HKU Admission Requirements and Overview (HKU)

In a nutshell: The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is Hong Kong’s oldest university and one of Asia’s leading research-intensive comprehensive universities. It excels in medicine, dentistry, law, and education, among other fields, and was ranked 11th in the QS World University Rankings 2027.

# When was HKU founded? And why is its medical school older?

HKU was formally established on 30 March 1911 under the University Ordinance and held its inauguration ceremony on 11 March 1912. It initially comprised the Faculties of Arts, Engineering, and Medicine. According to its official history, HKU is “the oldest tertiary education institution in Hong Kong”HKU official history^※.

The medical lineage, however, is older. The Faculty of Medicine grew out of the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, which was founded in 1887—24 years before the university itselfHKU official history^※. Sun Yat-sen, a towering figure in modern Chinese history, was among its earliest and most celebrated graduates. Today, the faculty is known as the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine.

# How does HKU rank in global university league tables? (Four rankings compared)

HKU is the highest-ranked university in Hong Kong and consistently appears near the top of Asian and world tables. The table below summarises the most recent results from the four major rankings (all figures are published openly by each organisation):

• QS 2027: HKU ranks 11th in the world, the highest position for any Hong Kong institutionQS World University Rankings 2027^※.
• U.S. News 2026–2027: HKU places 40th globally.
• THE 2026: HKU ranks 33rd.
• ARWU (Shanghai Ranking) 2025: HKU places 67th.

The four league tables use different methodologies (QS favours reputation and internationalisation, THE prioritises teaching and research, ARWU is built on research-output metrics such as papers and awards, and U.S. News leans on bibliometrics), but HKU’s consistently high placings across all four serve as a robust testament to its comprehensive strength.

# What are HKU’s strongest academic subjects?

HKU excels in a broad array of disciplines. According to official university press materials, in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, HKU had 51 subjects ranked, with 29 of them placing inside the global top 50 and 8 reaching the top 20HKU press release^※. Some standout subjects are shown below:

All data above are from the official HKU releaseHKU press release^※. The university’s often-cited “four flagship strengths”—medicine, dentistry, law, and education—are borne out in this table: dentistry at world No. 2, education at No. 5, and law at No. 20 all sit firmly in the global top tier.

# How big is HKU? Student and staff numbers and internationalisation

HKU is a large, highly international research university. According to the university’s official Quick Stats for the 2025/26 academic year, total student enrolment stood at 45,303, comprising 20,103 undergraduates and 25,200 postgraduates (of whom 20,366 were on taught-master’s programmes and 4,834 on research programmes)HKU Quick Stats^※.

On the internationalisation front, the same source reports 25,051 non-local students (excluding exchange students)HKU Quick Stats^※. This figure includes non-locals enrolled on both UGC-funded and self-financed programmes; the university’s own breakdown shows that UGC-funded programmes account for around 56.7% of the total and non-funded programmes around 43.3%. One note of caution: the exact definitions of “international,” “mainland China,” and “non-local” vary across statistical series—always cite the official Quick Stats figures for the academic year in question.

# Where are HKU’s campus and teaching hospital?

HKU’s main campus is situated in the Pokfulam area on the western side of Hong Kong Island, spread along Bonham Road; this is the administrative and teaching heart of the university. Clinical teaching is centred on its principal teaching hospital, Queen Mary Hospital—the largest hospital on Hong Kong Island and the teaching hospital for both the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of DentistryQueen Mary Hospital — Wikipedia^※. The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine adjoins Queen Mary Hospital in the Sandy Bay area, a few kilometres from the main campus on the southern side of Pokfulam.

# What language does HKU teach in?

HKU’s medium of instruction is English. Except for specific programmes such as Chinese medicine or Chinese studies, all courses, assessments, and day-to-day academic communication are conducted in English, in line with the university’s international orientation and its globally diverse community.

# How does HKU admit students? (Local, mainland China, and international)

Admissions at HKU follow three main tracks:

• Local students apply through the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS), using results from the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE).
• Mainland China students: HKU runs an independent admissions scheme in mainland China. It considers scores from the gaokao (the national university entrance exam) alongside an interview, and does not take up a place in the mainland’s centralised admissions system. Exact arrangements each year are published by the HKU Admissions Office.
• International students with non-local qualifications (such as A-Levels, IB, SAT/AP, etc.) apply through HKU’s International Admissions scheme.

Specific requirements, deadlines, and tuition fees for each category are adjusted annually and should always be checked against the latest version published by the HKU Admissions Office (admissions.hku.hk).

# Frequently asked questions

Q: How much is the tuition fee per year at HKU?
A: Tuition fees differ for local and non-local students and are revised annually. No fixed figure is stated on this page; please refer to the current-year fee schedule published by the HKU Admissions Office (admissions.hku.hk). HKU admits students via three channels—local (JUPAS), mainland China (independent scheme, gaokao scores plus interview), and international (International Admissions)—and the fee structures for each category are different.

Q: When is the HKU application deadline?
A: Specific deadlines change every year and must be confirmed on the HKU Admissions Office website (admissions.hku.hk). The three application pathways themselves are fixed: local students apply through JUPAS using HKDSE results; mainland China students apply through HKU’s independent scheme (which considers gaokao scores together with an interview and does not interfere with the mainland central-application system); international students holding qualifications such as A-Levels, IB, or SAT/AP apply via the International Admissions route. The timeline for each pathway should be checked against the information published for the current admissions cycle.