Frequently Asked Questions
International / Other Qualifications
6
Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
Who are non-local applicants?

If you require one of the following identity documents to reside or study in Hong Kong, you will be regarded as a non-local applicant:

 

i) a student visa to study in Hong Kong;

ii) a visa / entry permit under Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG);

iii) a dependant visa / entry permit issued by the Director of Immigration when you were 18 years old or above.

 

Non-local applicants who possess only visitor or tourist visas can neither be registered as students nor commence their studies until they have obtained student visas.

 

Local and non-local applicants are considered under different admissions schemes. The levels of tuition fees for local and non-local students are also different for most programmes. If your status changes from non-local to local or vice versa after you submit your application, any offers made under the initial admissions scheme may be cancelled and your application will be considered in competition with other eligible applicants under the subsequent admissions scheme.

Are all courses taught in English?

Except for Chinese-related subjects and specially approved schemes / programmes, English is used for classes, written assignments and examinations.

Are there any other admission intakes apart from September entry?

Our undergraduate programmes only have one intake in September.

Can I submit a late application?

Subject to the availability of study places, applications submitted after the Main Round will still be accepted till 15 May 2025.

Do you accept online courses as equivalent to the face-to-face classes?

The University does not accept online courses as equivalent to those face-to-face classes offered by regular high schools.

Should I apply through the International Admissions Scheme if I possess a Hong Kong permanent identity card?

Applicants who are holders of valid Hong Kong permanent identity cards should apply for admission to our undergraduate programmes via the Non-JUPAS Admission Scheme. Those who do not hold Hong Kong permanent identity cards and need to apply for student visas to study at our University should follow the application/admissions arrangements for international applicants.

Where can I find the academic schedule?

There are two teaching semesters, each of 13 weeks, and a 7-week summer term. The academic year starts in late August/early September, with the second semester ending sometime in April and the summer term running from May to July.

 

You can check the Academic Calendar here. Successful applicants will be informed of their class timetables after completion of registration.

Is there any activity or support especially provided for non-local students?

The Non-local Student Services Team provides non-local students with student-centred support services throughout their studies at PolyU.  They offer a wide variety of programmes and activities such as Orientation Programme and Host Family Scheme, Exploring Hong Kong Series and Global Peer Support Scheme to enrich students' experience at PolyU and Hong Kong.  Students may find important points to note prior to arrival, as well as immigration regulations concerning their stay in Hong Kong. 

Visa Application
Do I need to apply for a visa to study in Hong Kong?

"Non-local students" (except those staying in Hong Kong under the "Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates" and dependant visa / entry permit holders who were under 18 years old when they were issued with such visa / entry permit by the Director of Immigration) need to apply for a visa to study in Hong Kong. Please note that the Immigration Department may not accept student visa applications from nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba, Laos, Korea (Democratic People's Republic of ) and Nepal. For details, please refer to the Immigration Department's website by clicking here.

What should I do if I select the visa type wrongly?

If you select the wrong visa type by mistake, please send an email (ar.intl@polyu.edu.hk) to us and attach a copy of your visa/ entry permit to support your claim. Local and non-local applicants are considered under different admission schemes. If your status changes from non-local to local, or vice versa, any offers made under the initial admission scheme will be cancelled. Your application will then be considered in competition with other eligible applicants under the subsequent admission scheme.

Qualifications & English Language Requirement
What non-local qualifications do you consider for admission to your Bachelor's Degree programmes?

PolyU welcomes applications from around the world. Please click here to check the guidelines on non-local qualifications.

Do I need to take TOEFL or IELTS?

Non-local applicants are required to meet the University's English language requirement before admission. Besides TOEFL and IELTS, we also accept various English proficiency tests. Please click here for the full list of accepted qualifications. 

What are the PolyU codes for IB, ACT, SAT/AP/SAT Subject Test and TOEFL?

Institution codes are as follows:

 

IB 

00251

ACT

2764

SAT / AP / SAT Subject Test

7261

TOEFL

0732

Do you offer credit transfer / advanced studying for A-Level or IB Diploma students?

If you hold A-Level or IB qualifications, you may be granted transferred credits up to 25% upon admission to the 4-year degree curriculum. Departments concerned will consider each case on its individual merits and inform you of the result at the Notice of Offer.

If I take more than one examination, should I provide them in my online application?

If you sit multiple examinations, please enter all relevant results and qualifications in your online application. Our University will base on all the information to consider your eligibility for admission.

I am currently studying the Chinese curriculum without taking the mainland Gao Kao in 2025. Am I eligible for applying for admission to your undergraduate programmes?

No, high school mainland students who are currently pursuing the Chinese curriculum without taking the mainland Gao Kao in 2025 will normally not be considered for admission to our undergraduate programmes.

 

Majority of our mainland students are admitted on the basis of their results in the current year Chinese Mainland Joint Entrance Examinations. If you hold other international qualifications, you will only be further considered if you attain, or have the potential to attain, good academic results.

Am I eligible for applying for admission to your undergraduate programmes if my qualifications are not listed under “Guidelines on non-local qualifications” ?

If applicants’ qualifications are not listed in the guidelines, their applications will normally be considered on a case-by-case basis. In general, applicants who graduate from high school and attain good academic results with good English proficiency are eligible for further consideration.

Non-academic Achievements
Dose PolyU recognise non-academic achievements for admission to undergraduate programmes?

PolyU values high calibre students and review each application with a holistic approach.

Students with non-academic achievements may apply to our programmes through the Special Talents Admission and Recognition Scheme (STARS). Please visit this webpage for details: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/study/ug/admissions/special-talents-admission-and-recognition-scheme

Fees & Scholarships
How much is the application fee?

Non-local applicants: HK$450


Please note that other than the specified application fee, you are not required to pay any money to any persons in connection with your application.

Are non-local students eligible for financial assistance? Can I take up part-time jobs?

Non-local students are not eligible to apply for financial assistance from both the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and PolyU. Please therefore secure sufficient funds before embarking on studies at PolyU. You are however allowed to take up part-time on-campus employment for not more than 20 hours per week throughout the year and off-campus summer jobs during the summer months (i.e. 1 June to 31 August) without any work hours limit, which helps you earn some petty money to cover part of your daily expenditures.

How can I get a scholarship?

PolyU recognises outstanding local and non-local students admitted to its full-time undergraduate programmes by granting scholarships of various amounts on the basis of academic merit, non-academic achievements (e.g. prizes/awards received in internationally recognised competitions) and interview performance. Applicants awarded scholarships will be informed when they are offered admission.

Residential Halls
Are non-local students eligible for hall residence?

Full-time non-local students in government-funded programmes are eligible to apply for accommodation in the Student Halls of Residence. Non-local undergraduate students will, subject to the availability of residential places, normally be given an opportunity to stay in the University-managed Accommodation (including the Student Halls and off-campus housing), for their first year of study (including the period of joining Work-integrated Education/internship and/or outbound exchange progamme, if any). For the second year of study onwards, non-local students are required to arrange their own accommodation outside the Student Halls. In view of the above, they are advised to secure sufficient funds for their housing plan. For hall admission policies, please visit here.

Post-Secondary Qualifications & Transfer of Study
Will I be granted credit transfer from my previous studies from other universities?

Applications for credit transfer are normally not accepted until your initial enrolment in the programme or before the end of the add/drop period of the first semester of your first year of study at our university. At that stage, you should support your application with relevant documents, e.g. transcript of study, syllabus.

 

For programmes that specify the acceptance of certain advanced qualification, e.g. Higher Diploma, Associate Degree, Bachelor's Degree, you may automatically be considered for credit transfer. If you are required to take fewer credits than the normal requirement, you will be informed in the Notice of Offer. You may also write a statement expressing your wish to be considered for credit transfer. Please submit your application via eStudent and it will be up to departments to make a decision on this.

 

Normally, no more than 25 percent of the credits that are usually required can be transferred from other post-secondary institutions for your PolyU award.

 

The validity period of subject credits earned is eight years from the year of attainment, i.e. the year in which the subject is completed, unless otherwise specified by the department responsible for the content of the subject. Grades may or may not be given for the transferred credits.

Online Applications
Can I submit more than one application?

For our full-time Bachelor's Degree programmes, you are allowed to submit only one online application, with up to two choices.

How can I find my application number after submission?

An application number (e.g. 25XXXXXXX) will be automatically generated once you have submitted your application successfully. Your application number can be found above your programme choice after logging in to eAdmission.

Can I apply if my examination results have not yet been released before the application deadline?

Yes, you can still apply for admission if you can provide the examination results to meet the general entrance requirement before mid-August. In the meantime, please upload your latest results, e.g. transcript of your high school study, via eAdmission. Alternatively, you may authorize your high school to provide us with the predicted IB or GCEAL results in "Add Qualification > Academic Referee" section via eAdmission by inputting principals' / counselors contact details, or ask your school to send us the transcripts / predicted public examination results via email (ar.intl@polyu.edu.hk)  for our preliminary assessment. A conditional offer will be given to applicants who are considered having the potential to be eligible for admission.

How can I know my application result?

You will be notified by email if you are shortlisted for interview/test. If you are given an offer or a conditional offer, you will be informed via email/SMS. You may also log into your eAdmission account from time to time to check the progress of your application.

 

If you are applying for admission to year 1 of government-funded Bachelor’s Degree programmes and want to be notified of your result earlier, please submit your application for earlier consideration according to the processing rounds here.

 

If there is no news by late July, you may assume that your application is unsuccessful. No separate notification will be sent for unsuccessful cases.

Can I confirm my offer acceptance status?

After clicking the “Accept My Offer” button in your online Notice of Offer, "You have accepted this offer." will be shown. Please settle the initial fee before the "payment deadline" displayed in the first debit note of your Notice of Offer and complete the procedures in the “Meeting Conditions” section on the Notice of Offer page by the submission deadline if you have offered a conditional offer. 

How can I update my application data?

Once you have submitted your application, you are not allowed to change the programme choice(s) you selected earlier. But, you would still be able to update additional educational details / qualifications and upload relevant supporting documents to the online portal.

Documents
Should I submit documents to academic departments direct?

No, except for materials that cannot be uploaded, e.g. design portfolio. Please upload the documents to your online application and departments will be able to read them together with your application data.

What should I do if I want to submit additional supporting documents after application submission?

You are allowed to submit further documents, which are not yet available at the time you submit your application, after application submission. Please scan the documents and log into your eAdmission account to upload them.

 

Uploaded documents should be:

 

  • In black and white
  • In A4 size
  • With low quality high compression (e.g. 300dpi)
  • Less than 5 MB per file
  • PDF or JPG files


You should not submit any documents to departments direct except for materials that cannot be uploaded, e.g. design portfolio.

My academic documents are not in English. What should I do?

Please provide officially translated copies of the documents certified by your Institutions, Ministry of Education or legal authorities in addition to copies of the original documents, otherwise your application may not be considered.

If my high school does not offer official transcripts to students, what should I do?

In this case, please request your school to send us direct an official letter stating your final results by mail (Academic Registry, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong) or email to ar.intl@polyu.edu.hk. Your full name and application number must be clearly included in it.

Where could I upload additional documents such as personal statement to the online portal? Any specific guidelines or format?

It is optional to submit the recommendation letter and personal statement for most of the programmes. Hence, there is no specific format but the content should be able to show that the applicant is suitable to study the programme(s) applied.

 

If there are any additional supporting documents which are not uploaded to / attached in the online application, please upload them under “Additional Document” section.

What additional documents should I submit other than academic transcript?

Please do not submit excessive documents than required. If there are additional documents required by the individual programmes, the requirements will clearly be posted on our Study@PolyU website. Please refer to this link for further information.

 

All uploaded documents cannot be deleted. However, you can upload the latest transcripts/ score reports under "Additional Document" section for our consideration.

What are certified true copies acceptable for verification of qualifications?

Certified true copies have been verified and certified by a qualified party, e.g. lawyer or notary etc, either by stamp or signature as true copies of the original document.

Should I upload a copy of my identity document to the online application?

You are required to upload at least one identity documents such as passport, mainland ID, identity card, visa permit etc. to the online portal via eAdmission for verification purpose. 

Contact PolyU
Who should I contact if I have questions concerning the admission arrangements for international students?

    Please contact us at (852) 2333 0600 or via email at ar.intl@polyu.edu.hk.