Studying in Hong Kong as a non-local student
This guide answers the questions non-local students (international, Mainland, Macao and Taiwan) and people already studying in Hong Kong ask most, from the student visa to staying on after graduation. Checked against official pages on 26 October 2026; where sources disagree or we found a gap, we say so plainly.
Sources checked ·
Who counts as a non-local student, and do I need a student visa?#
ImmD (the Immigration Department) admits non-local students to a registered private school, or to a full-time locally-accredited post-secondary programme. ImmD says that includes short-term courses and part-time taught postgraduate local programmes. The student needs an acceptance letter and must be able to pay fees and living costs without working or using public funds.
ImmD's permissible-activities page says a visitor may not become a student; visitor entry is covered in the visiting-and-staying guide. The general Entry for Study arrangement does not apply to Chinese residents of the Mainland and Taiwan, or to nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba, Laos, Korea (DPR), Nepal and Vietnam. ImmD says some of these groups may apply under narrower conditions.
How do I apply for a student visa, and what documents are needed?#
A non-local student applies to ImmD with a local sponsor: the admitting institution, or a bona fide Hong Kong resident aged 18 or over who can support and house the student. An applicant under 18 needs a guardian in Hong Kong, authorised by a parent's consent letter.
ImmD lists form ID 995A with a recent photo, a copy of the travel document, a copy of any Hong Kong ID card and the admission letter. The sponsor files form ID 995B with a financial undertaking, which is not needed if the sponsor is the institution. Documents not in Chinese or English need a certified translation. ImmD says approval is discretionary and it may refuse even when every criterion is met.
How long does a student visa take, and when should I apply?#
ImmD says a study visa or entry permit application normally takes six weeks once all documents are received, and recommends applying well in advance.
Universities give longer figures. HKU's non-JUPAS page says to allow eight to ten weeks for a visa application after an offer. HKUST's admitted-student page says to expect at least 6-8 weeks, with the visa label sent in early or mid-August. ImmD counts from receipt of all documents; the universities count from the offer. No page reconciles the three figures, so we do not pick one.
The Study in Hong Kong portal gives no deadlines and says timetables vary by institution, so applicants should contact each one.
How long can I stay on a student visa, and how do I extend?#
ImmD says students on full-time locally-accredited post-secondary programmes are normally granted stay for the normal programme duration, to a maximum of six years on entry and no longer than the travel document's validity. Other courses normally get 12 months or the course length, whichever is shorter. Dependants get an initial 12 months.
A student may apply for an extension within 4 weeks before the limit of stay expires. ImmD says extensions are normally granted yearly or for the study duration, and only if the student still qualifies. A routine extension is normally finalised in two to three weeks; June to August is the peak and takes longer.
Sources & data1
Do I have to register for a Hong Kong identity card?#
ImmD says a new arrival aged 18 or over who has been permitted to stay more than 180 days must register for a Hong Kong identity card within 30 days of arrival. The same rule applies at ages 11 to 17. Registration is free and needs an appointment, made on the internet, through the ImmD app or on 2598 0888.
People permitted to stay not more than 180 days are exempt. ImmD's page does not name students, so whether the rule applies to a student depends on the length of stay granted (see the stay and extension section).
How does a Mainland student get permission to study?#
ImmD's Chinese page says a Chinese resident of the Mainland applies through the sponsoring institution, which submits to ImmD. After approval the student obtains the Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao, with the Hong Kong endorsement, from Mainland authorities, and shows the e-Visa on entry. The institution handles payment and collection of the e-Visa.
ImmD's notes say Mainland students may study full-time locally-accredited local programmes and non-local bachelor's-level or above programmes approved by the Mainland Ministry of Education, and that the programmes must be offered by UGC-funded institutions. The Mainland-Hong Kong degree recognition agreement does not cover associate degrees and higher diplomas.
Mainland, Macao and Taiwan residents may also do short-term full-time study of up to 180 days in any 12-month period (ImmD's Chinese page).
How do I check that a programme or institution is recognised?#
ImmD admits students to registered private schools and to full-time locally-accredited post-secondary programmes.
For non-local courses run in Hong Kong by overseas institutions (Cap. 493), the Education Bureau says check its List of Registered Courses or List of Exempted Courses before paying, or call the Non-local Courses Registry on 2520 0255 or 2520 0559. A registered course's advertisement should show its registration number; an exempted one should say so. Purely distance-learning courses need not be registered. EDB says registration does not itself make a course comparable to a local degree; recognition is for each employer or institution.
How do I apply to a university, and by when?#
A non-local student needs admission to an institution and a student visa from ImmD, applied for through the institution. The Study in Hong Kong portal says institutions and ImmD decide, and gives no deadlines.
Applicants with international qualifications apply directly to a university. HKU is one example: its International (non-JUPAS) Admissions Scheme is separate from JUPAS. For 2027 entry its first-round deadline is 12 noon HKT on 25 November 2026, applications close at noon HKT on 25 August 2027, and applications are considered on a rolling basis in between. Other universities set their own dates. The portal says some institutions invite applicants to interviews.
How do gaokao candidates apply to HKU and CUHK?#
The two universities use different procedures. HKU's Mainland undergraduate scheme for 2027 entry (Chinese page) welcomes gaokao and Hong Kong-Macao-Taiwan joint examination candidates. They apply online and pay a HK$780 fee by card; the stated deadline is 28 June 2027. HKU gives priority to the total gaokao score and the English score, plus interview and overall quality. The page gives no minimum scores and no visa information.
CUHK says gaokao candidates do not apply to it directly. They fill in CUHK (code 81002) in the early-admission batch after the results, through their provincial examination authority. CUHK holds no interview and selects on gaokao score without bonus points.
How much is tuition for non-local undergraduates?#
Fees depend on the university and the year you start. These are examples from three universities, with their entry years.
HKU, 2026-27 cohort: HK$224,000 a year for non-local students in non-STEM faculties and HK$249,000 in STEM faculties and schools. CUHK, non-local: HK$214,000 for the 2026-27 intake and HK$230,000 for 2027-28, with any 2027 yearly adjustment capped at 3%. HKUST, by entry cohort: HK$215,000 for 2026-27 and HK$185,000 for 2025-26; its page lists earlier cohorts.
CUHK counts as non-local anyone who needs a student visa or entry permit, or holds an IANG visa. Other universities may define it differently. Each university's own fee page has its figures.
What English test score do I need?#
The Study in Hong Kong portal says applicants whose mother tongue is not English generally need an accepted test such as TOEFL or IELTS. It gives no scores.
Cut-offs differ. HKU undergraduate: IELTS Academic overall 6.5 with at least 6.0 in Writing and Speaking in the same attempt, taken within 2 years before 1 September of the start year. For TOEFL iBT tests on or after 21 January 2026, HKU lists overall 5.0 with at least 5.0 in Writing and Speaking. Its table is labelled subject to approval, and programmes may ask for more.
HKUST undergraduate: IELTS Academic overall band 6.0, and TOEFL iBT 80 for tests before 21 January 2026.
Which scholarships are open to non-local students, and what is HKSES for?#
The Belt and Road Scholarship covers the tuition of first-year students from Belt and Road countries at publicly-funded universities. EDB's September 2026 paper gives 150 places a year from 2024/25, rising to 200 from 2027/28.
The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme is open to new full-time PhD students at the eight UGC-funded universities irrespective of country of origin. For 2026/27 it pays a stipend of HK$344,400 a year and a HK$14,400 conference and research travel allowance for up to three years.
HKSES, the Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme, is not for students coming to Hong Kong. It helps local students study at universities outside Hong Kong, and its site says student-visa and dependant-visa holders are not eligible.
Is university accommodation available to non-local students?#
It depends on the university and the year. CUHK says it has over 9,000 hostel places and estimates on-campus accommodation at about HK$17,000 and living expenses at about HK$45,000 a year. HKUST lists 9 on-campus halls and 1 off-campus hall. Its 2026 hall application window ran from 20 July to 13 August 2026, and its page mentions no accommodation guarantee for non-local students.
Across the UGC-funded universities, EDB says eight completed Hostel Development Fund projects provide 7,647 publicly-funded and 136 privately-funded places, and seven projects under construction involve 6,532 places. These are totals for the sector, not guarantees for any student.
Do I need health insurance as a student?#
The Study in Hong Kong portal says health insurance is not mandatory for students, but some institutions require accident, hospitalisation and medical cover. Some offer group plans with basic cover only. The portal strongly recommends arranging your own cover for the whole study period and checking that it covers trips outside Hong Kong.
Example: HKUST requires full-time degree-seeking non-local students on a student visa or entry permit to join its Compulsory Medical Insurance Scheme. The premium is HK$620 for 2026/27 (HK$310 for a Spring start), with no waiver for students who have other insurance. Dental is excluded.
Public hospital fees are in the health-access-fees guide.
What work does a student visa allow without the exemption?#
ImmD's standing condition is that a non-local student studies only at the specified institution, takes no employment, paid or unpaid, and runs no business. Dependants may not work without the Director's prior permission.
ImmD's FAQ allows eligible students (full-time locally-accredited local programmes, undergraduate level or above, at least one academic year, not exchange students) part-time on-campus work of not more than 20 hours a week, and summer work from 1 June to 31 August with no limit on hours or location. ImmD's student page also allows study- or curriculum-related internships endorsed by the institution, for up to one academic year or one-third of the programme, whichever is shorter. Sub-degree students may do mandatory internships of up to 6 months.
Can a non-local student work beyond those rules?#
Yes, for eligible students, under a temporary exemption. ImmD's FAQ says that from 1 November 2024, non-local students in full-time locally-accredited local programmes at undergraduate level or above, with a study period of at least one academic year, are temporarily exempted from the employment restrictions. Full-time non-local postgraduates have had it since November 2023. They may work during their limit of stay or the validity of their No Objection Letter, whichever is shorter. Non-local programmes, sub-degree and exchange students are outside it.
It is still called temporary and under review: a release of 18 October 2024 said a review would come next year, a reply of 18 June 2025 said this year, and one of 15 July 2026 says kept under review. No page gives an end date.
Can I stay in Hong Kong to work after I graduate?#
ImmD's IANG scheme applies to non-local graduates with a bachelor's degree or higher from a full-time locally-accredited Hong Kong programme and, as a pilot, to graduates of Greater Bay Area campuses of Hong Kong universities. Nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and Korea (DPR) are excluded; Laos, Nepal and Vietnam nationals qualify only in the cases ImmD sets.
ImmD's IANG page (footer date 29 April 2026) says successful applicants are normally granted an initial stay of 24 months, with no other conditions, so they may take up and change employment without prior approval. ImmD's overview page of talent schemes (22 July 2026) still says one year to look for a job; the two pages differ.
General employment rules (visa schemes, MPF, tax) are on the Working in Hong Kong guide's page.
How long does IANG take, and how do I extend it?#
ImmD says a graduate who applies within six months after graduation is a recent graduate and need not have a job offer. Processing takes about two weeks after all documents and the fee. A non-recent graduate must already have a job at a level commonly taken up by degree holders with market-level pay, and processing takes about four weeks. June to August may be slower. The application and visa issuance fees are non-refundable.
An extension may be applied for within three months before the stay expires, and ImmD advises applying at least six weeks before. It needs a qualifying job or proof of business; approval is discretionary.
How many non-local students can universities admit, and how many are there?#
Since 2024/25 the quota for non-local students in publicly-funded institutions' taught programmes has been 40% of local student places, doubled from 20%. From 2026/27 the ceiling for self-financing non-local students on taught programmes at each funded institution rises from 40% to 50% (EDB paper, 3 October 2025). The Government said in November 2024 that 40% is an upper limit, not an indicator.
The counts differ. EDB says non-local students in UGC-funded programmes rose from 23,100 in 2023/24 to 26,600 in 2024/25. For 2023/24, LCQ15 (18 June 2025) lists 71,910 non-local students, while LCQ4 (20 November 2024) says about 64,200. The replies do not say which programmes each figure includes.
Sources & data4
How do I avoid agency and admission scams?#
The Study in Hong Kong portal says the Government does not collaborate with any study-abroad or further-education agencies or consultants, and warns applicants not to be misled by promotional advertisements.
In a LegCo reply of 18 December 2024 the Government said institutions have not authorised any overseas-study intermediary to admit students, and urged applicants not to believe guaranteed-admission claims. Giving false information to ImmD carries a maximum fine of HK$150,000 and 14 years' imprisonment, and visas obtained illegally become void.
A reply of 8 October 2025 reported 86 telephone-scam cases involving Mainland tertiary students in January to August 2025, and urged students to use the Anti-Scam Helpline and Scameter+.
Who can I ask, and which pages are official?#
The Study in Hong Kong portal (studyinhongkong.edu.hk) is the Education Bureau's official site for prospective non-local students. It covers education, tuition and living costs, scholarships, visas, living, insurance and after graduation. It says that if language versions conflict, the English version prevails.
ImmD handles visas, extensions and identity cards; its appointment line for identity-card registration is 2598 0888. For overseas courses, the Non-local Courses Registry is on 2520 0255 or 2520 0559. Timetables and fees come from each institution.
Free interpreters and support centres are covered in the help-in-your-language guide.
What could we not confirm?#
No official page we read says whether non-local students can hold a Student Personalised Octopus or get MTR student fares or the Student Travel Subsidy. None says whether a student with a Hong Kong ID card pays Eligible Person rates at public hospitals, or states an hours cap for exempted students: the 20-hour rule appears only among the restrictions the exemption lifts. No page says exempted students may work off campus 20 hours a week.
Partly confirmed only: ImmD's fee table has no row named for study (nearest rows HK$330). ImmD's FAQ says degree students may bring a spouse or partner and unmarried children under 18. The Qualifications Register could not be opened. The portal's cost ranges are undated, and we did not read the narrower Taiwan and Macao routes.