The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
LSE offers undergraduate students the opportunity to spend a full academic year at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong.
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is Hong Kong's oldest tertiary institution, established as a public university in 1911. One of Asia’s leading universities, the University of Hong Kong campus is renowned for its academic excellence, vibrant campus life, and international outlook. HKU has a diverse student body numbering over 39,000. The campus is based in the West of Hong Kong, in Pok Fu Lam.
3 places available. Please note, this opportunity is not available to students pursuing the CIVICA Engage Track.
Applicants must be in their second year and must return to LSE after the year abroad to complete their degree.
To be eligible for consideration, you must have an overall average of 60% or above from all of your first year courses. Applicants with individual module scores under 60% will be considered, as long as the overall average grade is 60% or above.
As part of your application, you must provide your marks from your first year modules at LSE and the name and contact details of one academic referee. Your referee can be any academic member of staff from your department at LSE.
Host Institution Requirements:Additional academic standing requirements may apply depending on the faculty or program.
- For the Faculty of Law, the minimum standard for admission for exchange students is a grade point average of 3.33 (which converts to the letter grade of B+) on a 4.3 scale.
- For the Faculty of Business and Economics, a B average is required.
Language of Instruction:All courses are taught in English, except for courses offered by the Department of Chinese.
Available courses:A wide range of courses can be found in the course listings via: Academic Information - HKU International Affairs Office.
Academic Calendar:Semester 1 is from September to December, and Semester 2 runs from January to May.
Workload & Credit System: It is typically 6 credits per course, and students are required to take 24 to 30 credits in each semester. 50% of the course load must be chosen from one faculty, with the remaining credits from other faculties.
Students cannot take courses from the following programmes/courses:
Faculty of Dentistry
Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
BSc (Exercise and Health) Programme
Most final year project courses provided by all faculties
Guidance on taking courses from each faculty is available via: Academic Information - HKU International Affairs Office. This includes prerequisites for certain faculties. The approval of courses is on a case-by-case basis and subject to the Faculty's approval. Actual enrolment is subject to class availability, courses offered in the first semester, quota and class schedule. Students are recommended to check the course pre-requisites before selecting courses. Grades are marked out of 4.3, with grades over 1.0 being a passing grade.
Induction & Orientation: Orientation for non-local students will be held on the week before semester starts. There are also a series of induction programmes in the Weeks of Welcome.
Student support: CEDARS CoPE offers counselling and psychological services for free on issues like studying and learning challenges, adjustment issues, interpersonal relationships, personal development, emotional distress and mental health concerns. Students will benefit from talking to counsellors, who will guide you to discover your personal attributes and strengths.
University Health Service provides free primary health care to full-time registered students. Certain medications, preventative services and other items are charged at cost. Dental service is also available at a notional charge. There are also medical benefits for incoming students from overseas.
CEDARS SEN Support is the service unit for students with physical and sensory disabilities learning and developmental disabilities.
Information on accommodation options can be found via: Housing. This includes off-campus housing, postgraduate housing, and residential halls/colleges.
Students should make online application through CEDARS Accommodation Office. Please view the prices page for more information, with catering, shared or single rooms.
Tuition Fees: Exchange students pay tuition to LSE.
Mandatory Fees: Some mandatory fees may apply.
Cost of Living: Exchange students are advised to undertake research and budget accordingly.
Food, groceries, transportation and others Around $6,100 per month up (depending on your lifestyles and if you go grocery shopping around campus).
Exchange students are not allowed to work in Hong Kong under student visa conditions.
| Typical Spending Per Meal (HK$) | |
| Item | Estimate Price (HK$) |
| Breakfast | 24 – 45 |
| Lunch | 25 – 65 |
| Afternoon Tea | 24 – 35 |
| Dinner | 30 – 65 |
| Sandwiches | 16 – 40 |
| Bakeries | 12 – 40 |
| Salads | 25 – 55 |
| Beverages / Coffee | 10 – 40 |
| Snacks | 10 – 25 |
Transport: Sassoon Road to Main Campus 2 - 7 By University shuttle bus 5.1 – 11.6 By bus or minibus Main Campus to Central 5 – 7 By bus or MTR Main Campus to Causeway Bay 5.1 – 11.6 By bus, minibus or MTR Main Campus to Mongkok 11.6 - 18.8 By bus, minibus or MTR
$350 Caution money $100 Student activity fee^
Health and travel insurance is highly recommended. The coverage should include provisions for emergency evacuation, rescuer’s expenses and repatriation. If you plan to travel outside of Hong Kong, please make sure that your insurance policy covers those destinations as well.
Registered students are entitled to HKU Group Travel Insurance (Portal login required to read the details) for travelling overseas on activities which are officially arranged by the University.
The HKU has extensive safety policies which can be found: University Safety Policy - Full-time 2026-27 - HKU Undergraduate Handbook
The Hong Kong emergency number is 999.
HKU offers a vibrant student life with numerous clubs, societies, and events. Exchange students are encouraged to participate in these activities to make the most of their experience. There are also several events offered to students throughout the year.
Sports:The Stanley Ho Sports Centre and Henry Fok Swimming Pool are available to students.
Students must complete the online visa application, by the visa application deadline specified. Students will be required to send hard copies of their application documents to the designated visa office after receiving instructions.
Please note that it will take at least 10 weeks to process a student’s visa application and the visa application fee is non-refundable. For more information, please visit the HKU Student Visa pages.
Contact exchange@hku.hk for more information.
My experience at HKU was so rich. So many things to say. First I'd start with my arrival, which was probably the worst moment of my trip. Indeed, it was obviously a very hard switch from Europe to Hong Kong, even more so given that by leaving I said goodbye to so many of my LSE friends. My first night in Hong Kong I felt sad, and kind of lost. But that is, without a doubt, the only time during my entire year that I felt as such. The more time went by, the more you familiarise yourself with both the university, the city and the people. I was very fortunate to have a great floor in my dorm, with both exchange and local people. The cultural exchange that this provided was amazing - so many different people with different cultures! University life here was also great, with a fair amount of work to balance out with social commitments. In any case, it's an habituation process - as soon as you arrive you meet loads of other exchange people, but you slowly meet your people, i.e. the ones with whom you know you're going to have so many experiences, for example trips. Trips were indeed one of the best things about in Hong Kong. The city being a hub for traveling in Asia allowed me to do weekend trips to discover the entire continent, and even more so given that flight prices were not too expensive. So I'd say both the travel opportunities and the people in Hong Kong were the best aspects of my time here. Traveling, especially in China, was also a memorable moment for me in understanding the country's unbelievably quick development. I also delved deep into Cantonese and Chinese culture, whether that is through the Mandarin lessons that I took for both semesters, or food in general which was unbelievable. I am going miss it back in London ! In terms of growth, this was a year in which I believe I changed on many aspects, especially socially - understanding various cultures gives an edge in creating links with people. Professionally, I am now convinced that I want to pursue a career in Asia. Hong Kong is a nice city, but having been around I know that I could work in a range of different places around the continent. Overall, the experience was more than amazing. I made some many new friends while discovering and experiencing new cultures. It is a way to broaden your horizons on life : there's always people you can meet and be friends with everywhere - the path to more global cooperation! I do want to take a bit of time to thank the GO LSE team. Your support was great all along, and providing LSE students with such opportunities is genuinely marvellous. These are experiences that none of us will ever forget, so thank you so much!
By Aurélien Bommelaer-Honore, GO LSE Student 2025/26