Overview
Basic facts and historical timeline, world and subject rankings, admissions/tuition and graduate outcomes.
00 Overview Overview · Facts · History
9 articlesBasic facts, FAQ, key numbers, founding prehistory, historical timeline, motto and crest, and governance structure.
Basic Fact Card — The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
A rapid-fire snapshot of HKUST's name, founding date, mission, colours and emblem, the scale of its Clear Water Bay campus, current leadership, a five-school-plus-one-academy structure, alliance memberships, and the latest QS/THE ranking highlights.
Historical Statistical Tables — The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)
A compilation of official HKUST statistics on students, faculty, non-local students, degrees awarded, and research funding over the years. As of December 2025, total enrolment stood at 20,475; non-local students accounted for approximately 48.1%; and total research funding had more than tripled since 2007–08.
Key Figures at a Glance – The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
A one-page quick reference of HKUST's core figures on students, academic staff, research, campus, and rankings, including the latest total student count of 20,475 (December 2025) and the QS 2027 global ranking of 33rd.
Institutional Timeline — The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (1986–2026)
Proposal in 1986, opening in October 1991, and six phases of development — from its founding and ascendance in the 1990s, to the opening of the Guangzhou campus in 2022, approval for a medical school in 2025, and the 35th anniversary in 2026 — this chronology traces thirty-five years of major milestones year by year.
Before the Beginning: The Founding and Naming of HKUST
The birth of HKUST can be understood as the confluence of three cornerstones—the demand of the times from the 1980s service-economy transformation, the orchestration by Sir Sze-Yuen Chung's Preparatory Committee, and the Hong Kong Jockey Club's foundational donation of over HK$1.9 billion between 1987 and 1992. These three forces together propelled a university \"with no predecessor and built from open ground\" to open its doors three years ahead of schedule, in October 1991.
Motto, Emblem and Campus Landmarks — The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
An examination of HKUST’s Mission and Vision, its blue-and-gold colours and emblem composition, with a detailed account of the landmark sculpture “Circle of Time” (the Red Bird sundial) — including the commission background, dimensions and symbolism — and the origins of the first official University Anthem in 2023.
Governance Structure and Successive Presidents (Part II) — HKUST
Dating from the Planning Committee in 1988, HKUST has had six Council Chairmen — Chung Sze-yuen → Vincent Lo → John Chan → Marvin Cheung → Andrew Liao → Harry Shum. This piece traces their relay lineage and cross-references it against the five presidential transitions covered in Part I, presenting the governance genealogy in dual-track depth.
Governance Structure and Successive Vice-Chancellors (Part 1) — The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
HKUST's governance follows a British-style \"Chancellor–Council–Court–Senate\" framework; since its founding in 1991, five Vice-Chancellors and Presidents (Chia-Wei Woo → Paul Ching-Wu Chu → Tony F. Chan → Wei Shyy → Nancy Y. Ip) form an administrative relay line, each transition refracting a phase shift in the University's development. See Part 2 for the relay lineage of Council Chairmen.
Frequently Asked Questions — The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
A Q&A addressing common questions about HKUST's character, size, founding rationale, current leadership, distinctions from HKU and CUHK, medical school progress, relationship with the Guangzhou campus, teaching language, and more.
03 Rankings World · Subject
5 articlesWorld rankings such as QS / THE / ARWU and year-by-year trends, plus standout subject rankings.
HKUST Rankings Deep Dive: The five-year trajectory of 33rd in QS and 82nd in U.S. News
HKUST rose to 33rd in the QS World Rankings 2027 edition and to 82nd (entering the global top 100 for the first time) in the U.S. News Global Rankings 2026-27 edition; the 2024 dip in QS resulted from a methodological overhaul rather than a genuine decline, and the rebound has been sustained in subsequent years; U.S. News is purely about publications and citations, so a gap of several dozen places between the two rankings for the same institution is entirely normal.
HKUST Rankings 2025–2027 Comprehensive Analysis: QS/THE/ARWU/U.S. News Full Overview
Year-by-year HKUST ranking trends from 2011 to 2027 collated across the four major systems — QS, THE, ARWU, and U.S. News — featuring highlights such as QS 2027 global 33rd, three consecutive years as Asia No. 1 (2011–2013), and the Kellogg-HKUST EMBA programme's twelve global No. 1 finishes.
THE Impact Rankings and SDG performance
HKUST ranks 19th globally in the THE Impact Rankings 2025, topping Hong Kong and mainland China for the second year running. The ranking mechanism makes SDG 17 compulsory and then takes the best three scores; HKUST's strengths in SDGs 9, 11, and 15 are backed by the HK$50 million Sustainable Smart Campus programme, which has incubated over 40 projects.
HKUST on the “Young Universities” List — Topping the QS Top 50 Under 50 and the Long Chase of NTU
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST, founded 1991) topped the QS “Top 50 Under 50” young‑university list in 2013, was overtaken by Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in 2014, has never dropped out of the top two since then, and has long been chasing NTU with a gap of less than two points. The list is an age‑filtered view of the QS World University Rankings, not an independent algorithmic ranking.
HKUST's Strengths in the QS Subject Rankings — Data Science & AI, Engineering & Technology, and Thirteen Top-50 Subjects
In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has 13 subjects in the global top 50. Among them, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence is 17th globally and 1st in Hong Kong; the broad Engineering & Technology area is 43rd and has ranked 1st in Hong Kong for 15 consecutive years; and Electrical and Electronic Engineering is 29th and 1st in Hong Kong. This represents the most concentrated demonstration of HKUST's subject-level competitiveness to date.
香港科技大学 ranking overview(updated 2027)
| University | QS World | U.S. News World |
|---|---|---|
| HKU | 11 | 40 |
| CUHK | 18 | 28 |
| HKUST · This university | 33 | 82 |
| CityU | 52 | 47 |
| PolyU | 50 | 52 |
World rankings as officially reported by each list; every figure is sourced — see each university's deep-dive for detail. Machine-readable data (JSON · with sources) ↗.
香港科技大学's world-class subjects
- 数据科学与人工智能 Data Science & Artificial Intelligence#25 Sources
- 土木与结构工程 Civil & Structural Engineering#27 Sources
- 商业与管理研究 Business & Management Studies#30 Sources
- 统计与运筹学 Statistics & Operational Research#31 Sources
- 计算机科学与信息系统 Computer Science & Information Systems#33 Sources
- 电气与电子工程 Electrical & Electronic Engineering#33 Sources
Ranking FAQ
What is 香港科技大学's (HKUST) QS World Ranking in 2027?
In the QS World University Rankings 2027 (released 2026-06-18), 香港科技大学 is ranked 33 in the world.
What is 香港科技大学's U.S. News World University Ranking?
In U.S. News Best Global Universities 2026-2027 (released 2026-06-16), 香港科技大学 is ranked 82 in the world.
How do Hong Kong's five universities rank in QS 2027?
QS 2027: HKU #11, CUHK #18, HKUST #33, CityU #52, PolyU #50.
What are 香港科技大学's strongest subjects?
香港科技大学's world-class strengths include 数据科学与人工智能 Data Science & Artificial Intelligence (ranked 25 in the world), 土木与结构工程 Civil & Structural Engineering (ranked 27 in the world), 商业与管理研究 Business & Management Studies (ranked 30 in the world), among others.
02 Admissions Admissions · Tuition · Outcomes
7 articlesAdmission routes, mainland and international applications, tuition and scholarships, and graduate outcomes.
HKUST JUPAS calculator: DSE cut-off scores and the 8.5-point quick-conversion scale
A comprehensive overview of HKUST's JUPAS home-student admissions system, covering the DSE entry threshold, weighted converted scores by programme (with Quantitative Finance and the Dual Degree in Technology & Management at the top), the SNDAS early-admission route, and nine programmes requiring a compulsory interview.
Non-local Student Admissions
A detailed breakdown of the two main routes for non-local undergraduates at HKUST—independent gaokao admissions for mainland Chinese students and international qualification applications (IB/A-Level/SAT)—covering eligibility, selection criteria, and timelines, alongside an account of the policy shift raising the non-local cap from 20% to 40%.
Tuition Fees, Accommodation & Scholarships
Summarising HKUST's local (HK$47,000 in 2026/27) and non-local (HK$215,000) tuition fees, hall charges, and estimated living costs, alongside a systematic listing of the complete scholarship and financial aid framework, including entry scholarships, continuing awards, and Jockey Club scholarships.
Graduate Destinations and Employment
According to the 2024 Graduate Employment Survey, HKUST undergraduates had a full-time employment rate of 62.5% and a further studies rate of 23.4%, with an average annual salary of HK$330,000 placing it mid-table among the eight UGC-funded institutions. Includes breakdowns for AIS graduates and postgraduate further studies rates.
The non-local expansion — shifting the cap from 20% to 40%
Records how, after Hong Kong's non-local undergraduate cap was doubled from 20% to 40% from 2023, HKUST's 2025/26 applications surged by almost 40%, its student body now covers over 85 countries with nearly half from outside the mainland, and its Belt and Road recruitment strategy.
The Economics of Tuition — Local Fees Unfrozen, Non-Local Fee Rises, and an ‘Eight Institutions’ Comparison
Local-student tuition fees receive their first adjustment in 27 years, with three consecutive annual rises of 5.5% from 2025/26 to reach HK$49,500 by 2027/28, ending the freeze in place since 1997; non-local fees rise to roughly HK$195,000 over the same period, while the local–non-local fee ratio continues to widen — a critical lens for understanding HKUST’s financial structure.
Dual Degree and Joint Admissions: HKUST’s Cross-School/Cross-Disciplinary Admission Paths
HKUST offers five types of “joint degree / cross-school” undergraduate entry: JUPAS direct entry to the T&M Dual Degree (JS5901, 35 places, 5-year dual degree); four Joint School Programs (18–25 places each); a school-based transfer into T&M; SHSS students applying for the Waseda dual bachelor’s (≤2 per cohort); and the Guangzhou campus’s mainland gaokao early-batch intake (14 provinces/municipalities, 7 undergraduate programmes). Each pathway has a separate quota and distinct admission conditions. This piece focuses on the strategic logic and the key numbers.