Normative study period: the standard duration for students to complete their programmes according to the prescribed study scheme. In most cases, students will graduate within this timeframe. 

Maximum study period: the longest duration for the students to complete their programmes.  If students cannot complete their programmes within this timeframe, they will be required to discontinue their studies.  Exceptions to extend the study period are granted by the Graduate Council only in highly exceptional circumstances.

Programmes may have varying normative and maximum study periods.  For details, please refer to Study Options.

For postgraduate programmes, the academic year usually starts in August and concludes in July of the following year.

Students should not simultaneously register for more than one programme at this University or any other tertiary institution unless they have submitted an application in advance to the Graduate Division concerned. Such an application must be endorsed by the respective Faculty and approved by the Graduate Council.

Any students violating this regulation will be required to discontinue studies at the University.

Full-time students should not engage in any full-time employment, whether paid or unpaid, during term time, except with prior permission of the Graduate Council. 

Similarly, recipients of Postgraduate Studentships (PGS) should not take up any full-time or part-time employment without prior permission from the Graduate Council.

More information is available at the Postgraduate Halls website. You can also contact the Postgraduate Halls directly at enquiry@pgh.cuhk.edu.hk.

The application procedure and admission requirements are the same for both local and non-local applicants. However, non-local applicants need to obtain a valid visa/entry permit from the Immigration Department of HKSAR before studying in Hong Kong.

A master’s degree is typically required for all taught doctoral and some PhD degree programmes. However, some Graduate Divisions may offer an MPhil–PhD Programme with separate MPhil and PhD streams, and bachelor's degree holders with at least Second Class honours may apply for the PhD stream under the MPhil-PhD Programme. You may refer to Study Options and Requirements for more information.

Yes, you can apply to the programmes by submitting your latest official transcript.  The Admissions panel of the respective programme will review your qualifications. If you are accepted, you will be asked to provide an official final transcript and a copy of your undergraduate degree certificate upon admission.

Yes, you may refer to Admissions Requirements for details.

Certain programmes may have specific English language requirements for admission, you are advised to visit the individual programme pages for more details.

Yes, we accept IELTS for UKVI (Academic) for fulfilling the English language requirements.

No, we do not accept “MyBest Score” of TOEFL or “IELTS One Skill Retake”. We only accept the test result from each individual attempt.

No, the CET6 score is not accepted for fulfilling the English language requirements. Please refer to the English language requirements for admission for more information.

Applicants must submit the required supporting documents listed in Documents Required. After submitting your application, please upload the documents to the Online Application System for Postgraduate Programmes and ensure they reach each programme by the application deadline.

In response to the University's sustainability initiatives, no hardcopy application forms are available. Applicants must submit their applications online via the Online Application System for Postgraduate Programmes.

You can apply for multiple programmes, however, as the selection panels are different, you must submit separate applications and settle the application fees for each programme you apply to. The paid application fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.

In case you are admitted to multiple programmes simultaneously, you will only be allowed to enroll in one programme.  All fees paid are non-refundable.

Programmes accept applications from September onwards and deadlines vary for each programme.

For the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS), the deadline is 1 December 2024 at 11:59pm (Hong Kong Time). Please refer to the Application Deadlines or relevant programme pages for details.

The application fee for each programme is HK$300 (except for the taught programmes offered by the Faculty of Business Administration). The fee is non-refundable and non-transferable. Payment should be made online by credit card when submitting the application.

You may log in to the Online Application System for Postgraduate Programmes to check your application status and pay the application fee by credit card. Please note that the application fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.

Students admitted to full-time research postgraduate programmes will be simultaneously considered for the Postgraduate Studentships (PGS) by the Graduate Division of your programme. There is no separate application required for the studentship.

Starting from the academic year 2018-19, local full-time students admitted to UGC-funded RPg programmes are eligible for the Government’s Tuition Waiver Scheme for Local Research Postgraduate (RPg) Students. The Scheme provides a non-mean-tested tuition waiver to all eligible local students enrolled in UGC-funded RPg programmes during their normative study period.

Our full-time RPg programmes are all UGC-funded, while part-time RPg programmes are not. Full-time RPg students admitted without PGS are considered as self-financed RPg students. 

Part-time and self-financed local full-time RPg students are not eligible for the Tuition Waiver Scheme for Local Research Postgraduate (RPg) Students.

Students holding any type of Hong Kong visas (including but not limited to student, dependent and IANG visa) or entry permit are not eligible for this Scheme.

Students whose tuition fees have been fully waived are not eligible for this Scheme. However, if the tuition fee has only been partially waived, they can still receive coverage from the Scheme for the remaining portion of the tuition fee.

Local recipients of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme or other scholarships are eligible for the Scheme to cover their tuition fees provided that the scholarships, awards or stipends received do not cover tuition fees.

No. Local recipients of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme receive a tuition waiver for their normative study period through the Tuition Waiver Scheme for Local Research Postgraduate (RPg) Students. Non-local recipients of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme receive the CUHK Vice-Chancellor HKPFS Scholarship to cover their first year’s tuition fee.

Admission offers will be made to applicants upon receiving recommendations from the Graduate Divisions.  Applicants can check their application status via the Online Application System for Postgraduate Programmes.

Applicants can log in to the Online Application System for Postgraduate Programmes to check their application results and download the Admission Notification.

Please note that your student status is not yet confirmed and you will NOT be allowed to begin your studies until you have fulfilled all the specified condition(s) by the deadline mentioned in the Admission Notification.

Yes. You are still required to apply for a final official transcript after the completion of your Bachelor’s programme/the announcement of your honours classification (if applicable). Please upload the official transcript to the Online Application System for Postgraduate Programmes to fulfil your admission condition(s).  Additionally, please also arrange to send the original document to the Graduate School directly from your university.

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If you cannot provide document(s) to fulfil the admission condition(s) mentioned in the Admission Notification, your admission offer will be withdrawn. You may seek advice or assistance from the relevant Graduate Division/Programme if necessary.

You may contact your Graduate Division/Programme first to see if you could defer your admission date. If the deferral is allowed, please complete and return the "Application Form for Deferred Admission” available on the Online Application System for Postgraduate Programmes to the relevant Division/Programme after accepting the admission offer online and making the deposit payment. The admission can be deferred for a maximum of one year from the original admission date.

The payment due date for deposit payment is specified in your admission notification. You may refer to the payment advice at the Online Application System for Postgraduate Programmes for various payment methods as well as other relevant details.

You may contact your Graduate Division/Programme to see if your deferral request could be accepted. If it is accepted, you may complete and return the "Application Form for Deferred Acceptance of Admission Offer" at the Online Application System for Postgraduate Programmes to the respective Division/Programme. 

Please note that the acceptance of an admission offer cannot be deferred beyond the admission date.

The tuition fee is normally settled on a term basis. Students will receive a fee note via email about two weeks before the payment due date. For details, please refer to Notes on Payment of Student Fees.

If you have received a conditional offer, please refer to the online Admission Notification for the required documentary proof. If you need to submit the original copy, please send it to the programme accordingly. If you need to upload documents, please log in to the online application portal and upload them there.  

After completing the deposit payment and online registration, you may update your contact information at MyCUHK.

For local students, upon completing the online registration and fulfilling all admission condition(s), you can collect your CU Link from the CU Link Card Centre, on or after your admission date.

Non-local students are required to complete online document verification before collecting their CU Link (Learn more). Upon completing the online document verification, please contact the CU Link Card Centre after 7 working days to check the status and collection arrangements.

Non-local students without the right of abode or right to land in Hong Kong MUST obtain a valid visa/entry permit to study at CUHK. Part-time students holding another valid visa/entry permit are advised to consult the Immigration Department of HKSAR to determine if they need to apply for a student visa/entry permit to study at CUHK. 

Non-local students who are unable to present a valid visa/entry permit at the time of registration will NOT be allowed to register.

Since the situation may vary from student to student, please seek advice from the Immigration Department of HKSAR on which option you should go for. They can be contacted by tel: 852 2824-6111; email: enquiry@immd.gov.hk.

If an extension is applicable, please submit a certifying letter from CUHK to support your student visa extension application. You may request the letter for a visa extension at the Graduate School’s homepage.

It is the student’s responsibility to apply for their visa/entry permit in a timely manner. The visa application process normally takes around 6-8 weeks, but it may take longer time during the summer peak season. Students are advised to submit their visa application, along with all the required documents, within 3 weeks from the issuance date of the Admission Notification.

Upon admission to our postgraduate programmes, the Graduate School will assist you in applying for a student visa/entry permit from the Immigration Department of HKSAR. The visa handling fee is HK$450, please settle the payment by credit card at the Online Application System for Postgraduate Programmes. For further details, visit Visa and Related Matters for Non-local Students.

Upon receipt of the duly completed application forms, supporting documents and payment, the Immigration Department of the HKSAR normally takes 6-8 weeks to process visa applications.

Before travelling to Hong Kong, mainland students should arrange at least 2 additional weeks to apply for the Exit-entry Permit for Traveling to and from Hong Kong and Macao (EEP) 《來往港澳通行證》 and Relevant Exit Endorsement 《相關赴港簽注》 from the Public Security Bureau Office 《戶口所在地公安機關出入境管理部門》 where their household registration is kept. Visit the website of the Immigration Department of HKSAR for more information.

You may view the list of supporting documents at Student Visa Application Process.

Full-time research postgraduate students who have received Postgraduate Studentships (PGS) can submit the Letter of Award as financial proof when applying for a student visa. Please make a copy of the Letter of Award and include it as a supporting document.

For taught postgraduate students, the financial proof submitted should demonstrate sufficient funds to support their living and studies in Hong Kong.

For research postgraduate students, you may submit the materials to the Graduate School directly.

For taught postgraduate students, you may submit the materials to the respective Graduate Division. Please visit the relevant individual programme pages for contact details.

You may check your student visa application status at the Online Application System for Postgraduate Programmes.

Upon arrival in Hong Kong, please present your visa/entry permit label at the Immigration Counter. You will receive a landing slip that includes your English name, travel document number, arrival date, conditions and the duration of your stay in Hong Kong. Please present this landing slip along with your visa label and travel document when registering at CUHK.