Student Housing System — An Overview of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's Residential Hall System

# 1. System Overview

HKUST provides residential facilities on its Clear Water Bay main campus and in Tseung Kwan O^※, divided into two main categories: undergraduate (UG) halls and postgraduate (PG) accommodation. Following the opening of the Jockey Club i-Village in June 2026, total campus bed capacity stands at approximately 7,600.

# 2. Undergraduate Hall Clusters

# 2.1 UG Halls I–VI: The Seafront Cluster (from 1991)

When the campus's first phase was completed in 1991, UG Halls I–V opened alongside the rest of the university. They form HKUST's oldest student housing zone, with a total capacity of roughly 2,976 beds, all in twin or triple-room configurations.

House One, VERTEX, Glacier, Vista, and Endeavour are all House Students' Associations (HSAs). They are affiliated with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Students' Union (HKUSTSU) and each holds a seat on the Union Council; they form the core organising bodies for residential life and self-governance within UG Halls I–V.

# 2.2 UG Halls VII–IX: The New-Area Cluster (from approx. 2009–2015)

These three halls adopt a mix of single and twin rooms in apartment-style layouts, with more modern facilities than the Seafront halls.

UG Halls VII–IX have residential-life teams styled as "Leadership Team" or "Organising Team," whose scale of activity and degree of institutional formalisation is lighter than that of the HSAs; they do not sit within the student union structure.

# 2.3 Tseung Kwan O Jockey Club Hall (JCH, from approx. 2016)

Tseung Kwan O Jockey Club Hall^※ is the university's sole off-campus undergraduate hall, located at 3 Tong Yin Street, Tseung Kwan O. It is within walking distance of the MTR station, and a university shuttle bus connects it to the Clear Water Bay campus. Capacity is roughly 500 beds, arranged as twin rooms within eight-person flats (each with its own kitchen). The nine-storey building includes a rooftop garden, basketball court, and gym.

# 2.4 Jockey Club i-Village (UG Halls X–XIII, opened June 2026)

The Jockey Club i-Village is the largest hall expansion project in HKUST's history.

• Opening date: Officially inaugurated 11–12 June 2026^※
• Block numbers: UG Hall X, XI, XII, XIII (four blocks)
• Total beds: 1,551
• Architects: Zaha Hadid Architects, in association with Leigh & Orange^※
• Donor: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, with a donation exceeding HK$203 million
• Design features: A hexagonal clustered layout embedded into a 25-metre slope on the southeastern campus edge; three flat typologies (Y-type / V-type / linear), each with its own kitchen; a rooftop walkway linking the blocks; BEAM Plus Platinum green-building rating.
• Meaning of the "i": Internationalisation and Innovation.
• Strategic goal: The university has stated that with the opening of i-Village, it can offer on-campus housing to all Year 1 students, resolving a years-long undersupply crisis.

# 3. Postgraduate Housing Clusters

# 3.1 University Apartments (UA)

The University Apartments Tower A and Tower B^※ primarily house research postgraduate (RPg) students. Units are 4–5 person flats with independent kitchens, offering a total of approximately 895 beds in single and twin-room configurations.

# 3.2 Stephen Kam Chuen Cheong Hall (SKCC Hall)

SKCC Hall is a six-storey block providing roughly 120 single rooms. It shares the same complex building as UG Hall I but has its own separate entrance, and is dedicated to postgraduate accommodation.

# 3.3 Jockey Club Global Graduate Tower (GGT)

The Global Graduate Tower^※ provides approximately 504 beds (420 single rooms + 42 couples' rooms). Residents share kitchens by floor; couples' rooms include en-suite bathrooms. The "Global" in its name reflects its intended profile catering to international postgraduates.

# 4. Housing Policy and Coverage Rate

According to the 2023–24 Annual Report^※, HKUST's total student population was roughly 17,869 (10,712 undergraduates, 7,157 postgraduates).

• Local undergraduates: Required to reside in a hall for at least one semester (Year 1).
• Non-local undergraduates: Required to reside in a hall for at least two years.
• Total beds post-i-Village: approx. 7,614, giving a coverage rate of around 43% of the total student body.

# 5. HKUST Hall System vs. CUHK Collegiate System