Preparing for Arrival

Pre-departure Checklist

Bring these things with you to Hong Kong:

  1. Your passport or travel document, with your Hong Kong student visa or entry permit label attached to an inner page. (Don't forget to show the page for the immigration officer's inspection and validation at the immigration checkpoint when you enter Hong Kong)
  2. A copy of letter of admission
  3. A copy of your insurance policy, if available
  4. Your identity card (身份證) and household registration, if available (如有戶籍謄本請一併擕帶), as you may need them to open a bank account
  5. If you are going to open a bank account in Hong Kong, the following documents are required:
    1. Original and a photocopy of your identity document (e.g. identity card or driver’s license)
    2. Original and a photocopy of your travel document (e.g. passport / Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao (往來港澳通行證))
    3. Proof of permanent address in your home country in Chinese or English (e.g. Driver's license with address, household registration (戶籍謄本), utility bills or bank statements issued in the past 3 months. Some banks may accept the Admission Offer letter issued by CityU with your permanent home address printed in the letter)
    4. Proof of Hong Kong residential address
    5. Original and a photocopy of your student ID Card (you will get the student ID card after you have completed new student enrollment process)
    6. If you are a minor student under the age of 18 (by the time when you apply for the bank account), please note that some banks may accept your application for opening a savings account while some others do not provide banking services to persons under 18 years old. For those banks which accept minor students to open a bank account normally require the presence of the minor student’s parent when opening the bank account. Such requirements vary from one bank to another. Please check with the bank you intend to patronize for details
    7. Please see the information sheet here for details
  6. Cash, traveller's cheques and/or credit cards
  7. Any medications prescribed by your doctor for your personal use
  8. A few recent passport-size photographs
  9. Clothes suitable for the weather conditions in Hong Kong
  10. Any telephone numbers that might be useful if you need to seek help

Arrival

An Orientation Programme for new students normally starts one week before the semester begins. Students are advised to arrive exactly one week before the semester starts.

1. Key Dates

Enrolment period1 week before the semester starts until noon of the Saturday of Teaching Week 2
Course registration period2 weeks before the semester starts until 11:30 pm of the Monday of Teaching
Week 2

Students who cannot arrive for the new school year before the enrolment deadline should contact your home Department, School or College at CityU.

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
The following means of transportation can take you from the Hong Kong International Airport on Lantau Island to CityU:

Mass Transit Railway (MTR)
You can ride on the MTR from Airport Station to Kowloon Tong Station, the nearest station to CityU. First take the Airport Express to Tsing Yi Station; then change to the Tung Chung Line and go to Lai King Station; from there change to the Tsuen Wan Line to Prince Edward Station; finally, change to the Kwun Tong Line to Kowloon Tong Station. Please visit the MTR's website to check the route and fare.

Bus
From the public bus terminal at the airport, take bus route E22 (do not take A22, E22A or E22P), and get off at Shek Kip Mei Park Station at Cornwall Street in Kowloon Tong. You may ask the bus driver for assistance. The main campus is within walking distance of 10 to 15 minutes. The Citybus website will give you the information about bus routes and fare.

Taxi
If you take a taxi at the airport, it will cost about HK$300 to get to CityU, plus an extra fee for each piece of luggage and toll charges for crossing bridges or driving through tunnels.

From Hung Hom Railway Station to CityU
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, the nearest station to CityU. Alternatively, you can take a taxi from Hung Hom to get to the campus. The fare is around HK$70, plus an extra fee for each piece of luggage.

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. Please visit the MTR's website to see the routes and check the fare.

Must-do after Arrival

  1. Contact GEO and Collect a Welcome Pack
  2. Enrolment & Student Identity Card
  3. Course Registration
  4. Tuition & Fees
  5. Octopus Card for Students
  6. Hong Kong Identity Card

1. Contact GEO and Collect a Welcome Pack

Please contact the Global Engagement Office (Room 3210, 3/F, Cheng Yick-chi Building) to report your arrival and pick up your welcome pack. Don't forget to bring along your passport or travel document containing your validated student visa or entry permit for identity verification. Please keep all important documents safely with you at all times.

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.

2. Enrolment & Student Identity Card

Enrolment
New students are required to complete the enrolment process at the time and venue as specified in their enrolment letter. The deadline for enrolment is 12:00 noon on the Saturday of Teaching Week 2 in each semester.

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 details of the Rules Governing Enrolment of Local and Non-local Students, please visit www6.cityu.edu.hk/arro/content.asp?cid=112.

Postgraduate students should follow the instructions of the Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies and complete the enrolment procedure. For enquiries, please contact the School at (852) 3442 9076.

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. Course Registration

Course registration takes place during the Course Add/Drop period of each semester. Students must finalize their study plans before 11:30 pm on the Monday of Teaching Week 2, which is the end of the Add/Drop period. 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 6 up to 7 credits are required). Students can check their class schedule online to see if all the classes they selected have been registered. It is wise to plan your credit hours in advance and have multiple options for classes should your first-choice class be fully occupied.

Course registration can be completed online via AIMS platform (Administrative Information Management System) – an electronic infrastructure where students can deal with a lot of academic and campus-related matters. If the course you wish to take does not accept online registration, then you need to register the course by submitting a paper Add/Drop Form the appropriate teaching department for approval. To view a demonstration of the screens for printing the Add/Drop Form on AIMS, click here.

More details are provided on the course registration website.

4. Tuition & Fees

Students will receive a payment notice in the first month after enrolment, showing how much they owe for fees and charges, such as insurance premiums, and the payment due date. They can also check their account summary on AIMS via the e-Portal. The fees can be settled by cash or a personal cheque in Hong Kong dollars at the Hang Seng Bank on campus, or by an ATM transfer of Hong Kong dollars through a local bank account.

Students who do not pay the fees and charges in full by the payment due date may have their student enrolment status suspended by the University. A late payment charge may also be imposed on the outstanding balance.

For more details, please see "Tuition Fees".

5. Octopus Card for Students

The Octopus Card is a stored-value card accepted by almost all public transport, and at many restaurants and other places including fast-food outlets, convenience stores, supermarkets, vending machines and pay phones. Full-time students aged 25 or below are eligible to apply for a Personalised Octopus Card with 'Student Status', offering discounts of up to 50% on the MTR. An application form for the Octopus card can be obtained from the Student Development Services at the beginning of the semester, or from any one of the MTR stations.

For other information about the Octopus Card, please visit the website of Octopus Card.

6. Hong Kong Identity Card

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. No fee is charged for the first application. For more information and to book an appointment via the internet, visit www.gov.hk/icbooking, or phone the Hong Kong Immigration Department’s 24-hour appointment booking hotline at (852) 2598 0888.