Interested students should submit an online application form and upload all supporting documents by the application deadline. Applications will only be processed upon successful payment of the application fee. 
Applications that are late, and/or unable to provide correct and complete supporting documents/ valid visa documents as required and on schedule, will not be accepted nor processed.

Applicants must be studying Secondary 4 or Secondary 5 (or equivalent) at the time of application. Please refer to Eligibility for details.

• If non-local applicants without HK permanent ID card but have a dependent visa or visa granted with unconditional stay for studying in Hong Kong, please upload the valid visa document and HK ID card (if applicable) to the online application form, and the visa must be valid throughout the program period. A visa processing fee is not required for students who have already obtained a valid dependent visa or visa granted with unconditional stay that covers the program period. 
• Non-local applicants who need to apply for study visas, please upload your visa application documents when submitting the online application. You are required to mail all the hard copies of visa application documents to us, and they should arrive at the HKUST Summer Institute Office on or before 29 May 2025. The visa processing fee should be settled together with the course fee within the instructed timeframe.

*It will take at least 6-8 weeks of processing time for HKImmD to process the application.  Due to the time constraints, late submissions will not be accepted nor processed, and the SI application will be cancelled.  The Application Fee and Visa Processing Fee will not be refunded under any circumstances.

Please refer to Application for details. 

Please refer to Application procedures for details. 

No, the HKUST Summer Institute does not engage in any form of partnership with any agency nor organization. Please submit your application directly to the HKUST Summer Institute. 

Applicants need to fill out the forms listed below and physically sign on them; e-signature is not acceptable.

i) IDD995A, ii) Confirmation of Financial Support, iii) Assignment of Local Guardian, iv) Declaration on Country of Departure to Hong Kong (For Mainland China Resident Only)

Applicants should also prepare photocopies of their travel document(s), identity documents, and proof of financial situation (including bank statements, evidence of the relationship between the applicant and financial sponsor, etc. ).

Please refer to the Checklist for Student Visa for the full list of documents required.

Whether a non-local applicant should apply for a study visa or not, please check the type of visa you are holding and its validity, which should be valid throughout the program period of HKUST Summer Institute.

If you are currently NOT holding any of the following types of documents, please apply for a study visa.

• a valid dependent visa
• a valid visa stating you are granted with unconditional stay in HK

Please send all the hard copies of the visa application documents to the following address once you have received the conditional offer from us. All the hard copies of visa application documents should arrive at our office on or before 29 May 2025.  Please mark "Application for Summer Institute 2025" and your application number on the envelope for further handling.

The Visa Processing Fee should be settled together with the Course Fee within the instructed timeframe, otherwise the visa application would not be processed further.  

It will take at least 6 to 8 weeks for HK ImmD to process the application, to avoid any delay in the process, please pay attention and ensure the documents submitted could fulfill all the requirements as specified in the Checklist for Student Visa.

You are not recommended to come to Hong Kong before your receive the study visa because HK ImmD will ask you to leave and re-enter HK so as to activate your student visa. 

No, the HKUST Summer Institute does not engage in any form of partnership with any agency nor organization. Please submit your visa application and documents directly to the HKUST Summer Institute. 

Applicants will be evaluated based on their academic performance in their two most recent terms.

No.

The minimum attendance requirement for most of the courses in the program is 70% (i.e., 5 out of 6 classes). Each course adopts a separate assessment method, and attendance might be part of the assessment scheme. Note that there might also be in-class assessment tasks, e.g. quizzes or presentations that will be counted towards the final grades. Therefore we strongly advise students to attend all classes. Students are required to inform the HKUST Summer Institute via email should they need to be absent from class.

Students can participate in a variety of enrichment activities in the afternoon. Details and sign-up procedures will be made available to students after they are enrolled in the program.

Completing the HKUST Summer Institute program is a good indication of your interest in the university. But please keep in mind that departments and schools reserve the final right to make interview invitations and/or admission decisions according to their programs’admission requirements. 
If you wish the department(s) and/or school(s) to take your completion of the HKUST Summer Institute program into account when reviewing your admission applications to HKUST in the future, please indicate your consent to share your program completion information, including attendance and grades, with the relevant department(s) and/or school(s) upon their requests when filling in your online application form. 

• Getting a head start on the university journey and a taste of university life
• Discovering your strengths and interests through interactive classes
• Gaining university credits that can be used towards your undergraduate studies at HKUST in the future
• Receiving recognition from HKUST with official transcript, attendance and award certificates

There are morning and afternoon session in the program. Students can choose to enroll in one course for either or both sessions, i.e. each student can enroll in two courses at most in the whole program.

No prior knowledge of any course materials is required; however, applicants should be competent in English as classes are delivered in English.

The courses are adjusted to suit the levels of Secondary 4 and 5 students so that they can understand the topics discussed easily.

All lectures are in English.

Yes, every course carries one HKUST credit. Credits earned in the HKUST Summer Institute program can be counted towards future undergraduate degree requirements at HKUST.

Students who have joined HKUST Summer Institute twice would be entitled to a maximum of 4 university credits (a maximum of 2 credits for each year) that can be counted towards their undergraduate studies at HKUST in the future.

Upon completion of a course, students will receive a letter grade based on their performance. Grade results would be announced via email in September 2025. Official transcripts will be sent out to students by mail in October 2025.

Yes. Summer Institute 2025 will adopt a face-to-face mode, with classes being held in classrooms on HKUST campus. Please read the course details carefully and be punctual to attend classes.

The fee for each course is HK$5,000. Please refer to Program Fees for details on discounts and offers.

The course fee includes:

1. Tuition
2. Lecture materials and hand-outs
3. Laboratory sessions and materials/ supplies/ equipment

Yes, students are required to pay an enrichment fee for each workshop or tour.

No, the application fee is non-refundable under any circumstances. It serves as an administrative fee in the application screening process.

The course fee is only refundable in the event of the course being cancelled by HKUST Summer Institute.

No, the visa processing fee is non-refundable whether your visa application to HK ImmD is successful or not.

Upon completion of the HKUST Summer Institute program, every participant will receive one free physical copy of the official transcript. The transcript will contain the student’s letter grade(s) obtained for the course(s) taken and the credit(s) earned.

Please provide us with an up-to-date postal address to receive your official transcript.  

You can apply for additional copies of the official transcript online (click here). Please note that a fee of HK$50 is charged for each copy of the official transcript plus postage fee for each local registered mail.  The online application system accepts payment by Visa/Master Cards. 

An attendance certificate will be awarded to students who satisfy the minimum attendance requirement of the course(s) taken. 

We generally will not re-issue free copies of the official transcript or any program certificates unless under the following circumstances:

1. the information on the documents is made incorrect on HKUST’s part, for which HKUST will re-issue a copy with the correct information free of charge;
2. the documents are damaged due to delivery problems caused by the post office, for which a bounce-back mail of the documents must be received by HKUST in order for HKUST to re-issue a free copy.

Other than the circumstances mentioned above, students will need to apply for an additional copy of the documents at their own expenses.