Outbound Exchange

Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)	School-level exchange places: 2.8 or above Institutional level (SEE-reserved exchange places): 2.8 or above Institutional level (exchange places open for SEE and other academic units): 2.5 or above
Year of Study	At the time of exchange, students should have completed at least one year of study in undergraduate programme at CityUHK.
English Language Proficiency	Students who wish to participate in the Student Exchange Programme must meet one of the following minimum requirements set by the University, unless you are seeking entry to a programme conducted in Chinese at a host institution in Mainland China or Taiwan: IELTS overall band score of 6.5 TOEFL (iBT) score of 79 Grade C in one of the University English courses approved by the Senate for fulfilling the University English requirement Level 4 in HKDSE English Language Any other equivalent qualifications accepted by the University as proof of English language proficiency Students who intend to participate in Student Exchange Programme should make sure their English language results are valid throughout the entire application process*. Failure to do so may result in withdrawal of Student Exchange Programme offer and funding. * IELTS and TOEFL results are valid for two years only from the test taken date. In addition to the above, exchange students must also satisfy the language requirements, if any, set by the host institution.
Selection Criteria	Please refer to Global Engagement Office (GEO)’s official website for details. At the time of application, the applicant should have fulfilled the “Three-time Attendance” Requirement* stipulated by SEE. * For Year-1 students and other students who have just commenced the study with SEE, it is understood that you would not be able to have attained a minimum of three times of attendance at the time of application in Semester A. Yet, you MUST start participating in the activities and be able to meet the “Three-time Attendance” Requirement by the end of Semester A.

 

(i) Application Period
Application Period: 8 December (noon) 2025 - 19 January (noon) 2026

(ii) Suggested Exchange Period

Student Type (Year of study and Major at the time of outbound student exchange)	Suggested Outbound Student Exchange Period
Year 2, Energy Science and Engineering	Semester A or B
Year 3, Energy Science and Engineering	Semester B
Year 2, Environmental Science and Engineering	Semester A or B
Year 3, Environmental Science and Engineering	Semester A or B
Year 2, Double Degree Programme Bachelor of Engineering in Environmental Science and Engineering, and Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance	Semester A or B

(iii) Application Procedures

Important Date	Action
On or before 19 January 2026	Identify host institutions. Go through the course lists of host institutions and identify courses that fit your study plan. Apply on AIMS.
27 January 2026 (rolling basis)	Release of application result.
27 February 2026	Student to accept the result via AIMS.
On or before 1 June 2026	For students who will go on exchange in Semester A, 2026/27, please consult your academic advisor on study plan and then complete the “Course Plan and Application for Credit Transfer (Pre-approval) Form”. The completed application form should be signed by submitted to the SEE General Office as per instructions stated on the form.
On or before 2 October 2026	For students who will go on exchange in Semester B, 2026/27, please consult your academic advisor on study plan and then complete the “Course Plan and Application for Credit Transfer (Pre-approval) Form”.  The completed application form should be signed by submitted to the SEE General Office as per instructions stated on the form.
Around October – November 2026	Host institutions will provide enrolment information to students in due course to apply as an exchange student of the respective institutions.

 

• You are strongly advised to take courses at host institutions relevant to your majors, minors and gateway education.
• You are fully responsible for taking courses that could fulfill the pre-requisite of the courses you are requested to take in CityUHK after your exchange study in the subsequent semester/academic year. Failure in doing so may delay your graduation.
• You can apply to transfer the credits obtained during the exchange study towards the degree requirement at CityUHK.
• No credits can be transferred for failed courses.

(i)    Application for Credit Transfer

1. Before you submit the Student Exchange Application on AIMS, check the course catalogues of the host institution(s) you are planning to apply for the outbound student exchange. Please plan ahead for the potential study plan(s). 
2. After you have accepted the student exchange application offer via AIMS, please submit the duly completed "Course Plan and Application for Credit Transfer" form by the submission deadline indicated in the above table. You should indicate at most 15 courses you plan to take at the host institution, and their equivalent CityUHK courses for credit transfer pre-approval.
   • Transfer credits to SEE courses: SEE course leaders will review the course plan and decide if the credit-transfer pre-approval could be granted. Result will be announced by email.
   • Transfer credits to non-SEE courses: SEE will send the request you indicated in your "Course Plan and Application for Credit Transfer" to respective course-offering units for decision. Result will be announced by email.
   • Transfer credits to GE requirements: Please download and complete “GE Course Credit Transfer Pre-approval Form” and submit it to Talent and Education Development Office (TED) for approval. Result will be announced by email.
3. Upon return, you should submit an official transcript of the exchange study to SEE General Office as soon as you receive it. Credit transfer could only be arranged after transcript has been reviewed.
4. Transferred credits taken during exchange studies will not be counted in the calculation of a student’s GPA. In the student’s academic record, a “TR” grade will be assigned to the equivalent CityUHK course. For details, please refer to website of Academic Regulations and Records Office.

(ii) Course Credit Transfer Pre-approval Record

• Reference List:  Course Credit Transfer Pre-approval Record.pdf
• The record is for reference only. Previous pre-approval does not imply successful pre-approval in the latest round of application.

(i) Expenses

You should consider the following expenses for your exchange studies:

1. Travel expenses
2. Accommodation
3. Passport and visa fees
4. Medical and travel insurance
5. Food
6. Books and supplies
7. Local transportation costs
8. Personal spending
9. Study-related fees required by your host institution

Remarks:

• Though you are exempted from paying tuition fee to your host institution, you are required to remain enrolled at CityUHK by paying tuition fee and the study-related fees.
• A Caution Money of HK$1000 that students will need to pay to the University when they decide to accept the exchange offer starting from this round of application. This Caution Money will be reimbursed to students when and if they complete the exchange programme to satisfaction and submitted all the required documents back to the University upon completion of their exchange programme. Should student fail to meet the above stated requirements or decide to withdraw from the programme after accepting the offer, before or after departure, the Caution Money will be forfeited.

(ii) Financial Support from the University

1. Student Exchange Fund
2. Special Fund for Non-local Outbound Exchange Students
3. Explorer Grant
4. Joseph Lau Student Exchange Awards
5. Subsidies Offered by the Education Bureau
6. University Scholarships

For details, please check the website of Global Engagement Office.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do I need to defer graduation if I participate in exchange study overseas?
   Deferred graduation is not encouraged. You are advised to work out the study plan at host institution carefully and take courses of which the credits can be transferred back to CityUHK.
2. Is IELTS or TOEFL a must for the application of Student Exchange Programme?
   Students are eligible to apply should they meet one of the minimum English requirements set by the University. Yet, at a later stage, selected outbound exchange student must satisfy English language requirement, if any, set by the host university before they will be nominated by CityUHK, which commonly requires IELTS or TOEFL.
3. Which semester will I be sent for an exchange study?
   In the main round application, you could choose the exchange period as Semester A or Semester B of the next academic year, subject to the major you are studying in at the time of exchange study. For second round application, the exchange period that you could opt for will be Semester B of the same academic year. You will select the exchange semester in the application.
4. When should I go on exchange?
   Students usually go on exchange in Year 2 or Year 3. You are recommended to go for exchange study in Semester B of year 3 in view that many of the core courses in Semester A of year 3 are pre-requisites of courses to be taken in the subsequent semesters. Students who wish to go in Year 4 should be aware that according to the study plan, they are required to carry out Final Year Project (FYP) in Year 4. Please discuss with the FYP supervisor, Exchange Coordinator and Academic Advisor before applying.
5. Will I attend both the interviews for Institutional-level Exchange Programme and School-level Exchange Programme?
   The School may invite all eligible applicants to attend interview for SEE-specific exchange places which include school-level exchange programme and SEE reserved exchange places at institutional level.
6. Is it possible to have credit transfer for GE courses?
   To transfer credits of a course you will take at host institution to fulfill GE requirements, one option is to apply for credit transfer to an equivalent course at CityUHK which fits your GE requirements. However if an equivalent course cannot be identified, you may apply for credit transfer towards GE Requirements.
   Please refer to the information: https://www.cityu.edu.hk/ted/ge/student/credit_transfer.htm

GEO Office
Email: geosep@cityu.edu.hk

SEE Office
Email: see.enquiry@cityu.edu.hk