Successful Applicants
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After receiving the offer/conditional offer of admission, please read the letter carefully and confirm your acceptance of the offer/conditional offer before the deadline specified, by returning the duly signed notice of admission or statement of acceptance to the Graduate School. If you have received a conditional offer, the confirmed offer will be sent to you after you have satisfied all the condition(s) specified in the conditional offer letter.
Non-local applicants with an offer/conditional offer should start the visa application process as early as possible by following the instructions at the CEDARS website.
Those with a confirmed offer may apply for university accommodation. Please click here for details.
An e-mail entitled “Registration and Related Matters for New MPhil/PhD Students” requesting you to complete the master registration online will normally be sent to you via the email account(s) specified in your application form within two months prior to the date of registration. Please complete the on-line registration procedure as instructed; otherwise you will not be able to access information and services for research students, including course enrollment
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Some of our conditional offer of admission may include conditions like submission of academic documents. Please submit officially certified certificates and complete officialtranscripts of your undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Documents which are not in English should be accompanied by a formally certified translation in English. If the policy of your institution is that the transcript should remain confidential, please request your institution to send it directly to the HKU Graduate School.
For qualifications obtained from HKU (except HKU SPACE): Certified certificates and official transcripts are not required but if you are a graduate, you are requested to submit a photocopy of the transcript with your application; if you are a current student, you are requested to attach a printout of your examination results from the Student Information System (SIS) or a photocopy of your examination result slips.
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It is a copy of a document that has been duly declared as a true copy before a notary public (e.g. Commissioner for Oaths at a City District Office, Hong Kong SAR Government), or certified by the appropriate office/department of your institution.
You can also bring the original document to the Graduate School office at
P403, Graduate House
The University of Hong Kong
Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong
Our staff will make a certified copy of your document.
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For the purpose of coming to Hong Kong to pursue your studies, you should apply for a student visa, and not a training/tourist visa. Changing your status after arrival is rarely approved, which means that your studies will be seriously disrupted. You are required to present your student visa to the Faculty Office for verification upon your arrival at the University.
The Admissions and Academic Liaision Section (AAL) of the Registry of The University of Hong Kong will be the sponsor for your visa application. You may refer to the 'Entry for Study' sections on the website of AAL for more details and contact AAL direct for further information and enquiries.
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PRC candidates
Once you have received your offer letter of admission (including the conditional offer letter), you may submit your visa documentation to the Admissions and Academic Liasion Section (AAL) of the Registry. AAL will then forward your visa documents to the Hong Kong Immigration Department for processing. The HK Immigration Department (HKID) normally takes 8 to 10 weeks to process your visa application.
If HKID has approved your visa application, AAL will pick up the visa label and courier it to you. AAL will confirm the delivery address with you before arranging for the courier service. After receiving the visa label issued by the HK Immigration Department, you then need to approach your local police unit to seek their endorsement of your student visa application and you are also required to apply for a private travel pass to HKSAR.
Overseas & Taiwan candidates
You may forward your visa documents to AAL after receiving your offer letter of admission (including the conditional offer letter). After receiving your visa documents, AAL will act as your visa sponsor and forward your complete visa application document set to the Hong Kong Immigration Department for consideration. In 8 - 10 weeks, HK Immigration Department will inform AAL of your student visa application result. If HK Immigration has approved your student visa application, AAL will pick up the visa label and courier it to you.
Please refer to the AAL website for more information.
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Applications for deferment of payment of composition fees would only be approved exceptionally by the Dean of Student Affairs. If you would like to apply for deferment of payment of composition fees, please contact the Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS) at (852) 2859 2305 or at cedars@hku.hk.
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Please open a bank account once you have arrived Hong Kong. As for the documents required to open a bank account, please click here and refer to the section "Planning Your Stay> Finances" in the 'Preparatory Guide for Non-local Students' published by CEDARS. You can then update the relevant information through the Student Information System (“SIS”) (HKU Portal > SIS Menu > Financial Services > View / Amend Bank Account Info) on or before the 10th day of the first month as a PGS holder. Late update of bank account information in SIS will lead to postponement of PGS payment. Payment details can be viewed at SIS (HKU Portal > SIS Menu > Financial Services > PGS / HKPF Details)
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MPhil students are normally required to register on/before September 1 (or January 1). PhD students can register on the first day of any month.
We will be giving 7 working days' allowance for late arrival due to visa or other unanticipated problems. Please try your best to arrive within 7 working days from the official date of registration. If you are not able to arrive within 7 working days from the official date of registration, please apply for deferment of registration.
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If you have difficulties to come on/before the registration date shown in our Offer of Admission/Conditional Offer of Admission letter, you are requested to submit an application for change of registration date to the Graduate School by email, fax or letter.
Please note that deferment of registration is subject to approval from the Department and the Faculty concerned. We shall forward your request to the Department and the Faculty concerned for consideration. You will be notified of the result as soon as a decision has been made. Please be reminded that MPhil students are only allowed to register on either September 1 or January 1 each year while PhD students can register on the first day of any month.
Please try your best to arrive on/before the specified registration date in order not to delay your studies.
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The basic PGS amount for 2020-21 full-time MPhil/PhD students is HK$18,030* per month (w.e.f. September 1, 2020) and the scholarship holder may be required to undertake services which carry educational benefits for the holder with a maximum of 100 hours in each year. A higher rate may be payable, at the discretion of the department in which the scholarship holder is registered. In return, the scholarship holder may be required to work additional hours, up to a maximum of a further 150 hours per year.
The scholarship shall be tenable on an annual basis and renewable upon compliance with the conditions in the Regulations Governing Postgraduate Scholarships. The maximum period of award shall be 2 years for MPhil candidature, 3 years for 3-year PhD candidature, or 4 years for 4-year PhD candidature.
The scholarship will be paid by the end of each month through your bank account. If you are a non-local student, you may apply for advance of postgraduate scholarship in the first month and half of the monthly PGS will be paid to you at the beginning of the month, subject to approval and the time you submit the application. The other half of the monthly postgraduate scholarship will be paid to you at the end of the first month.
*The value of the scholarship shall be subject to review by the University from time to time.
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Eligibility: For non-local student only
You should submit the application form (document 161/118, obtainable from the Graduate School office) after you have:
(i) arrived in Hong Kong;
(ii) completed the registration process at the Faculty Office; and
(iii) opened a bank account in Hong Kong and provided the bank account information through the Student Information System (“SIS”) (HKU Portal > SIS Menu > Financial Services > View / Amend Bank Account Info) on or before the 10th day of the first month as a PGS holder. Late update of bank account information in the SIS will lead to postponement of PGS payment. Payment details can be viewed at SIS (HKU Portal > SIS Menu > Financial Services > PGS / HKPF Details).
Please also note that you need to submit your application form together with the following documents, before the 10th day of the first month:
(i) a copy of your signed PGS Award Letter; and
(ii) your student visa for verification.
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The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship (HKPF) Scheme was established by the Research Grants Council in 2009. The HKPF provides each awardee with a monthly scholarship of HK$27,100 and a conference and research related travel allowance of HK$13,600 per year for a period up to three years. For HKPF awardees who are admitted to a 4-year PhD programme, the University will provide a monthly Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS) and travel allowance at the same level as the HKPF for their fourth year of study.
Same as holders of postgraduate scholarship, the HKPF will be paid by the end of each month through your bank account. You are required to comply with the Regulations Governing Postgraduate Scholarships and you have to undertake services which carry educational benefits for you with a maximum of 100 hours in each year.
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(i) Cost of Living
Overseas applicants who are offered admission have to ensure that they are able to support themselves financially throughout their candidature before they commence their studies. It is very difficult to provide a precise estimate of the cost of living because it varies from one person to another depending on the type of accommodation selected and other factors.
Usually, the postgraduate scholarship is sufficient to cover food, lodging, general living expenses and tuition fees.
(ii) Accommodation
Postgraduate residences are available on campus or nearby and applications from overseas students are welcome. Students should contact the postgraduate residences directly for enquiries on vacancies and booking. Competition for places, however, is keen. For those unable to secure a residential place on campus, rental accommodation in the open market is also available. Admission to the University does not provide any guarantee of accommodation, which remains the responsibility of each student. It is therefore in the interest of overseas students to make definite arrangements for accommodation before arrival. Overseas students are advised to consult the Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS) on accommodation matters. Information on accommodation options for non-local students is available from the CEDARS website.
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Full-time research postgraduate students awarded the PGS will receive a monthly PGS of HK$18,030* or above (for the academic year 2020-21, w.e.f. September 1, 2020) at the end of each month within the normative period of study. Students should pay the composition fees by 2 installments annually on/before the specified deadline stated on the student debit note.
The composition fees cannot be offset by the scholarship.
*The value of the scholarship shall be subject to review by the University from time to time.
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New students may refer to the Course Enrolment section of the Graduate School website for details.