⏱ By time
The same site, re-ordered chronologically. If you don't know what you should be doing right now, start here — find your stage and you have found the pages for it.
1. Exploration
Autumn of Year 12 · Sep–Nov
Get to know CityU, compare programmes, and work out whether you count as a local or a non-local student
Admission routes: how Mainland Gaokao direct admission works
From the 2026 academic year CityU admits Mainland Gaokao students through its own “Mainland Gaokao direct admission” scheme — it does not take part in the unified national enrolment and does not use one of your JEE choices. Read the process and the deadlines here first.
Programmes and degrees: what can you study at CityU?
Ten colleges and schools, four-year bachelor's degrees, five-year double degrees, six-year veterinary medicine. Check how long a programme runs, then choose a college.
What a year costs: tuition, accommodation and living expenses
Non-local tuition is HK$190,000 per academic year, or HK$392,000 for veterinary medicine. Add accommodation and living costs, and work out the four-year total in advance.
Entry scholarships: the three tiers, how they are awarded and renewed
Three tiers based on your Gaokao ranking, and the top tier comes with a living allowance. But it is not a one-off: your CGPA is reviewed every year.
For parents: money, proof, and scams
Parents really need to know three things: when to send money, which document the visa people read, and what kind of scam your child may face.
2. Application
2026 intake archive — verify next-cycle dates with CityU
Open an account, choose up to two programme choices, upload documents, pay the application fee (HK$450)
Admission routes: how Mainland Gaokao direct admission works
From the 2026 academic year CityU admits Mainland Gaokao students through its own “Mainland Gaokao direct admission” scheme — it does not take part in the unified national enrolment and does not use one of your JEE choices. Read the process and the deadlines here first.
What a year costs: tuition, accommodation and living expenses
Non-local tuition is HK$190,000 per academic year, or HK$392,000 for veterinary medicine. Add accommodation and living costs, and work out the four-year total in advance.
Entry scholarships: the three tiers, how they are awarded and renewed
Three tiers based on your Gaokao ranking, and the top tier comes with a living allowance. But it is not a one-off: your CGPA is reviewed every year.
3. Offers
2026 intake archive — verify next-cycle dates with CityU
Upload Gaokao results by noon on 26 June, attend interviews, check offers and scholarships, pay the deposit (HK$15,000)
Student visa: ID995A, HK$600 and eight weeks
The first thing to do after an offer. The form, the administrative fee, the processing time and proof of funds, all in one place.
Where you live: how to apply for a hall place in your first two years
Non-local undergraduates have priority for a hall place in their first two years, at HK$20,800 a year for a double room. The application window is only three weeks — miss it and it is gone.
4. Before you leave
2026 intake archive — verify next-cycle dates with CityU
Apply for the student visa and the D endorsement, apply for a hall place, prepare proof of funds and pack
Student visa: ID995A, HK$600 and eight weeks
The first thing to do after an offer. The form, the administrative fee, the processing time and proof of funds, all in one place.
Where you live: how to apply for a hall place in your first two years
Non-local undergraduates have priority for a hall place in their first two years, at HK$20,800 a year for a double room. The application window is only three weeks — miss it and it is gone.
Life in Hong Kong: climate, transport, money and scams
Hong Kong drives on the left, air-conditioning indoors is fierce, and tap water is not for drinking. And one thing matters more than all of it: not getting scammed.
For parents: money, proof, and scams
Parents really need to know three things: when to send money, which document the visa people read, and what kind of scam your child may face.
Locations, transport and contacts
One campus, two student residences and the key contacts — use this page for sending documents, visiting and navigating.
5. Arriving and enrolling
2026 intake archive — verify next-cycle dates with CityU
Arrive in Hong Kong, keep your landing slip, enrol at the time set by ARRO, open a bank account
Life in Hong Kong: climate, transport, money and scams
Hong Kong drives on the left, air-conditioning indoors is fierce, and tap water is not for drinking. And one thing matters more than all of it: not getting scammed.
Study and support: enrolment, health, the library
Who handles enrolment, who handles halls, and which health centre to go to when you are ill. Sort out these offices first and nothing will panic you.
Locations, transport and contacts
One campus, two student residences and the key contacts — use this page for sending documents, visiting and navigating.
6. During your studies
Year 1 to graduation
Classes, hall life, the rules on part-time and summer work, study support
Can you work while you are studying?
Yes, but only four categories of activity, and you must have an NOL. Get the rules wrong and you are working illegally, with visa consequences.
Study and support: enrolment, health, the library
Who handles enrolment, who handles halls, and which health centre to go to when you are ill. Sort out these offices first and nothing will panic you.
Graduation and beyond: working in Hong Kong and where graduates go
IANG lets non-local graduates stay on to look for work. Add the employer and postgraduate lists CityU publishes, and the options are visible.
7. Final year
Last year
Graduation documents, job hunting, staying on to work in Hong Kong (IANG)