Medicine, Dentistry, Law, Business, Architecture, Engineering, Science, Social Sciences
The University of Hong Kong grew out of the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, founded in 1887 by the London Missionary Society, the oldest tertiary institution in the territory. Governor Frederick Lugard proposed a university in 1908, the University of Hong Kong was incorporated on 30 March 1911, and it opened officially on 11 March 1912 with Charles Eliot as first vice-chancellor. It admitted only men at first, and women were admitted about ten years later. It closed during the Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945.
The main campus covers 17.7 hectares on Pokfulam Road and Bonham Road on Hong Kong Island, and the whole estate extends to 70.1 hectares. The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine is about 4.5 kilometres to the southwest near Queen Mary Hospital, the Faculty of Dentistry is at the Prince Philip Dental Hospital in Sai Ying Pun, the Kadoorie Agricultural Research Centre lies in the New Territories, and the Swire Institute of Marine Science is at Cape D’Aguilar.
In 2023-24 the university enrolled 39,166 students: 18,491 undergraduates, 16,541 taught postgraduates and 4,134 research postgraduates. It employed 9,288 academic and 4,427 administrative staff in 2023, and 19,145 students came from outside Hong Kong. Ten faculties teach architecture, arts, business and economics, dentistry, education, engineering, law, science, social sciences and medicine, and a graduate school coordinates research degrees.
English is the main language of teaching and assessment in most classes, and local students take courses in academic English and in Chinese. HKU Libraries, founded in 1912, are the oldest academic library in Hong Kong and hold more than 2.3 million items, with a main library and six branches. The University Museum and Art Gallery occupies the Fung Ping Shan Building. About twenty halls and residential colleges house students, including the Jockey Club Student Villages.
Sun Yat-sen studied at the predecessor college. Graduates also include Carrie Lam, Anson Chan, Jasper Tsang and Regina Ip, who held senior public office in Hong Kong, and Ray Chan, co-founder of 9GAG. Fees differ for local and non-local students. Check the current tariff.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Chemistry, Data Analytics, Engineering, Finance, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Queen Mary Hospital, the Prince Philip Dental Hospital, HKU SPACE and Centennial College as associate institutions, and exchange agreements with universities worldwide.
Research:
Medicine and public health, dentistry, engineering, science, social sciences, agriculture at the Kadoorie Agricultural Research Centre, and marine science at the Swire Institute of Marine Science.
Famous Alumnis:
Sun Yat-sen, Carrie Lam, Anson Chan, Jasper Tsang, Regina Ip, Ray Chan
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
13700
Current students***:
39200
Foreign students***:
49%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong, teaching mostly in English, large international student body, historic campus on Hong Kong Island, strong medicine and law.
Cons
Competitive admission, high cost of housing in Hong Kong, steep campus on a hillside, large classes in popular courses.
Best For
Students who want an English-language research university in Hong Kong with a long tradition in medicine, law and the sciences.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology offers a comparable education in finance, chemistry and physics: it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers software engineering as well.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of life sciences, data analytics and engineering can consider Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and it covers logistics and industrial design as well, and is slightly smaller, at about 33,900 students against roughly 39,200 here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Students considering a move abroad can look at National University of Singapore in Singapore, where finance, chemistry and physics also form the core, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers materials as well.
Nanjing University in China shares the chemistry, physics and mathematics orientation of this university, and it covers astroscience and materials as well, and has almost the same size, at about 35,700 students.
University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa pursues a similar profile in finance, chemistry and physics, and it has almost the same size, at about 40,259 students, and is also a public institution.
Macquarie University in Australia pursues a similar profile in finance, chemistry and physics, and it covers software engineering as well, and is slightly larger, at about 44,015 students against roughly 39,200 here.
University of Porto offers an international parallel to this institution, with finance, chemistry and physics as common ground; it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers food science and civil engineering as well.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is the University of Hong Kong?
On Pokfulam Road, on Hong Kong Island.
When was it founded?
It grew out of the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, founded in 1887, and was incorporated as a university on 30 March 1911.
Who was its first vice-chancellor?
Charles Eliot.
How many students does it have?
In 2023-24 it enrolled 39,166 students, including 18,491 undergraduates.
How many students come from outside Hong Kong?
19,145 in 2023-24, excluding exchange students.
How many faculties are there?
Ten, from Architecture and Arts to Law and the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine.
What language is used for teaching?
English is the main language of teaching and assessment in most classes.
How large are its libraries?
HKU Libraries hold more than 2.3 million items and were founded in 1912.
Which well-known figures studied there?
Sun Yat-sen at the predecessor college, and later Carrie Lam, Anson Chan, Jasper Tsang and Regina Ip.
What does it cost?
Fees differ for local and non-local students. Check the current tariff.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Biology, Engineering, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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