The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU or HKPU) is a public university in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The university is one of the eight government-funded degree-granting tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. Founded in 1937 as the first Government Trade School, it is the first institution to provide technical education in Hong Kong. In 1994, the Legislative Council of Hong Kong passed a bill which granted the former Hong Kong Polytechnic official university status.

PolyU consists of 7 Faculties, 4 Schools and 1 College, offering programmes covering business, computer and mathematical sciences, construction & environment, engineering, health & social science, humanities, design, fashion & textiles, hotel and tourism management.

History

Government Trade School (1937–1947) In 1937, the Government Trade School was founded at Wood Road, Wan Chai. The school was the first publicly funded, post-secondary technical institution in Hong Kong. Under George White, the then principal, it ran classes in marine wireless operating, mechanical engineering and building construction. The campus was a three-storey high Victorian architecture, and commonly referred to the "Red Brick House" by the locals.

Hong Kong Technical College (1947–1972) After World War II, the Government Trade School became the Hong Kong Technical College in 1947, offering both full-time and part-time courses. In 1957, the college's new campus in Hung Hom was constructed. It was opened by Alexander Grantham, the then Governor of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Polytechnic (1972–1994) In 1965, Sir Sze-yuen Chung (S.Y. Chung) suggested establishing a polytechnic in Hong Kong to provide post-secondary technical education. Tang Ping-yuen was appointed by the government as the chair of the Polytechnic Planning Committee in May 1969. On 24 March 1972, the Legislative Council passed the Hong Kong Polytechnic Ordinance and the institute was established. Sir Chung assumed the first chair of the Polytechnic Board of Directors (later renamed Polytechnic Council in 1978). The Polytechnic's mandate was to provide professional-oriented education to meet the need for qualified workers. The institution launched its first five degree programmes in 1983, and introduced its first MPhil and PhD programmes in 1986 and 1989 respectively.

Hong Kong Polytechnic University (1994–present) In 1994, the university gained approval from the University and Polytechnic Grants Committee (UPGC; now UGC) for self-accreditation of degree programmes, without the restrictions from the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance . With that, the Institution assumed full university status on 25 November 1994, changing its name to "The Hong Kong Polytechnic University".

Campuses Main campus PolyU's main campus, in Hung Hom, Kowloon, was designed by a team led by James Kinoshita from P&T Group in 1972. It has over 20 buildings with red-brick walls, many of which are inter-connected and raised one floor above the podium, creating sheltered open-air spaces for multi-purposes such as logistics and parking. Apart from buildings named after donors, the rotundas which connects the buildings are identified in English letters (from cores and blocks A to Z, without K, O and I). It is one of the largest and densest educational campus in the world.

Block Z is the eighth phase of the campus expansion project. It is situated across the northwestern side of the main campus, separated by Chatham Road. It can be accessed through a pedestrian tunnel or an 80-meter-long footbridge, which was proposed in 2016 and built in 2019.

In addition to classrooms, laboratories and other academic facilities, the university provides a multi-purpose auditorium, recreational and catering facilities, medical facilities, as well as a bookstore and banks. The Jockey Club Auditorium began operation in 2000, its balcony and main floor seating accommodate up to 1,084 persons. It is specially designed as a multi-purpose venue for the hosting of conferences, seminars, ceremonies, corporate meetings, as well as the increasing number of cultural activities and performances, operas, chamber music, dramas, dances, film shows, variety shows, mini concerts etc.

There are multiple sports facilities, including two swimming pools (Block X and Michael Clinton Swimming Pool), 2 indoor sports grounds (Shaw Sports Complex and Kwong On Jubilee Sports Centre), an outdoor sports ground (Keith Legg Sports Field) with basketball and soccer fields and jogging track, 2 outdoor tennis courts, and a joint-sports centre.

Pao Yue-kong Library The PolyU Library was established on 1 August 1972. Two centres operated in Hung Hom and Quarry Bay until 1976, when they eventually merged into the present building. It was named after shipping entrepreneur and philanthropist Yue-Kong Pao in 1995.

In 2024, there were over 9.38 million of library holdings in total, with more than 8 million electronic resources. The six-storey library provides 3,900 study spaces and is equipped with a 24-hour study centre and audio-visual information areas. In 2017, the 3/F and 4/F of the library was transformed into the "i-space" which contains services such as VR Experience Zone, Internet of Things (IoT), Laser Cutting / Engraving, 3D Scanning, Book Scanning, Large Format Printing, Vinyl Cutting and 3D Printing. Video production facilities such as the One button studio and Digital Studio are also available on the 3/F. The new top floor (6/F) opened on 4 July 2022, providing a student-centred space for collaborative learning and quiet study.

Innovation Tower

The Innovation Tower, designed by Zaha Hadid, is located on the northwestern side of the university's main campus. This 15-story building provides 15,000 square meters of net floor area. It houses facilities for the School of Design, including exhibition areas, multi-functional classrooms and lecture theatres, design studios and workshops, as well as a communal lounge. The School of Design has been ranked among the best design schools worldwide.

Teaching and research hotel

The Hotel ICON was officially opened on 21 September 2011. The hotel is wholly owned by the university as a teaching and research hotel of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM). SHTM has consistently been ranked among the top hotel and tourism management schools in the world.

Hung Hom Bay and West Kowloon Campus The Hung Hom Bay Campus and West Kowloon Campus are the two satellite campuses which house the College of Professional and Continuing Education which is formed by two subsidiaries: the Hong Kong Community College (HKCC) and School of Professional Education and Executive Development (SPEED).

Established in 2001 under the auspices of PolyU, HKCC is a self-financed post-secondary institution which offers associate degree and higher diploma programmes spanning the domains of arts, science, social sciences, business, health care and design for senior secondary school leavers. HKCC classes are conducted at the Hung Hom Bay and West Kowloon.

Academics

Organisation As of 2026, PolyU employed 7,900 full-time staff, 909 of whom are at Assistant Professor and above levels. The university offers over 180 taught programmes for more than 33,950 students every year.

Over 180 programmes, including Bachelor's degrees with honours, and postgraduate programmes, are offered through 7 Faculties, 4 Schools and 1 College, including Faculty of Business, Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Construction and Environment, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Science, School of Design, School of Fashion and Textiles, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, Graduate School and College of Undergraduate Studies

The Graduate School, established in September 2020, oversees the administration of research postgraduate education of the university, though the academic supervision of students is still managed by the respective faculties, schools or department.

The College of Undergraduate Studies, established in 2025, is to foster academic excellence, innovation, and whole-person development in students through academic programmes, interdisciplinary learning, and the General University Requirements for their success in a rapidly changing world.

The College of Professional and Continuing Education (CPCE), founded in 2002, is a subsidiary of the university. It is formed by Hong Kong Community College (HKCC) and School of Professional Education and Executive Development (SPEED), both of which offer self-financed degree programmes and sub-degrees programmes in the name of the college.

Research PolyU's research focus areas include: deep space exploration, smart cities, materials and sensing technology, life sciences and healthcare, AI and robotics and advanced manufacturing. To facilitate the implementation of cross-disciplinary research through collaborations among faculties and schools and other local and overseas institutions and partners. PolyU established more than 80 research laboratories, institutes and centres including 20 research institutes and centres under the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research, as well as over 10 Mainland Translational Research Institutes located in various Chinese Mainland cities. In addition, there are two State Key Laboratories, two Hong Kong Branches of Chinese National Engineering Research Centres, and four Chinese Academy of Sciences-PolyU Joint Laboratories, along with other university-level research facilities spanning diverse fields.

The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel established by PolyU in 2006 acts as a focal point to enhance technological innovation in textiles and apparel industry for the development of highly competitive industrial clusters in Hong Kong. In order to promote undergraduate research, PolyU has established Undergraduate Research and Innovation Scheme (URIS), with the aim to nurture next generation of leaders. URIS is a two year project funded by the University and all student admitted under this scheme will be offered financial support and project grants.

Rankings and reputation

Overall rankings Globally, PolyU is #50 in the QS World University Rankings 2027, #79 in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027, #52 in the US News Best Global Universities Rankings 2026–2027, and #101–150 in ARWU 2026.

PolyU was named the 3rd most international university in the world in 2025 by THE. The university was ranked #6 worldwide (#3 in Hong Kong) in the QS "Top 50 Under 50" list of the world's top young universities (2021) and #7 worldwide (#3 in Hong Kong) in the Times Higher Education's Young University Rankings 2024.

Subject/area rankings

QS Subject Rankings In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026: Subject (only subjects ranked among top 100 are listed)PolyU's World RankHospitality and Leisure Management15Nursing18Civil & Structural Engineering18Architecture & Built Environment 21Art & Design24Environmental Sciences34Marketing36Statistics & Operational Research40Linguistics45Accounting & Finance51Business & Management Studies52Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering53Social Sciences & Management (Broad Subject Area)62Materials Sciences64Mathematics68Engineering & Technology (Broad Subject Area)70Computer Science & Information Systems70Arts & Humanities (Broad Subject Area)72Electrical & Electronic Engineering73Data Science & Artificial Intelligence51-100Geography51-100Library & Information Management51-100Sports-Related Subjects51-100Mineral & Mining Engineering51-100

Other subject rankings The Faculty of Business is ranked 2nd in shipping research in the world, based on Clarivate on Web of Science from 2022-2024. It is ranked 35th in the Top 100 World Rankings of Business Schools by University of Texas at Dallas, based on research contributions to 24 leading business journals from 2020 to 2024.