University of St Andrews

At a glance

HKU is the oldest higher education institution in Hong Kong. With ten faculties, approximately 30,000 students and 3,000 academic staff, HKU is the most esteemed research university in Hong Kong. In the 2024 QS World University Rankings, HKU ranked 26th. The Main Campus is set along the northwestern slopes of the Hong Kong Island and the HKU built a brand new Centennial Campus to the west with space for new academic buildings and other modern amenities. Public transport is available for easy access to the city centre.
Established : 1911
Student Population : 29800

Website and links

Website : Hong Kong Homepage

Study abroad page : Incoming Student Exchange

Who can go

Students on degree programmes in the following subject areas may apply to study abroad during their Junior Honours year at University of Hong Kong:

Please note that this HKU is also a School Abroad option for International Relations students.

• Biology
• Computer Science
• Physics and Astronomy
• Art History
• Chemistry
• Comparative Literature
• Geography and Sustainable Devt
• Economics (Business School)
• Finance (Business School)
• International Relations

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 Aug 2023 to Dec 2023
Semester 2 Jan 2024 to May 2024
2024/5
Semester 1 Aug 2024 to Dec 2024
Semester 2 Jan 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

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 courses offered by the Department of Chinese).

Teaching: Students may find themselves in a group of more than 100 people (for lectures) or in a group as small as 10 people (for seminars or tutorials). 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 : For the International Relations School Abroad programme, there will be two full year/ four semester places available at HKU for the academic year 2025-2026.

There will be two full year/ 4 semester places available in 2025-2026 as part of our university-wide exchange.

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 express train to central station (journey time 25 mins.) or the bus to central station (one hour bus ride).

Exchange students may apply for the HKU buddy scheme. Your local HKU student buddy can meet you at the terminal station of the Airport Express and bring you to the HKU campus.

The campus is well served by modern public buses and green mini buses. Eligible students can apply for a student ‘octopus card’ in October every year. Services operate until midnight throughout the week.

Accommodation

Please note that accommodation in HKU halls cannot be guaranteed. If you cannot be accommodated in halls, HKU will provide information to help you find private accommodation.

Students may apply for a place in an HKU hall of residence. HKU halls vary considerably in size and character, and though all are known for their strong hall spirit, each has its own tradition and culture.

All halls have common rooms and recreational facilities.

Most rooms are shared twin rooms.

The HKU Housing Factsheet provides further information about the cost of accommodation.

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 Student Services are available to incoming exchange students.

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