Preparing for Arrival

Pre-departure

What to Pack in Your Luggage?

  1. Travel Document & Student Visa / Entry Permit:
    A valid travel document (e.g. passport or the Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao (往來港澳通行證)) and “Notification Slip for Entry Visa / Permit” (e-Visa)
    1. Validity period: Please be aware of the “valid for presentation deadline” as printed on the e-Visa. And the travel document should be valid for at least six months.
    2. At immigration checkpoints in Hong Kong:
      1. Don't forget to show the e-Visa to the immigration officer for inspection and validation when you enter Hong Kong.
      2. A landing slip will be issued to you after arrival clearance. Please keep all these documents safely with you at all times.

  2. Admission Offer:
    A copy of your acknowledgement of accepting the University’s admission offer which can be printed out from your online application account (in case you may be asked to produce the letter for immigration inspection when entering Hong Kong)

  3. Insurance:
    A copy of your insurance policy, if available. Leave the original document with your family or next of kin

  4. Identity Card:
    Your identity card (身份證) and household registration, if available (如有戶籍謄本請一併擕帶)

  5. Documents for Opening a Bank Account:
    If you are going to open a bank account in Hong Kong, view a list of documents to be prepared before departure

  6. Travel Money:
    Cash, traveller's cheques and/or credit cards

  7. Medications:
    Medications prescribed by your family doctor, if applicable
    1. Letter of medical necessity: Remember to bring along a letter from the doctor testifying that the drugs are licensed and prescribed for your personal use due to a health condition

  8. Gadgets:
    Any mobile phone, laptop computer, tablet or other IT devices that you will need for school or personal communication. Voltage transformers and adaptors are widely available in Hong Kong.

  9. Passport-size Photos:
    A few recent passport-size photographs

  10. Clothes:
    Clothes suitable for the weather conditions in Hong Kong

  11. Important Contacts:
    Any telephone numbers that might be useful if you need to seek help

** In view of the latest COVID-19 situation, the Hong Kong SAR Government has implemented various border control measures for inbound travellers. Please visit the Government website for the documentary requirements for boarding.

Arrival

  • Orientation week: An Orientation Programme for new students normally starts one week before the semester begins, which is also the start of the Student Residence housing term.

  • When to arrive: Students are advised to arrive exactly one week before the semester starts or, for research postgraduate students, on the date when their housing term begins.

  • Early arrival: Students who have successfully applied for accommodation at the Student Residence but plan to arrive in Hong Kong before the housing term will need to find temporary accommodation off campus. For information on off-campus accommodation, please visit the Student Residence Office's website.

  • Late arrival: If students foresee that they cannot arrive for the new school year before the enrolment deadline, they should contact the respective units below as early as possible to request for a postponed enrolment:

1. Key Dates

View Academic Calendar
Enrolment period Semester A: Late July / Early August
Semester B / Summer Term: One week before the Semester / Term

Details: https://www.cityu.edu.hk/arro/content.asp?cid=8
Course registration period 2 weeks before the semester starts until 11:30 pm of the Monday of Teaching Week 2

Details: https://www.cityu.edu.hk/arro/content.asp?cid=321
Student Residence check-in period 1 week before the semester begins

2. Getting to CityU

CityU is located at Kowloon Tong on the Kowloon peninsula and is adjacent to the Kowloon Tong Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Station.

From Hong Kong International Airport to CityU

By MTR
You can ride the MTR from Airport Station to CityU. The interchange lines are as follows:

  • Take the Airport Express from Airport Station and alight at Tsing Yi Station
  • Change at Tsing Yi Station to the Tung Chung Line and alight at Lai King Station
  • Change at Lai King Station to the Tsuen Wan Line and alight at Prince Edward Station
  • Change at Prince Edward Station to the Kwun Tong Line and alight at Kowloon Tong Station
  • CityU is 10 minutes away from Kowloon Tong Station on foot

Please visit the MTR website for route and fare details.

By Bus

  • Take bus route E22 (do not take A22, E22A or E22P) at the public bus terminal at the airport
  • Alight at Shek Kip Mei Park Station at Cornwall Street in Kowloon Tong (You may ask the bus driver to help remind you to alight at which station when you aboard)
  • The Student Residence at Cornwall Street is right beside the bus stop and the main campus is roughly 10 to 15 minutes on foot

Please visit the Citybus website for route and fare details.

By Taxi

  • It will cost about HK$300 to get to CityU or the Student Residence from the airport by taxi
  • There will be an extra fee for each piece of luggage and toll charges for crossing bridges or driving through tunnels
  • If you will live on campus at the Student Residence in Cornwall Street or Jockey Club House during the housing term, you are advised to ask the taxi driver to take you to your residence so that you can check in and unload your luggage first

From Hung Hom Railway Station to CityU

  • If you enter Hong Kong by way of Shenzhen, you can take the MTR East Rail Line from Lo Wu, or Lok Ma Chau via Futian Port, and get off at Kowloon Tong Station
  • If you take the through train that goes directly to Hong Kong from Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou, you will arrive at Hung Hom Station. Once there you can change to the MTR East Rail Line and get off at Kowloon Tong Station. CityU is 10 minutes away from Kowloon Tong Station on foot
  • Alternatively, you can take a taxi from Hung Hom to get to the campus or the Student Residence. The fare is around HK$70, plus an extra fee for each piece of luggage

Please visit the MTR website for route and fare details.

From Hong Kong West Kowloon Station to CityU

By MTR

  • Walk from Hong Kong West Kowloon Station to Austin Station
  • Take the West Rail Line at Austin Station and alight at Hung Hom Station
  • Change at Hung Hom Station to the East Rail Line and alight at Kowloon Tong Station
  • CityU is 10 minutes away from Kowloon Tong Station on foot

Please visit the MTR website for route and fare details.

By Taxi

  • If you travel to CityU from the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station by taxi, the fare will be less than HK$100
  • Extra fees will be charged for each piece of luggage

After Arrival: The Must-do List

  1. Check-in to Your Accommodation
  2. Complete New Student Enrolment Procedures
  3. Collect Your Welcome Pack
  4. Complete Online Course Registration
  5. Open a Bank Account
  6. Apply for “Student Status” Octopus Card
  7. Apply for Hong Kong Identity Card

1. Check-in to Your Accommodation

If you have secured a place at the University's Student Residence or in the Jockey Club House of the Academic Exchange Building, you should plan to arrive in Hong Kong and check in to your room from the beginning of the residential period.

  • Check-in at Student Residence:
    • If you arrive during office hours (Monday to Friday: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm & 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm, Saturday: 9:00 am – 12:00 noon), you should make your way directly to the Student Residence and follow the check-in procedures as advised by the SRO.
    • If you arrive outside of office hours, go to the Security Room behind the SRO for assistance.
  • Check-in at Jockey Club House: If you will reside in the Jockey Club House of the Academic Exchange Building, contact the front desk on the ground floor and follow the check-in procedures as advised by the SRO.

2. Complete New Student Enrolment Procedures

All new students are required to report to the University and complete the enrolment process in person.

  • Enrolment schedule: Information about your enrolment schedule will be released to you in the enrolment notification. The enrolment procedure is administered by the following two academic units depending on students’ level of study.
    • For undergraduate studies: Bachelor’s degree, exchange and visiting students at undergraduate level should visit the Academic Regulations and Records Office (ARRO), or the designated venue for enrolment as provided in their enrolment letter, and complete the new student enrolment procedure by the last enrolment date.
    • For postgraduate studies: Postgraduate students should follow the instructions of the Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies (SGS) and complete the enrolment procedure. For enquiries, please contact the SGS.
  • Enrolment deadline: The deadline for enrolment is 12:00 noon on the Saturday of Teaching Week 2 in each semester. If students foresee that they cannot arrive for the new school year before the enrolment deadline, they should contact the respective units below as early as possible to request for a postponed enrolment:
  • Student identity card: All students will be given a Student Identity Card once the enrolment process is complete. The Student Identity Card is a student’s personal identification document at CityU. It is required for access to various facilities on campus including the Library, Sports Centre, Computing Services Centre and the residential halls. Students must observe and comply with the Regulations on Student Identity Card.

3. Collect Your Welcome Pack

Bring along your Student Identity Card to collect your welcome pack at the Global Engagement Office (GEO). The welcome pack contains details about the Orientation Programme and other useful information to help new students adjust during their initial period of stay in Hong Kong and at the University.

4. Complete Online Course Registration

  • Add/Drop period: Course registration takes place during the Course Add/Drop period of each semester. Students must finalise their study plans before 11:30 pm on the Monday of Teaching Week 2, which is the end of the Add/Drop period.
  • Credit load: To maintain full-time student status and fulfil student visa requirements, non-local students are required to register for a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 18 credits in each semester (with the exception of the summer term, in which a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 7 credits are required). Students can check their class schedule online to confirm if they have been registered successfully the classes they have selected. It is wise to plan your credit hours in advance and have multiple options for classes should your first-choice class be fully occupied.
  • Web registration: Course registration can be completed online via AIMS platform (Administrative Information Management System) – an electronic infrastructure where students can manage many academic and campus-related matters.
  • Paper add/drop: If the course you wish to take does not accept online registration, then you need to register for the course by submitting a paper Add/Drop Form which can be downloaded from AIMS. Once completed, submit the form to the course department for approval. If, for any reason, you must take a particular course, you should consult the course teacher and state your reason(s) for their consideration. View a demonstration of the screens for printing the Add/Drop Form on AIMS.

More details are provided on the course registration website.

5. Open a Bank Account

While tuition and other fees can be settled by international payments, many students choose to open a bank account in Hong Kong for the ease of receiving money transfers from parents and keeping money. As it takes at least one week for a bank to process a bank account application, students are advised to make an application to their preferred bank once settled down. See more details about:

6. Apply for “Student Status” Octopus Card

The Octopus Card is a stored-value card accepted by almost all public transport services, at many restaurants and other places including fast-food outlets, convenience stores, supermarkets, vending machines and pay phones. You can add value to your Octopus Card at MTR stations, the CityU Canteen, and convenience stores across Hong Kong.

  • Student discounts: Students holding a personalised Octopus Card with “Student Status” can enjoy up to 50% fare discounts on the MTR. Full-time students aged 25 or below are eligible to apply for this Octopus Card.
  • How to apply: Students should submit an online application form and upload a soft copy of their valid CityU Student Identity Card, via either the MTR Mobile application or the MTR website.
  • Return an Octopus card: If you have already purchased a standard Octopus card with "Adult status" for immediate use upon arrival, you may return it to any of the Customer Service Counters of MTR for a refund of the remaining value and deposit. Service fees may apply depending on the condition of your Octopus card.

For more details, please visit the MTR website.

7. Apply for Hong Kong Identity Card

  • Applicable to whom: Students who plan to stay in Hong Kong for more than 180 days are required by law to apply for a Hong Kong Identity Card within 30 days of entering Hong Kong.
  • How to apply: Students are suggested to book an appointment via www.gov.hk/icbooking or the 24-hour appointment booking hotline at (852) 2598 0888. No fee is charged for the first application.