elsewhere, information about your examination results, records of studies or professional qualifications if deemed appropriate;
• to carry out checks on your applications, and any records of studies at the University and other institutions in Hong Kong and elsewhere if deemed appropriate;
• to carry out checks on other information mentioned in your application (e.g. employment records, professional qualifications) with the relevant party / parties if deemed appropriate;
• to transfer relevant data to i) the student record system of the University, ii) partner institutions under collaboration arrangements and/or other parties supporting financial schemes / awards, if applicable upon your successful enrolment at the University;
• for statistical and research purposes (with personal identifiers removed); and
• for direct marketing of the University's programme and activities (if deemed appropriate).

In accordance with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, you have the right of access to and the right of correction of the information contained in the application form, and 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 on applicants other than those successfully enrolled 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.

The application fee for online application can be paid by using VISA, MasterCard, UnionPay*, AlipayHK/China, WeChat Pay or Faster Payment System (FPS). You may ask a holder of the said payment means (e.g. a friend or relative) to make the payment for you.

*UnionPay service does not support Microsoft EDGE browser. Please use Microsoft IE or Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

There is NO need to submit an application through any agency or company. Applications can be submitted directly by applicants via our online application system. Please refer to the programme information and application procedures for details about individual programmes and how to submit your application.

CityUHK does not entrust any agencies or companies in mainland China, for recruitment of postgraduate students or conducting any information / consultation sessions of postgraduate studies.

Depending on the programme you have applied for, applications may be reviewed by the academic units as soon as they are received. Admission offers are mostly made next year between January and June. The selection process is normally completed by the end of June for non-local applicants, or by the end of July for local applicants. Late announcement of application results may be due to the following reasons:

• the application was submitted after the application deadline; or
• examination results relevant to the evaluation are still pending; or
• a marginal case for which the selection decision depends on the enrolment situation.

Please contact the programme offering academic unit for any further enquiries.

You should check your application result online via your application account from time to time by accessing the account with the electronic ID and password created at the time of your application.

If you are successful in your application, you will receive an email notification reminding you to check the application account to view and download the offer letter and to complete the required procedures for accepting the offer. No hard copy will be issued. Please ensure that your email address is valid and will not filter out any emails from the University.

Applications for credit transfer for coursework completed prior to entry to the University must be made in the first semester following the student’s admission, before the deadline set by the University.

Transferred credits will not be counted in the calculation of the Grade Point Average (GPA) and classification of the award. Credit transfer should be limited to a maximum of 30% of the total credit units for the award being pursued.

Applicants with a conditional offer are required to provide documentary proof certifying fulfilment of condition(s) before the deadline indicated in the offer letter. If you have submitted the required documents and are considered as fulfilled ALL the conditions set out in the offer letter, your online application status will be marked as 'Condition Met' under 'Meeting Offer Condition(s)', but your application result will NOT be changed from 'Conditional Offer' to 'Firm Offer'. No separate notification or firm offer letter will be issued to you.

If you failed to provide the required documents, your admission offer will be withdrawn and any enrolment made in the programme will also be rescinded. 

Your admission offer is only valid for the semester indicated in the offer letter and it will lapse if you fail to enrol in the semester for admission.

Applicants will be invited for enrolment after they have accepted the admission offer and settled the acceptance fee. However, applicants given a conditional offer will normally be invited for enrolment after condition(s) of offer is / are met. Generally, starting from mid-July, a notification of enrolment will be emailed to applicants.

Students will be notified of the arrangements for the class schedule and course registration near the start of the semester.

Applications are reviewed based on the information submitted in the year of admission, without reference to any previous unsuccessful applications.

We strongly discourage appeals unless you can provide significant new information in writing for our consideration. Our admission decisions are based on a careful and thorough review of each application. It would be highly unusual for the University to reverse such decisions.

Successful applicants can view their offer letters via their application account online with the 'Notes for Applicants on Acceptance of Offer' (the 'Notes') and other information about admission to the University. Please follow the instructions on the 'Notes' to confirm your acceptance of offer by the specified deadline.

'Firm Offer' means you have been offered admission to the specified programme and an official offer letter has been uploaded to your application account. Please read the offer letter and 'Notes for Applicants on Acceptance of Offer' carefully and follow the instructions given to confirm your acceptance of the offer by the specified deadline. No hardcopy of the offer letter will be issued.

Please note that upon receipt of your reply form and acceptance fee payment, your application account will be updated accordingly. You may check the updated information under 'Applicant Reply' through your application account.

The Cover Sheet for Transcript Submission is only applicable to academic qualifications which are obtained from local institutions in Hong Kong (except CityUHK).  Please read the Information on Supporting Documents - After Offer Acceptance for details. 

Our Global Engagement Office (GEO) coordinates matters relating to student visa / entry permit applications. Please contact them for assistance.

For details on the student visa / entry permit, please refer to the 'Notes for Applicants on Acceptance of Offer' attached to the offer letter. 

For information on applying for a visa, you may also consult the Immigration Department (IMMD) of the Government of the HKSAR. 

For government-funded programmes, the tuition fee for non-local students is HKD170,000 per annum for students admitted in 2025 (the tuition fee may be adjusted if there are changes to the tuition fee set by the HKSAR Government).

For non-government funded programmes, the tuition fees are charged on a credit unit basis and vary for individual programmes and the fees are set at a higher level. For details of our tuition fees, please refer to the online programme information.

Accommodation
Only full-time non-local students admitted to government-funded (UGC) places of the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (P45) Programme are eligible to apply for on-campus student residence, but will be subject to lot drawing. The residence fees vary according to the room type and are subject to annual review. Please refer to the Student Residence Office for details.

Students admitted to all other master's programmes are NOT eligible for on-campus student residence and therefore they should arrange their own off-campus accommodation as early as possible before arrival in Hong Kong. Some basic information on off-campus accommodation in the market is available at Student Residence Office website.

Cost of Living
The cost of living varies depending on individuals lifestyle choices. The average cost of living in Hong Kong (excluding tuition and accommodation fees) is estimated to be HKD50,000 (approx. USD6,400) per 2 semesters, including meals, transport, laundry and education expenses such as books and stationery.  Students may also need to budget for overseas learning activities and emergency medical expenses, etc.

If you are interested in taking courses on a short-term basis (less than one academic year), you may apply for admission as a visiting student. For details, please refer to the visiting postgraduate students website.