Incoming Students

Visa and Housing

Visa

All students who do not have right of abode in Hong Kong (i.e. those who do not hold a Hong Kong Identity Card holder) are required to apply for a valid student visa. To apply, you need to:

Submit your original visa application document to OISE. We will forward it to the Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS), who on behalf of HKU will sponsor your visa application, once you are admitted by one of our faculties.
CEDARS will forward your visa application document to the Hong Kong Immigration Department for processing, which normally takes four to six weeks processing time. They will inform CEDARS of your results in due course.
If the Hong Kong Immigration Department approves your visa application, CEDARS will send a visa label to you by courier. Please stick the label onto your passport and present it to the Immigration Officer upon arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport.

If you do not have a permanent Hong Kong identity card, or if your HKID card has expired, you will need to apply for a student visa for your exchange studies. If you want to renew your HKID card during your stay in Hong Kong, you can apply for the Hong Kong Permanent Residency in person from the Hong Kong Immigration Department. For more details on visa application, please see http://cedars.hku.hk/nonlocal/visa.html for details.

Housing

Student residences and housing are called "halls" at HKU. There are at present thirteen halls, which vary considerably in size and character. The halls are principally for undergraduate students, but they also accept a small number of postgraduate students.

All halls have common rooms and recreational facilities. Each floor has its own pantry and is equipped with a refrigerator, microwave oven, hotplate, kettle and drinking fountain. Communal bathrooms and toilet facilities are provided on each floor. All rooms are air-conditioned and furnished with beds and mattresses. Each student is provided with a wardrobe, desk, desk-lamp, chair and bookshelf. Internet access and telephone line are provided in each room in most of the halls. Coin-operated washing and drying machines are provided in each hall as well.

To apply for hall residency

Step 1	Complete the application form that OISE sends to your email account after you have been nominated by your home school. The completed form will be directed to CEDARS.
Step 2	After you have been admitted, CEDARS will start processing your hall application automatically.
Step 3	CEDARS will send email notifications regarding hall application results to applicants during the following periods: Students arriving for the first Semester or for one year's stay: from mid July to mid-August Students arriving for the second semester: mid-November to mid-December
Step 4	If you are offered a place in any of the halls, you need to confirm, by email, with your hall manager whether or not you intend to accept the offer, and also the date you will be checking in. If you choose not to accept the offer or not to respond, the offer will be withdrawn. You are therefore required to make sure that we have your most current email address and to be sure to you check your email during the above periods.
Step 5	Applicants who are offered a place in the halls will normally be allowed to check into a hall during the following periods: For the first semester: late August. For the second semester: mid-January Those who have accepted offers are required to confirm with their halls directly regarding the exact check-in dates and time.

For details, please click here