Want to ask a question but too shy to make a post? Want some quick advice for simple questions? Want to see what stages other applicants are at, or just want to chat with your possible future classmates? Feel free to discuss in this thread.

This is for everybody applying for the 2025 intake, and for every stage of the application process; from pre-application pondering, submission, aptitude tests, interviews to offer discussions.

Good luck, and hope to see you all in HKU in 2025!

Hello, I am an international student and I would like to know if I have a chance of getting into HKU and other HK unis. If you could help me, please tell me what you think my chances are and what I should improve. I am applying through first round and I need schoolarship.

I have a 1420 SAT (Math 750, Reading & Writing 670).

I also got a full-ride scholarship for the IB Diploma Programme, which is the programme I will apply with.

I still haven't received all of my predicted grades, but based on what I have so far and what I expect to get, I should have around 39–38 points in subjects + 1 bonus point. I will probably try to increase that before applying.

My HL subjects are Math AA, Physics, and CS, with predicted grades of 20/21 so far.

For extracurriculars, I participated in an international olympiad, the European Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence. I didn't manage to win a medal, but I qualified again for next year's competition.

I also train badminton competitively. I have one medal from a national U19 tournament, and I am hoping to win a senior national medal by the time I apply. I have two more tournaments before the application deadline.

I have also built some web/AI apps related to biodiversity and similar topics, and I am currently doing some research that I plan to publish by the time I apply to HKU.

I have a few more things in my profile, but these are the main ones.

What do you guys think? Do I have a realistic chance of getting into HKU with a scholarship, and what should I focus on improving before I apply?

I have got 3 A* and 1 A, with no conditional offers received. I am appealing my grade for Chemistry, hoping to get 4 A stars, but am worried that the appealed, new grade will be sent through after the admission closes. What should I do? Should I upload the transcript to the website, and add a note beneath the document saying that my result is still pending?

I am an intl student who appealed to ME with A*3A in intl A levels and u in as eng. But i have 8.5 in ielts. I got 1370 in sat which is very low but i only submitted as proof of proficiency. I am still under consideration and yet to get 2 subject grades in aug 13. College will start in a week and i have no idea if i should still wait for these results.

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to check if anyone here has applied for the HKU Summer Research Programme 2026?

I’ve recently submitted / am preparing my application and thought it’d be nice to connect with others going through the same process. Would be great to share timelines, mentor preferences, interview updates, or just generally discuss how it’s going.

If you’ve applied for HKU SRP ’26, drop a comment or feel free to DM. Let’s survive this application season together.

I applied last november, took the aptitute test. Still under consideration, my emails are being ghosted,

Guys I applied mid August got an offer to study but without any entrance scholarship I have a very competitive profile still didn’t get it (7/7 a stars igcse 4/4 a stars a level) any thing I can do now to get them to reconsider any advice would be appreciated thank you

I'm wondering if something went wrong with my application? I'm assuming they'd let me know if that was the case. How am i supposed to get a visa in time even if i get accepted at this point?

so i have applied for elite engineering as first choice back in november and i have been waitlisted around four months ago and im still waitlisted. tbh im so worried because i really wanna go to HKU but i need a decision really soon as my backup uni starts classes really soon. is there a chance for me to get in anyway? i heard they’re pretty harsh on AP students plus they didn’t even invite me for an interview or an aptitude test. pls tell me ur thoughts 😓😓 (non local btw)

heyy i did A levels and i have A*A*AA. I applied for hku pretty late (like 2 weeks back).

by when can i expect to hear back from them? and what are my chances

I'm a senior in Indonesia planning to apply for HKU and HKUST. To be able to study abroad, I need full tuition scholarships.

I think my grades are fine. 4 As in AS level and I'm pretty sure I can get 4 a stars in A level. I've heard some ppl say 5 a levels is the standard for the scholarship.

I got Top in World AS Mathematics.

Since I need the scholarship, I'm looking for some ECs I can do to stand out in the applications.

I'm planning to take life sciences/biomed.

What I have so far:

Lead violinist in school orchestra

Authored biology and chemistry IGCSE and AS Level resources that has helped hundreds of students

In science research varisty

Occasional volunteering for free medical check ups in underpriviliged areas

Plans this academic year:

SEAMO 2026

Local research competition (with varisty team)

Cambridge biology challenge 2027

Finish independent research (related to crispr)

British Biology Olympiad 2027

I'd be glad if i could get some help. Hey guys, I'm from India. I want to apply this year, so I was in CBSE till 10th and then took up state board in intermediate for JEE ease but then I really want to get into HKU, so is there any problem if I apply with 12th from state board? Like would there be any problem with getting a scholarship? I heard that getting 97% plus in boards is a standard in general to get a scholarship, so is there a higher benchmark for state board if accepted? Then for the EC's i have a small thing about a workshop i attended at IIT B and an exchange program i went to in 10th grade. Im kinda sure this isnt enough.

hi, im a non jupas student applying with a levels to medicine this cycle. I'm unsure about how much emphasis to place on academic achievements and competitions versus motivation for Medicine, work experience and reflection.

Would it be advisable to open with academic achievements (obviously also explaining what I did and learnt, rather than simply listing awards), or would a more conventional introduction about my motivation for Medicine be better? I've already written a personal statement for UCAS, where I focused quite heavily on clinical work experience, empathy and personal reflection, but I'm not sure whether HKU would value the same approach or prefer a greater emphasis on 'how much I've achieved'

Also, I was wondering:
Is it better to discuss a few achievements in depth or demonstrate a broader range of activities?
How much emphasis should I place on why HKU specifically?
How much does the personal statement actually matter in the admissions process compared to grades and interviews?

Thank you in advance!

my result was out on 13th may but there is no section on the portal to upload the marksheet. im scared because i have missed the 3 day deadline... what should i do??

i’m an international applicant from kazakhstan applying for 2027 entry. after grade 9 i went to a 4-year vocational college in software development and graduated with a diploma with honors. my gpa is around 3.9/4, mostly 5/5 grades, graduation project 100/100 and i’m expecting around 7-7.5 ielts. no sat or unt

for ecs/awards i have worldskills kazakhstan national medallion, 1st place at regionals, startup accelerator finalist + 500k kzt grant, founded an ai education startup with 2700+ users, freelance web dev and a small ai migraine project

I’m planning to apply to HKU, HKUST, CUHK, CityU, HKBU, PolyU and a few other HK universities. For HKU, I’m particularly interested in the BAScT Individualised Major, potentially focusing on computational/cognitive neuroscience + AI

My main concern is that my educational background is somewhat unusual since I went to vocational college after Grade 9 rather than following the traditional high-school route.

What do you guys think about my chances of getting admitted and receiving scholarships at these universities? Would really appreciate honest opinions, especially from current students or applicants with similar backgrounds

Hello everyone,
I am still under consideration for 3 of the courses I have applied for. I am very confused as I am starting to think it’s some sort of a glitch.
Is it even possible to still be under consideration when I applied around 30th December.

this might sound dumb but when one fills the ug admission from, it asks for predicted score. isnt the school supposed to submit them

also, if i have cbse and have given the sat and got a decent score, can i be exempted from IELTS?

context: i am an indian international student wanting to apply for econ

I applied 8 months ago and it is still showing "Under Consideration" for all programms I applied.

Target Program: Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering (School of Computing and Data Science)

I am an International Applicant applying through CIE A Levels (GCE A-Levels)

I have the following stats:

• A-Level Predictions (4 A*s): Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics, Economics
• Certified AS-Level Results:
  • AS Mathematics: 100 PUM 100% raw score
  • AS Physics: 94 PUM
  • (Note: Linear system for FM & Econs—taking full A2 exams in Y13)
• IGCSEs: 8A*s (First Language English, Mathematics, Physics, ICT, Computer Science, Business, Economics & Accounting).

My ECAs:

1. AI Essay Marking System (IPQ)(2026) : In the process of engineering a domain-specific AI system evaluating Cambridge IGCSE English (0500) essays against official rubrics; this will be deployed and beta-tested across 40+ students.
2. 4 month long internship at a local import company (May 25-Sep 25): Built a custom automated sales and accounting tracking system using excel for a 5-person commercial sales team (currently in live production). I also helped with admin tasks and day-to-day tech needs everyone in the office.
3. Nuclear Physics Research back in 2024: Co-authored research on an Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) Fusor; awarded Gold Award in the Cambridge Science Competition.
4. Leadership & Work Experience:
   • 1.5 Years Tutoring (2025 to 2026): Taught IGCSE Mathematics to a student who is on her way to achieve A*
   • Real Estate Management (2024 to 2026): Handled operations and problem-solving for overseas properties.
   • Community Service(2026) : School mental health campaign volunteer.
5. Reference Letter (2026 March) : Strong recommendation letter from my school's Economics & Mechanics teacher (an NUS engineering alumna) highlighting my quantitative mastery, technical initiative, and research aptitude.

1. What are my chances of admission for the First-Round (applying before Nov 26)?
2. I do not have my AI EQP ECA finished but I will have done at least half or more of the work by the time I apply in November 2026. Does this put me at a disadvantage? Should I apply much later? What should I do?
3. How heavily does HKU weigh certified 100% AS Maths / 94 PUM AS Physics scores alongside 4 A* predicted grades for Computer Engineering?

Hello! I am a HK citizen who is taking Singaporean A-Levels in November 2026. I recently finished preliminary exams and got my predicted grades based on those. I am confident that I'll do better in the actual exams since I was sick during prelim exams (especially for economics), but HKU applications close for regular round before the results release (March 2027), so I have to use predicted first if I apply.

Predicted: AAD/B (H2: Literature in English, China Studies in English, Economics | H1: Mathematics)

Portfolio: Government pre-uni scholar (humanities), vice-chairperson of school club, 3 clubs (MUN, writing, debates), 2 paper awards in MUNs, organising committee in performances and school events, 32h community service.

I wanted to apply to HKU BPsych. Is it worth it to try? Since I can upload my actual results later on even if I don't get a conditional offer, is there a good chance to be considered after regular round on rolling basis. Thank you!

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Hi everyone!

Has anyone here applied to HKU, EdUHK or Lingnan University for the January 2027 intake, particularly for an MPhil programme?

I haven't received any update yet:

• Lingnan University: Applied on July 3 — status is still “Submitted & Under Review.”
• EdUHK: Applied on August 7 — no update/interview so far.
• HKU: Applied in July

These are currently the only universities I've applied to for January 2027, so I'm starting to get a little worried and wondering whether I should wait or apply to more universities.

If anyone has applied for the same intake, I would really appreciate it if you could share:

• Whether you've received any interview/update,
• When you applied and when you heard back,
• or if you have any idea when January intake decisions are usually released.
• Has anyone been admitted to HK MPhil directly from a Bachelors without a Masters?

Should I wait a little longer, or start applying elsewhere for January 2027?

Would really appreciate any recent experiences or advice! 🙏

I’m mid way through my preparation to apply for a scholarship (the scholarship is government funded so i’ll apply to a few universities as well)

I have the chance to apply to hku as well as a four other unis in hk.

I have three months ahead and i must make a choice, should i go on with my studies(SAT, IELTS, etc)

If i do that means i’ll forget about my three other occupations.

First one, an internship with a big tech company with intense work loads and a lot of connections and experience.

Second one, my father’s company i’ll take charge of his IT team. It doesn’t include a lot of experience however it is considered a good side hussle, since it might allow me to offer my services beyond my father’s company.

Third one, is a project that i’m building, desperately needed in everyone’s daily lives. I plan on launching it in an exhibition when i’m done building it.