University of St Andrews

At a glance

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology specialises in science, technology, engineering, management and business studies, and also offers humanities and social sciences to complement to its core specialisms. It was founded in 1991 by the British Hong Kong government. In just over 30 years, HKUST has risen to be a leading institution in world university rankings, and built a strong reputation for cutting-edge teaching and research. HKUST is a campus university located in a rural area of the Hong Kong region. It has a spectacular coastal location, carved out of the hillside of the Clear Water Bay peninsula, close to nature reserves and the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark.

Established : 1991
Student Population : 16195

Website and links

Website : HKUST homepage

Study abroad page : HKUST Inbound

Who can go

Students on degree programmes in the following subject areas may apply to study abroad during their Junior Honours year at Hong Kong University of Science & Technology:
Please note the following restrictions: Economics and Finance: for the degree in Financial Economics and Financial Economics and Mathematics, participation will be conditional on the identification of Finance modules that can replace the core modules for the degree. When this is not possible, students will be asked to arrange their exchange in a way that allows them to take the relevant modules in St Andrews (e.g. the exchange might be limited to one specific semester); Mathematics and Statistics: this exchange is not open to Fast Track /Direct Entry MMath students unless they are planning to be abroad for the second year of the three honours years on such a programme; Physics and Astronomy: Junior Honours (JH) BSc/MPhys students will need to attend full-year only; and Senior Honours MPhys students in S2 only (with the possibility of extending to S1 of MPhys year). JH students need MT2506 Vector Calculus or be willing to undertake some self-study in the summer prior.

• Economics (Business School)
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Mathematics and Statistics
• Physics and Astronomy

Semesters Available

• First Semester
• Second Semester
• Full Year

Note: Joint Honours students may only apply for a full year abroad if BOTH subjects are listed above. Joint Honours students applying for one semester must seek permission from both Schools.

Study abroad coordinator

Each School has a designated Study Abroad Coordinator.

Semester dates

Semester dates are as follows

2023/4
Semester 1 Sep 2023 to Dec 2023
Semester 2 Feb 2024 to May 2023
2024/5
Semester 1 Sep 2024 to Dec 2024
Semester 2 Feb 2025 to May 2025

Your studies abroad

St Andrews academic requirements

• Minimum Credit in Academic year : 60
• Minimum Credit in Semester : 30
• Maximum Credit in Academic year : 60
• Maximum Credit in Semester: 30
• Module Weighting : 6

Partner Course Catalogue : Course Catalogue

Academic year: Each academic year has two regular semesters, each with at least 13 teaching weeks and an end-of-semester assessment period of two to three weeks.

Language of instruction: English (except for some Chinese courses in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences). Teaching: The format of classes includes lectures, case analysis/presentations, papers, and projects. Some courses may involve laboratory work, practical experience and fieldwork.

Assessment: Students may be examined by means of written, practical, or oral test, or by continuous assessment, or by any combination of these.

See our Credits and Modules Abroad webpage for information on the number of credits we expect students to take at our partner institutions. St Andrews expects students to attend all classes as part of their programme abroad. Assessment methods may vary across partners and could include class participation, continuous assessment in the form of homework and final exams. All courses must be agreed with your Study Abroad Coordinator. See our academic information webpage for further details, as well as information about credit and grade conversion.

Application and selection

This institution is part of the programme. .

Places available

Places available : Three full year (or six semester) places will be available at HKUST in the academic year 2025-2026.

Places available may vary from year to year depending on the exchange balance. Numbers for the following academic year will be confirmed at the information meeting.

Getting there and getting around

The nearest airport is Hong Kong International. From the airport, you can take the airport bus and then a local bus service, with journey times varying between 75 minutes and 120 minutes, depending on the service chosen. A pick-up coach service from Hong Kong International is also offered by HKUST.

Please note that all students must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before arriving at the HKUST campus.

HKUST is in a rural location, and travelling to downtown Kowloon takes around 45 minutes by bus and MTR (rapid transit train). The campus is well served by public bus services, which connect to the nearest MTR stations at Choi Hung, Diamond Hill, Hang Hau and Po Lam. Eligible students can apply for a student ‘Octopus’ transport card, entitling you to concessionary public transport fares. Services operate until midnight throughout the week.

Further information can be found on HKUST’s inbound student webpage.

Accommodation

HKUST offers all exchange students accommodation, as long as they apply by the deadline and indicate their intention to live on-campus in the HKUST application form. There are nine on-campus halls of residence, and one off-campus hall of residence. Most halls of residence rooms are designed for double or triple occupancy. Exchange students are assigned to a double occupancy room (or a triple room occupied by two people). All halls have common rooms, kitchens and recreational facilities. Each hall also offers a range of social and extra-curricular activities, such as orientation events, craft evenings, cooking workshops, excursions and dinners.

There is also advice and support for off-campus housing.

You can purchase a wide variety of meals from around 20 on-campus catering outlets. You can also purchase ingredients from the on-campus supermarket and prepare a meal in the kitchens of your halls of residence.

Please note that St Andrews is unable to guarantee housing at any of our partner institutions. Guidance on finding accommodation abroad is available on the Global Office webpage.

Student services and orientation

A range of support services are available to incoming exchange students.

HKUST usually offers orientation activities, which includes an orientation session and welcome session. There are also optional activities, including campus tours, dinners, Cantonese cultural evenings, shopping and craft activities. Exchange students may apply for the HKUST Exchange Buddy Programme. Your buddy will provide you with useful information before your arrival and help you familiarize with the campus and Hong Kong, and meet new friends. A Buddy Scheme may also be available in your School.

There is a free non-emergency medical clinic on campus, and a Dental Clinic is also available. There is also a Counseling and Wellness Center .

Sporting and leisure facilities HKUST’s sporting facilities include a 50 metre outdoor swimming pool, indoor pool, indoor sports complex and a range of outdoor sports facilities. A range of intervarsity and intramural sports competitions are held throughout the year. You can also travel to the nearby nature reserves and hiking trails, or visit the beach.

Please be aware that student support services will be different across all of our partner universities.