Which programmes are inviting applications?
The Master of Design (MDes) has five specialisms: Practices, Strategies, Interaction, International Design & Business Management (ID&BM) and Urban Environments. All are inviting applications for September 2021 entry, but their focus and requirements differ somewhat. Please visit our website at http://PolyUMDes.Info for specific information.
When is the application period? When will be the applications reviewed?
PolyU is accepting applications for MDes 2021 entry from Sep 24, 2020, to Apr 30, 2021. During the application period, the School reviews applications in several admissions rounds. Early Round: December 18, 2020; Round 1: January 29, 2021; Round 2: March 12, 2021; Round 3: April 30, 2021.
What defines an applicant as a non-local student?
Peopleâs Republic of China and foreign nationals may join study programmes in Hong Kong offered in full-time mode of study. They are considered non-locals and will require a student visa. Holders of dependant visa and IANG are considered as non-locals but do not need a student visa when taking full-time or part-time study. Holders of a valid employment permit may join our part-time programme (Design Strategies) as locals. If their employment permit expires, they will need a student visa, hence are considered as non-locals.
What is to be expected after submitting an application?
Once you submit your application, an application number and a bill number will be generated from eAdmission. Save these for your records and quote these number when requested, for example, settling the application fee or making an enquiry. You can also check the application and fee payment status on eAdmission. When the payment status changes to âpaidâ, the Universityâs Academic Registry will release your file to MDes programme team. Although the team will notify applicants periodically if any required document is found missing, it is in applicantsâ interest to ensure their submission is in order. The online application form has all relevant fields filled out and all required support documents uploaded. Incomplete applications will be held up and cannot be processed promptly. If you experience trouble submitting your required support documents, email sdsteph@polyu.edu.hk. Meeting entrance requirement determines whether an application is to be considered or not. Suppose you have submitted a complete application, you may expect a review to be conducted within four weeks after the review deadline. When the admission committee decides to process your application further, we will reach out and inform you about the interview arrangement at least two working days before the meeting. In other cases, the status of your application is pending - it could be on the interview waiting list or undecided. For the latter, your application may be revisited after the following review deadline.
What causes a delay in reviewing an application?
Incomplete applications or applications with a pending application fee cannot be processed timely. The decision to call for an interview will be delayed.
How much is the application fee and how can it be settled?
The application fee is HK$350 for local and non-local applicants. Fees paid are non-refundable. If you are not in Hong Kong, you can choose to settle the fee by Visa/ MasterCard (worldwide acceptance) or UnionPay (issued by banks in China). Personal cheques and cash are not acceptable. For details, please refer to Finance Office website at: https://polyu.hk/qDjNx.
How and when will applicants be informed about the interview arrangements?
All admissions must go through the interview process. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an interview over internet video calls or in-person (local applicants only and when the situation allows). Invitations are usually sent at least two working days before the meeting.
When do I expect to get the result of my application after attending an interview?
The processing time usually takes about two weeks. Applicants are able to see their application status on eAdmission. Successful applicants will receive an email/ SMS notification. Note that the emails from the University might be delivered to your spam folder due to the email service setting. If the status is shown as âbeing consideredâ, it means the admission committee has not come to a definite conclusion for your admission and you are on the waitlist. We will re-evaluate all candidates on the waitlist on a regular basis and inform you when to expect a final answer.
When and how will the result be announced?
Admission offers for September 2021 entry will be announced, via eAdmission and by email/ SMS, starting from February 2021. You can also check your application status online at http://www.polyu.edu.hk/admission from time to time. The final round of admission offers will be sent no later than June 2021. If there is no news by then, you may assume your application is unsuccessful.
What is âInitial Programme Feeâ?
You can see the Initial Programme Fee as a kind of prepayment of your tuition. At the time of admission, you will be asked to confirm your acceptance of an admission offer by settling a non-refundable Initial Programme Fee (an amount of 4 credits or 10 credits for local and non-local students respectively): Local students: 4 credits x HK$4,650 per credit = HK$18,600 Non-local students: 10 credits x HK$5,300 per credit = HK$53,000 After the add/drop period for Semester 1, students will receive a debit note for the remaining fee - the balance after deducting the Initial Programme Fee from the number of credits enrolled.
How and when to apply for a student visa?
The Entry Visa Application team in Academic Registry will help you in the process of applying for a student visa. As it may take 8 to 10 weeks for the Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to process your student visa application, you are strongly advised to submit it as soon as you have accepted a conditional or a firm admission offer from PolyU and settled the Initial Programme Fee. For details, please refer to âNotes to Self-financed Taught Postgraduate Non-local Studentsâ at: https://goo.gl/NSXYFR. To learn about the status of your visa application, please contact the Entry Visa Application team by email at entry.visa@polyu.edu.hk.
Is there a maximum number for student intake?
There is a limit to the number of admission places for each programme, early applications are advantaged.