Term Time Exchange

Application and Fees

Admission Requirements
Nationality
Students from all countries and territories are welcome to apply.  However, due to visa restrictions we are currently unable to welcome students who are nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba, Laos, Nepal, North Korea and Vietnam . Click here for additional information

Language
You should have good command of either Chinese or English. If you are from an institution where English is not the primary language of instruction and intend to take courses taught in English at CUHK, you should have a minimum TOEFL score of 530 (paper-based), 197 (computer-based) or 71 (internet-based), or IELTS 6 or equivalent.

Academics
You should be currently enrolled in or have graduated from a university recognised by CUHK.  Proficiency in Chinese language is not necessary.

Undergraduate students should have completed at least two terms of university studies, and postgraduate students should have a recognised bachelor’s degree or equivalent prior to arrival at CUHK. You should have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or a B average or above, although applications with a slightly lower GPA will also be considered. Applicants from institutions not using the GPA system will be assessed on their overall academic performance.

The admission requirements and in particular the English-language requirements to take law courses at CUHK are slightly different. Click here for details.

Making an Application
Points to Note Before Making an Application

  • If your home institution is one of CUHK’s exchange partners, you can come as an exchange student. Please contact the study-abroad office at your home institution.
  • If your home institution is not a CUHK exchange partner, you can come as an study-abroad student. You should apply directly through CUHK’s Office of Academic Links.
  • There is no guarantee that you can register for any particular course.
  • LAWS courses offered by the LLB programme at CUHK are not open to study-abroad students. Study-abroad students who wish to study LAWS postgraduate courses should check their eligibility and the tuition fees with the Faculty of Law at tpg.law@link.cuhk.edu.hk. Student who are admitted will only be allowed to take LAWS postgraduate courses.
  • Exchange and study abroad students will be registered with the International Asian Studies Programme (IASP) at CUHK.
  • Application for on-campus housing is made after admission has been offered by CUHK and accepted by the student.  Please note on-campus hostel for postgraduate students are limited. Email us at iasp@cuhk.edu.hk to discuss your application with a student advisor. If you are applying directly to the Business Administration Master’s Programmes/Faculty of Law/Divinity School of Chung Chi College at CUHK, you should contact them directly for accommodation arrangements.
  • All submitted application documents will not be returned.

Schedule

First Term
(Sept – Dec)
Second Term
(Jan – May)
Application Open 1 Mar 1 Jul
Application Deadline
(All application materials should be sent, by email for exchange students and by physical mail by study-abroad students, to Office of Academic Links i-Centre)
1 Apr 2 Oct
Notification of results by email Exchange Students:
Mid Jun – Jul
Study-abroad Students:
Late Jul
Exchange Students:
Late Oct – Nov
Study-abroad Students:
Late Nov
Deadline for submission of visa application and acceptance documents
(Addressed to Office of Academic Links i-Centre by courier)
Within 14 days of the university receiving your acceptance Within 10 days of the university receiving your acceptance

Procedures

Step 1 Submit an online application. Click here for a detailed guide.
Step 2 Print out your online application form.
Step 3 Print and complete the application record sheet. Click the Submit button at the top right-hand corner of your online application to access the application record sheet on the My Application page, or click here for a sample application record sheet.
Step 4 If you are nominated/supported by your home institution for exchange/study-abroad (i.e. you are not applying by yourself), submit a copy of your online application form to the study-abroad office of your home institution, and ask them complete the endorsement part of the application record sheet.
Step 5 Send the following items to the Office of Academic Links:
1. Printout of your completed online application form
2. Completed application record sheet
3. Supporting documents
Exchange students: please submit the above documents to the study-abroad office of your home institution and ask them to forward the documents to the following Regional Programme Officer of the Office of Academic Links (OAL), CUHK by email (one pdf file for each student) before the application deadline:
Ms. Heidi O – Europe and South Africa: heidio@cuhk.edu.hk
Ms. Frances SO – Asia and Oceania: francesso@cuhk.edu.hk
Mr. Louis WONG – Americas and ISEP: louiswong@cuhk.edu.hk
Study-abroad students: please send the hardcopies of the above documents by courier (DHL/FedEx/UPS/Other) to the following address:International Asian Studies Programme
Office of Academic Links i-Centre
1/F, Yasumoto International Academic Park
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Sha Tin, NT,
Hong Kong SARPlease mark on the envelope “Re: Exchange/Study-abroad Application”.
Step 6 Pay the fees required. Refer to the fee tables for details.

Supporting Documents
Submit the following documents together with your application:

  • Official transcripts from all the institutions you have attended. If the transcripts are not in English, an official English translation is needed. All transcripts must include its grading scale in English (usually found on its back page).
  • A photocopy of the identification and particulars page of your passport. (If you are a PRC citizen and will enter Hong Kong directly from Mainland China, please submit a photocopy of your “Exit-entry Permit for Traveling to and from Hong Kong and Macao (EEP) 來往港澳通行證”).
  • For exchange students only: ONE completed academic recommendation form in either English or Chinese from a professor or advisor at your home institution, if your cumulative GPA is less than 3.0 out of 4.0 (or below B in average or equivalent). Ask the person writing the recommendation to send the completed form to the study-abroad office of your home institution and ask them to forward the document to the Regional Programme Officer of the Office of Academic Links (OAL), CUHK by email. If your cumulative GPA is at or above 3.0 out of 4.0 (or equivalent), a recommendation form is not required.
  • For study-abroad students only: TWO completed academic recommendation forms in either English or Chinese, regardless of your GPA. ONE of the two recommendations must be from a professor or advisor at your home institution. Ask the people writing the recommendation to send the completed form directly to CUHK by email.

Additional documents are required in some cases:

  • If your home institution does not use English as the primary language of instruction, you must submit a score report of either the TOEFL or IELTS test taken no more than two years before your application, or a written support from the study-abroad office of your home institution.
  • Scores from others tests such as SAT or GRE.
  • A photocopy of your Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card, if you have one. Students with a permanent identity card do not need to apply for a student visa to study at CUHK, so make sure you provide a photocopy of your card, or you will need to pay the visa application fee.

 Application Fees

Study-abroad students are required to pay an application fee of HK$400 via online payment.

  1. Submit an online application. Click here for a detailed guide.
  2. Send the personal particulars page of your passport with your application no. to iasp@cuhk.edu.hk and request for an online debit note by email. The processing time is normally 3 working days.
  3. After 3 working days, login to your online application form, view your debit note under “My Task” and pay online.  Only VISA or MasterCard payment is acceptable.
  4. After settling the fee successfully online, view your debit note under “My Task” again, check if the payment due date is changed to “Paid”, and then press “Print” button to print the payment proof.
  5. Attach the application fee payment proof (with your name on it) with your application documents.

Fees

Fees will vary according to the student status and the residential College you are staying in. For details of the fees, please see below.

First Term Second Term Full Year
Undergraduate Hostel      
Hostel Fees 7,500 7,500 15,000
Hostel Deposit (refundable) 1,000 1,000 1,000
Postgraduate Hostel
Hostel Fees 12,500 12,500 25,000
Hostel Deposit (refundable) 3,500 3,500 3,500
Student Visa Fee 330 – 630 330 – 630 330 – 630
Administration Fee 1,100 1,100 1,100
Mandatory Meal Plan* 2,200 2,200 4,400
Caution Money (refundable) 450 450 450

*Students assigned to Morningside,  S.H. Ho and C.W. Chu Colleges are required to purchase a meal plan to cover three mandatory college communal dinners per week.

For non-Business Administration Master’s Programme exchange and study-abroad students

For Business Administration Master’s Programme exchange and study-abroad students

Debit notes are usually sent to students via online application system or through the Chinese University Student Information System (CUSIS). A bank draft or the online payment record (only for payments of less than or equal to HK$3,000) should be returned to the Office of Academic Links (OAL) as proof of payment.

Before arrival in Hong Kong, students should settle the following fees:

  • administration fee
  • student visa fee
  • programme fee (for study abroad students only)
  • hostel deposit
  • hostel room fee and residents’ association fee (for postgraduate exchange and study abroad students only)

Upon arrival in Hong Kong, students should settle the following fees:

  • caution money
  • hostel room fee (for undergraduate exchange and study abroad students only)
  • hostel related fees (e.g. college fee/college student association fee/hostel laundry fee/residence fees)
  • hostel air-conditioning charges
  • meal charge (if applicable)
  • student union membership fees (for undergraduate study abroad students only)
  • miscellaneous charges

Please note debit note items vary according to different exchange/study abroad programme agreements/items.

Financial Assistance

Undergraduate students from the US may apply for the NSEP David L Boren Scholarship or the Benjamin A. Gilman International ScholarshipJapanese students may apply for MEXT scholarships through their home institutions.  Information on other financial assistance may be available from your home institution.