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Undergraduate Current Students | Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The Hong Kong skyline at night
Hong Kong

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Spend the semester at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, a dynamic university that embraces a global outlook and an innovative spirit.

Program Overview

About HKUST

Hong Kong University logo

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is a dynamic and forward-thinking university that embraces a truly global outlook and an innovative spirit. Founded in 1991, the University has been rapidly established as a top global institution and built a respectable reputation in the region by aligning world-class educational resources with the growth momentum of Asia. The University has developed a unique East-West educational ethos centered on the core values of excellence, diversity, and open-minded curiosity. As the leading Global Business School in the region, our vision and ambitions distinguish us from the rest.

By becoming an exchange student at HKUST Business School, you will enter an exciting chapter in your life. The University campus occupies a 60-hectare (150-acre) site of sweeping natural beauty on the Clear Water Bay peninsula in East Kowloon. Our mission is to provide a holistic academic experience, developing the intellectual & personal strengths of our students. Our Exchange Programs, with 135 partners globally, is an integral part of the experience and international students add a dimension of cultural vitality to campus life.

 

Term Dates

HKUST offers IBEX opportunities in the fall and spring semesters, as well as a summer semester program.

  • Fall semester: late-August to late-December
  • Spring semester: mid-January to late-May
  • Summer Program: late June to mid-August (see details below - jump link)

Dates are approximate and may be subject to change.

 

Housing and Living Costs

  • Housing: You will be given university-provided accommodations either on-campus or in the off-campus Jockey Club Hall. You will need to indicate your preference on the application form. All rooms are double-occupancy and include utilities except for electricity expenses due to air conditioning use. 
  • Exchange student fee: Roughly HK$14,400/semester for the fall or spring semester (see fees for the Summer Program below - jump link). This fee includes university-provided housing of roughly HK$13,000/semester, student visa fees of HK$800, and mandatory HKUST insurance of HK$1200/semester.
  • Food (no meal plan available): approximately HK$35/meal on campus
  • Books and class materials: approximately HK$1,500/semester
  • Local transportation and personal expenses: approximately HK$12,000/semester

HK$ = Hong Kong dollar

Find out more about IBEX tuition, housing, and other logistics. 

 

Language of Instruction

English

 

Student Services

The student services available to exchange students include:

  • Academic advising: Your HKUST academic advisor is the Business Schools’ Exchange Program Coordinator.
  • Buddy program: You will automatically be enrolled in HKUST’s one-on-one business buddy program, with the hope you will easily adapt to HKUST. Buddies may also provide airport reception and a buddy activity is organized on the first Saturday after the Orientation. Students can also opt into a secondary buddy program through HKUST’s Global Students Programs Office (GSPO).
  • Global Students Programs Office (GSPO): HKUST’s Global Students Program Office supports incoming and outgoing study abroad programs. They also handle student visas and arrange activities for you! 
  • Computer services: You will be given access to the online University’s Student Information System (SIS) and an email account after official registration. 
  • On-campus sports and recreation facilities: You will be given a student identity card, which will give you access to sports and amenities facilities on campus including the indoor/outdoor swimming pool, track field, rock-climbing wall, soccer field, seafront BBQ pits, and more.

HKUST Summer Program Overview

HKUST offers an eight-week International Summer Exchange Program from the end of June until mid-August. You can take between 3 to 9 credits at HKUST which will transfer back as the same amount for your Stern degree (pending course approval by Stern). Local excursions and cultural activities will be arranged and there will be ample activities and events for you to interact with other students, including local HKUST students.

Find out more about IBEX tuition, housing, and other logistics.

 

Term Dates

  • Summer Program: late-June to mid-August

 

Housing and Living Costs 

NYU summer tuition applies to this program on a per credit basis, ranging from approximately $4,158 USD (for 3 credits) to $12,474 USD (for 9 credits). This is in addition to HKUST program fee of HK$7,650 (approx. $994 USD) for housing, visa, and insurance fees. You should also expect additional expenses for transportation, books and personal expenses—similar to the expenses outlined above for the semester program.


Academic Information

If you are accepted to IBEX, you will attend two individual advising meetings to plan and revise your schedule: one with NYU Stern Academic Advising and one with the NYU Stern International Programs team. As you build your academic schedule for your semester abroad, carefully review and consider the following course information.

 

IBEX Course Information

  • You may take a full semester of business classes while abroad on IBEX.
  • At HKUST, students can complete up to 2 classes of their concentration. You will need to take or have taken 2 other courses in your concentration in residence at Stern. There are no exceptions to this policy. Students with concentrations that have more than a 12 credit and 4 class minimum, please contact your Advisor for specific guidance. 
  • Leave room for at least two general electives in your schedule. This allows you to:
    • Take interesting, location-specific courses not offered at Stern, and
    • Have more flexibility during the course registration process.
  • Reference the IBEX Course Guide: What you can or cannot take.
    • You can take a maximum of two classes per concentration.
    • Accounting courses cannot be taken for credit toward the Accounting or CPA majors/concentrations.
    • All IBEX grades will transfer back to NYU Stern as Pass/Fail.

 

Previously Approved Courses

  • Listed below are courses that were taken previously by Stern IBEX students and have already been approved for a specific NYU equivalent.
  • There is no guarantee that the courses listed here will be offered during the specific semester you study abroad. It is important to be flexible. Have a Plan A and Plan B and the space to take some electives.
  • If a course is already listed below as approved, it does not need to be reviewed again, unless you want to see if it will count towards a new requirement.

 

Finding New Courses

  • You are not limited to only taking the courses listed on this page.
  •  If you see a course on HKUST’s website (syllabi available here) that you would like to take, but is not listed below, you must submit the syllabus to Stern’s International Programs team for approval.
  • Once HKUST publishes its confirmed courses for the semester you will be attending, you can revise your list as needed based on what is being offered.

 

List of Approved Fall and Spring Semester Courses

List of Approved Courses
*Please note that any pre-approved business course can also come back as a General Stern Elective
Course Title AbroadNYU CreditsCourse Equivalent at NYUSemester Taken

HUMA1231 Popular Culture of East

3Cultures and ContextsSpring 2025
HUMA 3630 - Community and Cultural Identity3Cultures and ContextsFall 2022

HUMA 4221: Chinese Classics and Their Reworking in Various Media Around the Globe

3Texts and IdeasFall 2024

HUMA1000G Cultures and Values: Love, Death and Human Nature

3Texts and IdeasSpring 2024

HUMA2340 Between Old and New: Chinese Stories and Their Reinventions

3Texts and IdeasSpring 2024

HUMA1000B Cultures and Values: Righteousness, Destiny and Well‐being

3Texts and Ideas OR General Non-Stern ElectiveFall 2022, 2023

HUMA 2107 Intro to Elec Mus Composition

3General Non-Stern Elective Fall 2024

CENG1800 Introduction to Food Science and Technology

3

General Non-Stern Elective 

Spring 2024
LANG1130 - Cantonese for Non Chinese Language Background Students
 
3General Non-Stern ElectiveFall 2023
SUST1000 - Sustainability Fundamentals
 
3General Non-Stern ElectiveFall 2023

HUMA1156 Exploration of Chinese Calligraphy

3

General Non-Stern Elective 

Fall 2023
OCES 1030 - Environmental Science3General Non-Stern ElectiveFall 2022
CHIN9511 Cantonese as a Foreign Language I3General Non-Stern ElectiveFall 2020
ENGG 1300 Design Thinking for Health Innovation3Entrepreneurship ElectiveSpring 2025
Energy Resources and Usage3Sustainable Business Elective (Issue Area)Fall 2023
ENVR 1080 The Smart Consumer - Uncovering the Hidden History of Product Label3Sustainable Business Elective (Issue Area)Fall 2023
ENVR 3310 Green Business Strategy3Sustainable Business Elective (Discipline)Fall 2023
ENVR 2060 From Trash to Treasure: Managing Waste to Resources3Sustainable Business Elective (Issue Area)Fall 2023
ENVR 4000P - Governing Green Finance: National and International Perspectives and Approaches 3Sustainable Business Elective (Discipline)Fall 2022
ECON 4999X Green Finance and Sustainability 4General Stern ElectiveSpring 2023
COMP 2211 - Exploring Artificial Intelligence3Advanced Computing and Data Sciences ElectiveSpring 2025

FINA 4713 - Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Big Data in Finance

3Advanced Computing and Data Science ElectiveFall 2024
FINA 4723 Responsible Finance3Advanced Finance ElectiveSpring 2025

ISOM4520 Statistics for Financial Risk Management

4Advanced Finance ElectiveSpring 2024

ECON4374 - International Macroeconomics and Finance

4

Advanced Finance Elective

Fall 2023
ECON4334: Money and Banking3Advanced Finance ElectiveFall 2022
FINA 3103 - Intermediate Investments3Advanced Finance ElectiveFall 2022
FINA 3033 Intermediate Corporate Finance 3Advanced Finance ElectiveFall 2022
ACCT 4020 Financial Statement Analysis3Advanced Finance ElectiveSpring 2020
SOSC1400 Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area3Advanced Global Business ElectiveSpring 2023
GBUS 3040 Doing Business in Asia and Emerging Markets2Advanced Global Business ElectiveSpring 2023

 ISOM4540 Time Series Analysis and Forecasting

4Advanced Statistics ElectiveSpring 2024

SOSC4260 China's Economic Transformation

3Advanced Economics ElectiveSpring 2025

ECON 4134 Economics of Uncertainty and Information

4Advanced Economics ElectiveSpring 2025

ECON3334 Introduction to Econometrics

4Advanced Economics ElectiveSpring 2025
ECON2123 Introduction to Macroeconomics3ECON-UB 11 EGBSpring 2025
ISOM 2700 Operations Management3OPMG-UB 1 Operations ManagementFall 2023
Business Ethics & the Individual2SOIM-UB 12 Professional Responsibility & Leadership (PRL)Fall 2023
MGMT 2130 Business Ethics and Social Responsibility2SOIM-UB 12 Professional Responsibility and Leadership (PRL)Fall 2022


List of Approved Summer Semester Courses

List of Approved Courses
Course Title AbroadNYU CreditsCourse Equivalent at NYUSemester Taken
ISOM 1380 Technology and Innovation: Social and Business Perspectives4General Stern ElectiveSummer
ISOM 1090 Social Media: Collective Intelligence & Creativity3General Stern ElectiveSummer
ISOM 3310 E-Commerce & E-Business Management3Advanced Management ElectiveSummer
LIFS 1030 Environmental Science3Natural Science EquivalentSummer
MARK 2120 Marketing Management3MKTG-UB 1 Introduction to MarketingSummer
MGMT 1110 Introduction to Management3MGMT-UB 1 Management & OrganizationsSummer