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 2019 intake, but their focus and requirements differ somewhat. Please visit our website at http://www.polyudesign.com/mdes for specific information.

PolyU is accepting applications for September 2019 entry from 27 Sep 2018 to 30 Apr 2019. 

The School will carry out First Round Review starting 14 Dec 2018 and arrange interviews for shortlisted applicants shortly after. 

Completed applications will be considered and reviewed as they arrive. Admissions will be offered on a rolling basis after First Round Review.

People’s 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 however, 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. But if their employment permit expires, they will need a student visa, hence are considered as non-locals.

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 “paid”, the University’s Academic Secretariat 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 applicants’ own interest to ensure their file contains all required documents and an application form with all relevant fields filled out.

Incomplete applications cannot be processed promptly. If you experience trouble submitting your required documents, email sdsteph@polyu.edu.hk. 

Meeting entrance requirement determines whether the application is to be considered or not. After submitting a complete application, you can expect a review to be conducted within four weeks. If the admission committee decides to process your application further, we will reach out to you and inform you about the interview arrangement 3 to 5 working days prior to the meeting. In other cases, your application is either not successful, or you are on the waiting list. On the waiting list means that we have more highly qualified applicants than we can invite to the interview for the moment. The decision to process your application further may come later.

Incomplete applications or applications with a pending application fee cannot be processed timely. The decision to call for an interview will be delayed.

The application fee is HK$450 (for non-local students) and HK$350 (for local students) and it is non-refundable. If you are not in Hong Kong, please send a bank draft payable to "The Hong Kong Polytechnic University", or 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.

All admissions must go through the interview process. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an interview in person (for local applicants) or over internet video calls (for non-local applicants). Invitations are usually sent 3 to 5 working days prior to the meeting.

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 “being considered”, 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. 

Admission offers for September 2019 entry will be announced, via eAdmission and by email/ SMS, starting early February 2019. You can also check your application status online at http://www.polyu.edu.hk/admission from time to time. Admission offers will be sent no later than mid-June. If there is no news by then, you may assume that your application is not successful.

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$4,500 per credit = HK$18,000
Non-local students: 10 credits x HK$5,100 per credit = HK$51,000

After the add/drop period in the first semester, students will receive a debit note for the remaining fee. The remaining fee is the tuition based on the number of credits enrolled minus the Initial Programme Fee. For example, if you have enrolled 15 credits for the first semester and you had settled the Initial Programme Fee of 10 credits, the remaining fee will be 5 credits.

The Entry Visa Application team in Academic Secretariat 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 “Notes to Self-financed Taught Postgraduate Non-local Students” 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.

There is a limit to the number of admission places for each programme, early applications are advantaged.

To apply to any MDes specialism, submit an application online via eAdmission at http://www.polyu.edu.hk/admission. You may update your application data after you create an account, check application status and result on eAdmission.

You are allowed but not encouraged to apply to more than one MDes programme.

Here are the required documents to support your application, for instance, Letter of Intent, Portfolio, three Letters of Recommendation (academic/ profession), Full Official Transcripts, Degree Certificates, TOEFL/ IELTS report, etc.

If you are currently in your final year of study, you should provide a transcript showing your academic record up to your most recent semester. A Certification of GPA/ Average Score is needed if the information are not shown on your transcript.

Documents not written in English must be accompanied by certified, literal English translations. We must have your transcripts and certificates in both the native language and in English to evaluate your qualification. We do not require applicants’ original documents as evidence. Readable scans of original documents will suffice during the application stage.

Please also refer to previous question on “How and when will applicants be informed about the interview arrangements?"

A complete application includes:
- Application form (via eAdmission)
- Letter of Intent
- Three Letters of Recommendation (academic/ profession) ~
- Evidence of academic qualification, i.e. Official Full Transcripts and Degree Certificates ^
- Portfolio #
- IELTS/ TOEFL report*

~ Design Strategies applicants need to provide an employment proof for meeting the entrance requirement concerning two years of professional experience in a design-related field. The proof may be in a form of a certification letter issued by your company’s HR department or a mention in the professional letter of recommendation. 

^ For holders of academic qualifications from Mainland China, evidence must include Academic Credential (畢業証書), Degree Certificate (學士學位証書), a certification letter of GPA or average score and explanation notes of the grading systems (課程績點点與等級換算關係表).

# Except applications for Design Strategies

* If you are not a native speaker of English, and the Bachelor’s degree programme you attended was not taught in English, you are expected to fulfil the following minimum English language requirement for admission purpose: A Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 80 for the Internet-based test or 550 for the paper-based test; OR An overall Band Score of at least 6 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Application forms without all relevant fields filled out will also be considered incomplete, with or your CV uploaded to eAdmission or not. We encourage applicants to provide full details of their post-secondary qualification and previous and/or current employment. Information and corresponding evidence submitted on eAdmission will be used to assess applications in meeting entrance requirements.

Incomplete applications cannot be processed promptly. 

Letter of intent (or sometimes called Personal Statement) is often required for applying graduate programmes. Its aim is specific – to convince the admission panel why an applicant is suitable for the programme they are applying.

In this short essay, usually within 1-2 pages, you can consider telling us the following: your current position/ challenge/ priorities in your career, how your background and training had led you to this point in your career, your research interest(s), and how would you expect the programme to support your career goal/ aspiration.

Letters of recommendations are to be uploaded to the corresponding sections on eAdmission. 

Combine multiple PDFs of your academic recommendations, transcripts and certificates from the same institution you attended into one single PDF document and upload the file according to the specific academic qualification in the “Education” section.

On the other hand, professional letters of recommendation are to be provided according to the specific previous/ current employment in the “Employment” section.

Three letters of recommendation from persons who are most familiar with your studies, research interest, or work are required. 

We suggest you include a tutor in the programme you last attended, and/ or supervisor of your final project/ thesis to be of your recommenders. 

Professional letters of recommendation from those who are able to speak about your professional role, achievements and potential are acceptable. For business owners CEOs or company directors, the recommendations may come from your clients. For those who are in their final year of study, it is recommended that you may request a recommendation from your supervisor/ team leader during your internship. Your application will be disadvantaged without a professional letter of recommendation. Note that the certification of employment is not the same as a letter of recommendation.

Your recommenders should be informed about the programme to which you are applying and your professional goals. It is important for them to give qualifying evidence in the recommendation to provide an account of your strength.

Each recommendation should contain the following: recommender’s name, organisation/ affiliation, position/ title, relationship, contact number and email address and recommender’s signature (for a scanned document).

We suggest you contact your recommenders in advance to ask for a recommendation. Your recommenders can send the recommendations directly to us by email if they prefer. Inform us by email in advance so that we can match them up to your application after they are submitted.

We don’t usually contact recommenders to invite them for a recommendation on behalf of applicants, due to the large number of applications we received. 

We suggest you share with your tutor evidance of your application so that they know you have a genuine need for a this document.

Applications without a satisfactory English test score will not be reviewed.

A Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 80 for the Internet-based test or 550 for the paper-based test, or an overall Band Score of at least 6 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

English tests other than TOEFL iBT, TOEFL paper-based test, or IELTS Academic tests. Tests such as TOEFL ITP, IELTS General Training, CET4 and CET6 are not considered.

Yes, especially when EMI is not indicated on your transcripts or your programme or department uses a different language as a medium of instruction than the university. The official letter must be issued by the office of international affairs, academic secretariat, or a related authority, printed on letterhead, signed and stamped.

In terms of academic qualification, normally a Bachelor’s degree in Design or the equivalent in a related discipline is required; except for Design Strategies and International Design and Business Management specialism, a Bachelor’s degree from other disciplines is also welcomed. Besides, some specialisms may prefer candidates with some professional experience in a design related field. Please refer to programme webpages or programme brochure for details.

No, we are independent from the postgraduate education system under the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China.

Yes – you may apply to the Design Strategies specialism. This MDes specialism is not a studio-based programme as the purpose is academic – to deepen design understanding and integrate design in its business and technological context through reading, thinking, discussing, and writing. 

If your Bachelor’s study is in Business, Engineering or Technology, you can consider the International Design and Business Management specialism. This specialism is structured with some studio subjects, putting together multi-disciplinary teams to think and act creatively, to cross-pollinate among disciplines in order to prepare our graduates to lead in highly competitive businesses.

Applications from those who hold other tertiary qualifications complemented by substantial, relevant professional experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Applications considered on a case-by-case basis usually require additional documents for evaluation and approval process, as a result, a longer process time must be expected.

Additional documents may include, but are not limited to: 
- For both local and non-local academic credentials: IELTS/ TOEFL test report;
- For local academic credentials: proof of course registration under Education Bureau’s Qualification Framework; 
- For non-local academic credentials: evidence supporting the national recognition of the awarding institution of the academic qualification, and qualification assessment by Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications. 

Documents not written in English must be accompanied by certified, literal English translations. Readable scans of original documents in the native language must be provided as well.

We suggest you to contact the MDes programme team in advance. Please refer to the question on “What are the contacts for further information/ enquiries?”

In general, the content of your portfolio may include the most advanced design you have done. We are interested in the process of the concept development in self-initiated, experimental and commercial works. Support samples of work with succinct descriptions where needed. If you would like to include group projects, you must clearly specify your role in the creative process. The organisation and appearance of your portfolio, as an important part of your application, should be presented in professional quality. 

We expect the portfolio to be structured as a purposeful document tailored for applying to a specific programme in mind. Appropriate portfolios should include related projects to demonstrate your skills and approaches, as a designer and as a communicator, and that you would make a suitable candidate for the programme applied.

Portfolio can will be reviewed once. Acceptable formats include Digital Copy and Online Portfolio/ Personal Website. 

Digital Copy: should be limited to a file size of 10MB or below. Files must be submitted via an online platform at https://services.sd.polyu.edu.hk/admission/mdes. Note that you will need an application number to login to this platform. This application number is generated automatically after an application is submitted via PolyU eAdmission System. After that, details of the online application cannot be changed. Therefore, do not submit your online application if you know there will be further changes.

Online Portfolio: You can indicate the URL of your “Personal Website” in the online application. The URL should enable reviewers to access and view a portfolio online without needing to download. Online portfolio sites (e.g. Coroflot, Behance) or online services (e.g. ISSUU) that allow realistic and customisable viewing of digitally uploaded materials are acceptable, as long as the requirements are met. 

We do not accept CDs, DVDs or file transfer links/ attachments in emails.

Portfolio must be in English.

Some specialisms require a portfolio, but the Design Strategies specialism accepts students based on both academic qualification and professional experience.  If you do not have a portfolio related to design, we suggest you focus more on the interview process to describe your background and career interests.

All programmes are taught in English. 

Practices, Interaction and ID&BM specialisms can be completed in 1 year full-time; Urban Environments takes 1.5 years full-time; whereas Strategies specialism normally take 2 years part-time or not more than 1.5 years full-time, as most classes are held mostly during the weekends.

It varies - some classes are large when various specialisms combine; some are small devoted to special topics. There are many tutorial opportunities.

To non-local students, our intensive 1-year full-time programmes are popular due to the fact that their financial and career considerations are addressed – the tuition fee is the most competitive among the top d-schools list; the 1-year study period will make a sabbatical plan possible when professionals only have a short period of time to be taken out of their career to seek a different experience or to broaden their horizons away from home. 

Some local students choose a full-time study mode as they see it as potential rapid career advancement.

Overall, the strong social learning context is very much appreciated by our full-time MDes students. They enjoy the intensive experience throughout the learning and interaction process.

There is a wide spectrum of design functioning from operational to strategic levels which is well recognised as essential for companies to stay competitive. Consequently, senior designers, managers and professionals in design or related fields need to advance themselves with new visions, updated theories and methodologies and learn to create value through design. 

Design Strategies has been broadening the horizons of students with proven success. On the other hand, the studio-based programmes such as Design Practices, Interaction Design, International Design & Business Management and Urban Environments specialisms, welcome design practitioners to deepen their knowledge and innovation abilities in respective areas and prepare them to be leaders of the field.

PolyU Design has relocated to the Jockey Club Innovation Tower in 2013 which is built to further drive the development of Hong Kong as a design hub in Asia, and provide additional space to facilitate multi-disciplinary collaboration. The home of PolyU Design provides advanced facilities for teaching and learning, as well as ample exhibition and collaboration spaces that are positioned to attract deserved attention to our students’ work. The Innovation Tower is the first permanent architectural work in Hong Kong of Ms Zaha Hadid, one of the most influential figures in the world of modern architecture.

Workshops and studios are where design students study and nurture their creativity. The School has fully equipped modelling workshops that allow students to have conceptual and physical space to investigate and experiment with materials, tools, processes and ideas. 

School of Design’s workshops and labs: Digital Print Shop (Large-format Poster Printing, Book Printing/Binding, Color/B&W Copying, Paper Cutting), Production Workshop (Wood Workshop, Metal Workshop, Computer Numerical Control, 3D Prototyping, Fused Deposition Modeling, Laser Cutting), Audio Video Workshop (Editing Lab, Audio Mixing Room, Audio Recording Booth, Stop Motion Lab, Hand-drawing Lab and the Production Studio), Sound Studio, and Photographic Studio.

Full-time students have their dedicated studio space.  The studios feature custom-built hardware that accommodates high-end graphics and multimedia content development. 

The Material Resource Centre (MRC) is central to the School’s learning infrastructure. As a place for leading trends in design, material research and production, MRC brings together thousands of new and innovative materials from all over the world. 

Apart from PolyU’s academic library, Pao Yue-kong Library, that is linked with all public and university library services in Hong Kong and PolyU’s technical library Industrial Centre, students have access to a number of sports and communal student facilities: Outdoor swimming pool, 25-metre all-weather indoor swimming pool, 5-a-side indoor football pitch, Indoor gymnasium, Sports Complex (sports hall, tennis courts, table tennis rooms, golf practice room, fitness room, activity rooms) and Sports Centre (sports hall, squash courts, activity rooms).

PolyU Design collaborates with design schools around the world to offer opportunities within and alongside the curriculum that benefit students’ learning and growth in their desired areas. The collaborations are in the form of exchange programme, double degree arrangement, shared studio subjects, international workshops and international guest lectures. Examples of international academic collaboration include: Parsons School of Design, Royal College of Art (RCA), Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE), Zurich University of the Arts (ZHDK), University of New South Wales, (UNSW), University of Technology Sydney (UTS), National University of Singapore (NUS), Northumbria University, Politecnico di Milano (MIP), etc.

All of these are postgraduate programmes vary somewhat.  MDes is a taught professional degree for design practitioners. MFA is a terminal graduate degree in an area of performing arts requiring at least two years of study for completion. MSc is a basic degree type in most subjects. MPhil is a research degree, requiring the completion of a thesis; it is also considered the gateway for the PhD.

You can read about students’ firsthand experiences through their blogs at: http://www.sd.polyu.edu.hk/en/news-and-events/news#mdes-talks

Find out more from Designers Inbetween (http://www.designersinbetween.com), a documentary created by two in-bound exchange students of PolyU Design, about the strategic advantages and challenges international designers face in one of the world’s financial capitals and how the industry is generically different from the West and the rest of Asia.

Prospective applicants reaching out to us at an early stage is important. This way, we can better support you to navigate the application procedures, and more importantly to know you better. Feel free to contact us should you have further questions on application or academic matters.

You can contact the MDes programme team by tel. at +852 3400 3440 / 2766 5474, or by email at sdsteph@polyu.edu.hk / sdweb@polyu.edu.hk.

Tuition fees are calculated based on the number of credit required for graduation (36 credits for all MDes specialisms). Tuition per credit is HK$4,500 (local) / HK$5,100 (non-local) and the programme tuition fee is HK$162,000 (local) / HK$183,600 (non-local).

The remaining tuition fee, after settling the Initial Programme Fee, is to be settled in accordance with the number of subjects enrolled in Semester 1, Semester 2 and the Summer Semester, usually after their corresponding Add/ Drop period.

Local payments: ATM, PPS, Internet Banking (incl. credit card), cheque or cash
Cross-border payments: Bank Draft (in HKD) and Telegraphic Transfer, Flywire

Depending on your remitting country, Flywire offers multiple payment options which currently include: Domestic Bank Transfer, UnionPay, Alipay, ebanking, Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Paypal. Though PolyU and Flywire do not charge a fee for this service, students are reminded to note the cost differences in their local currency under different payment options before confirming your payment. 

For details, please refer to the payment methods here: https://polyu.hk/eizZL

Don’t forget to quote your bill number in the remittance/ payment information. Make the payment at least 2 and 3 working days in advance to allow enough time for respective local and cross-border payments to be fully processed. 

The payment status should be updated on eAdmission within 2 - 3 working days. If you have any enquiry regarding payment status, please contact the Finance Office by email at fostud@polyu.edu.hk.

It is probable that the payment would not be processed successfully. The offer would go lapsed, meaning that your offer will become invalid. The University may offer the admission place to other candidates.

When applying for a student visa, financial proof is one of the supporting documents. It is a financial resource statement issued by your bank which confirms your bank account balance. The purpose is to prove that you have enough money to cover the tuition fees and living expenses (HKD183,600 or USD23,000) for your study in Hong Kong.

If the financial proof is not under your name, your sponsor is required to provide the "Declaration of Sponsor" and a copy of his/ her personal Mainland Chinese Identity Card or passport.

Some students consider the option to finance their study through an education loan. Upon approval, the bank may only disburse the fees under specific arrangements. It might be a good idea to check with your bank on this and seek advice from the University's Finance Office whether certain arrangement is acceptable in advance. Do not settle the Initial Programme Fee before your issues are addressed as the Initial Programme Fee is strictly non-refundable.

No scholarship is available for 2019/20 admissions. Non-local students may seek external sources of funding from legitimate government sponsors (e.g. ministry of education, national agencies), businesses or non-profit organisations that support aspiring individuals to study internationally. 

Some sponsors require the letter of acceptance to certify the tuition fees and living expenses for study abroad. We are able to issue this letter after you receive a Notice of Offer. Notice of Offer from the Early Round will be available around mid-February.

A couple of post-entry scholarships# (in value around HK$30,000) may be available for HK students studying in our full-time programmes. These scholarships are normally awarded on academic merit and other selection criteria specified by donors.

#PolyU reserves the right to change or withdraw scholarships at anytime. In case of any dispute/ disagreement, PolyU's decision is final.

Continuing Education Fund (CEF) and Extended Non-means-Tested Loan Scheme (ENLS).

Some subjects in MDes scheme are included in the Continuing Education Fund (CEF) list of reimbursable courses for local residents (http://www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/cef/download/DESIGN.pdf).  Eligible students enrolled in the listed subjects may apply for subsidies. Please refer to the Continuing Education Fund website at 
http://www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/cef/index.htm for information.

Local residents are eligible to apply for the HKSAR Government's Extended Non-means-tested Loan Scheme (ENLS). The scheme offers interest-bearing loans to eligible students for covering tuition fees. An administrative fee and a relatively higher interest rate are charged once the loan is drawn down until it is fully repaid. Applications are non-means tested, which means that there is no assessment of family's income and assets. For details of the scheme, please refer to the Government's website at www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/sfo/eng/schemes/nlss.htm.

When you budget your expenses, it is important to clarify your funding at an early stage and for the entire period of study. Also, consider to make your budget flexible by reserving a fund set aside for any unforeseen circumstances, such as possible fluctuations in currency value, price inflation, emergencies, travel, etc.

When applying for the student visa after obtaining an admission offer, you are required to produce a financial resource statement issued by your bank which prove the availability of enough funds to cover the tuition and living expenses for your first year of study in Hong Kong.

Holders of student visa are permitted to take up part-time on-campus employment for not more than 20 hours per week during the semester; and employment during the summer months (1 Jun to 30 Aug) without any limit in relation to nature of work, work hours and location. Please refer to Immigration Department of HK SAR for detail: http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/faq/imm-policy-study.html.

On-campus employment opportunities include Work-on-Campus Scheme through University’s Office of Careers and Placement Services (CAPS) (Job board: https://polyu.hk/YjZpL) and PolyU research/ project posts (Listing: https://polyu.hk/wUEsj).

If you are staying in Hong Kong under the "Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates" (IANG), you do not need to apply for a student visa to study in Hong Kong.  But once your IANG expires, you will need to apply for a student visa. In both cases, you will be applying as non-locals.

In general, an application for a visa/entry permit to enter the HKSAR for study may be favourably considered if: the applicant holds a school acceptance letter to confirm that he or she has been accepted to a full-time programme; and he or she is able to meet the fees for the programme, the living expenses for his/her maintenance and accommodation without working and without recourse to public funds. 

For details, please refer to the Immigration Department’s website at: http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/visas/study.html#firstTab

Please note that the Immigration Department may not accept student visa applications from certain nationals. For details, please refer to the Immigration Department’s website at: http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/faq/imm-policy-study.html

Upon admission, the University will help you to apply for a student visa. You will be informed of the details of visa applications, immigration regulations, health care, cost of living and other non-academic matters of concern to non-local students if you are offered admission to one of our programmes.

Renew your passport first and provide a copy of your new passport in your visa application. Make sure your passport is valid until end of August next year. 

Non-local students taking up part-time postgraduate studies at PolyU will likely be issued a short-term multiple-entry student visa. To apply this type of visa, students will need to submit a study plan.

You will be given a tentative time table for the new academic year. Decide on how many subjects you plan to enroll in each semester (Semester 1, Semester 2, and Summer Semester). Based on your preference, the programme team will issue a document with your study plan in a required format.

The multiple entry visa approved is usually good for multiple journeys to Hong Kong taking up the programme you are attending from the issuing date of the permit/visa label for a validity period of 12 months. On the cover letter that comes with the student visa label, you will be informed about (a) the maximum number of days per stay and (b) the total number of days allowed in in Hong Kong for the validity period.

The study plan will determine (a) and (b).

Unfortunately, the visa does not allow or expect mixed purposes of stay. Therefore, holders of multiple-entry student visa are suggested to exit Hong Kong after their attending their courses and re-enter with a different type of visa if needed.

You are strongly advised to submit an application for student visa as soon as you have accepted a conditional or a firm admission offer from PolyU and settled the Initial Programme Fee.

Once your condition status is changed to “conditions have been met”, the Entry Visa Application Team will inform Immigration Department and they will release the visa to the University who will send the visa to your designated mailing address.

The living costs will depend on one's lifestyle. These costs involve the following major expenses: accommodation, food, local transport, telecommunications, books, etc. Accommodation makes the biggest expenses. 

As PolyU is located in the city centre and very accessible by public transport, accommodation options are off-campus and non-hall housing: private properties, hostels/ guesthouse, serviced apartment, short-term accommodation. Based on their priorities, some students choose to live in a student accommodation offered by accommodation service providers; some prefer first to group together and then rent a privately-owned flat or service apartment, while others prefer to live on their own.

An estimate of around HK$120,000 - HK$140,000 a year per person would be basic for students sharing a flat with one or two students.

You may get an idea of the living costs in Hong Kong if you visit related sites on cost of living, for example, Numbeo (https://goo.gl/mzcyvT), Expatism (https://goo.gl/LPyztV), or online supermarkets (http://www.wellcome.com.hk, http://www.parknshop.com) etc.

Hong Kong is a vibrant international city and yet one of the safest cities in the world. Given its very cosmopolitan outlook, its unique blend of Chinese and Western cultures, students from around the world can easily adapt to the new environment. Its highly quoted “East-meets-West” is the best term to describe the city – where religion, food, architecture, population, entertainment, festivals, etc. span the globe. 

The proximity of Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland and Southeast Asia also attracts many international students from design and business fields to explore these emerging markets. With increasing socioeconomic integration of Hong Kong with the Chinese mainland, efficient cross boundary transportation network enables “1-hour living circle” and that connects the fast growing Pearl River Delta region. This region is the world’s most important manufacturing location that is also emerging as an R&D hub of ICT, automotive, steel and petrochemical industries. This provides ample opportunities to cultivate students’ intercultural awareness and perspective.

The city hosts all kinds of international events around the year for arts and culture, music, films, sports, and food enthusiast. Visit the following sites for more information about Hong Kong culture - http://www.discoverhongkong.com/login.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_kong.

Taught postgraduate students arrange their own accommodation on a self-financing basis. Main accommodation options may include:

(a) Self-arranged accommodations offered by PolyU recognised providers. Please visit PolyU’s Mainland and International Students Service Centre (MISS) website for details at: http://goo.gl/Mjo0t0.

(b) Others (e.g. student housing offered by other service providers or renting an apartment with flat-mates in the private market).

In 2018, monthly rent for (a) may be ranged from HKD4,500 for a double-shared room to HKD7,000+ for a standard single room, and to HKD19,000+ for the entire apartment for 1 to 3 persons. 

The payment terms usually include: (i) reservation fee (rent and utility prepayment for first two months) within two working days upon the issuance of the contract; (ii) rent and prepaid utility deposit and (iii) security deposit (refundable) within 15 working days after move-in.

The actual terms will vary, depending on the type of accommodation and the practice of the landlord or the service provider. It is very important to be clear about the terms and to know your rights and responsibilities before signing any agreement. 

For those who plan to rent a privately-owned apartment, you may also need to clarify with the landlord about the followings: rules about subletting/ transferring, security deposit, and whether the rent includes duty fees, commission fees (if using a property agent), management fees, government rates, government rents, and utility bill payment, etc.

Non-local students may approach the University's Non-local Student Services Team (NLSST) for one-stop advisory services:

Location: ST302, 3/F, Ng Wing Hong Building
Tel: 3400 2608
Opening hours: Mon – Fri, 09:00 – 18:00
Email: nlsst@polyu.edu.hk
URL: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/stars/nlsst

You can read about students’ firsthand experiences through their blogs at: http://www.sd.polyu.edu.hk/en/news-and-events/news#mdes-talks

The academic year runs from early September through mid-August. Students should arrive before the end of August.

Allow at least two or three weeks for searching and identifying the suitable accommodation. Before securing a place live, you are suggested to arrange for your temporary accommodation. 

You must bring the following to attend the registration: personal identity document (HKID/ Passport/ Mainland ID) used in your application, originals of all academic award certificates, relevant transcripts, professional certificates mentioned in or attached to your application, payment record of your initial programme fee (e.g. payment receipt issued by the bank or the hard copy print out for electronic payment). 

For most updated information, please refer to the Notice of Offer. You can view your Notice of Offer on eAdmission at: http://www.polyu.edu.hk/admission.

You can authorise a representative to complete the procedures for you. 

Apart from the required documents mentioned in the Notice of Offer (under Registration Procedures), your representative will also need to bring an authorisation letter (https://polyu.hk/XfmSe) signed by you and a copy of your Hong Kong Identity Card/Passport, which will be returned to your representative after verification.

The non-local student handbook can be downloaded here (pdf): https://polyu.hk/slCau

The University Health Service (UHS) provides a comprehensive range of primary health care for all full-time students (URL: http://www.polyu.edu.hk/~uhs/). For emergency consultation when the clinic is closed, you may reach the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the nearest public hospital, for assistance. 

The University has already prepared a basic insurance coverage (Group Personal Accident Insurance) for students joining PolyU activities during their stay in Hong Kong. However, student are strongly encouraged to arrange for appropriate insurance scheme (e.g. insurance coverage against illnesses, accidents and public liability) for better protection that covers their entire study period. If students have trouble getting insurance coverage in their hometown, they may also consider to getting it in Hong Kong via local banks or insurance brokers. You should compare plan features, coverage, major exclusions, policy terms and condition before making a decision.

The Non-local Student Services Team may also help students to enrol for the Group Medical (GM) and/or Public Liability (PL) insurance schemes via the University’s Finance Office. The GM Insurance covers hospitalisation medical expenses due to accidental bodily injuries but out-patient consultations will not be covered. The PL insurance covers legal liability for accidental third-party property damage (tangible property) and/or accidental third-party bodily injury in connection with the Insured’s business. The annual (1 September 2018 – 31 August 2019) premium amounts for the GM and PL insurance schemes for non-local students are HK$274.20 and HK$175.10 respectively. 

There are two banks in the Shaw Amenities Building on campus: Hang Seng Bank and Bank of East Asia. Their business hours are from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (Mondays to Fridays). Automated Teller Machines (ATM) are also available there and you will find it convenient to use an ATM card to withdraw money, pay bills, transfer funds at any time.

When opening a bank account, the local banks will normally ask you to produce the Hong Kong Identity Card, PolyU Student ID card, passport/ travel document(s), proof of permanent address, etc. In addition, the banks require a minimum deposit which varies for different banks.