The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is a public university in Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong. Founded in 1991, it was the territory's third institution to be granted university status, the first research university and the first university without any precursory existence upon its formation with English as its primary medium of instruction and assessment since its establishment. It occupies a seaside site in Tai Po Tsai, Clear Water Bay Peninsula.
The university is organized into six academic schools: School of Science, School of Engineering, School of Business and Management, School of Medicine, School of Humanities and Social Science, and the Academy of Interdisciplinary Studies. In the 2025-26 academic year, it enrolled 11,765 undergraduates and 8,710 postgraduates, and employed 973 academic staff. All undergraduate programs lead to bachelor's honours degrees in Science (BSc), Engineering (BEng) or Business Administration (BBA).
The university is traditionally considered one of Hong Kong's "Big 3" universities, alongside The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) due to their long history, strong academic programs, and high global standing.
History In the late 1980s, the Hong Kong Government anticipated a strong demand for university graduates to fuel an economy increasingly based on services. Sir Sze-Yuen Chung and the territory's governor, Sir Edward Youde, conceived the idea of establishing a third university, in addition to the pre-existing The University of Hong Kong and The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Planning for the "Third University", as the university was known provisionally, began in 1986. On 8 November 1989, Charles, Prince of Wales (now King Charles III) laid the foundation stone of the campus, which was constructed at the Kohima Barracks site in Tai Po Tsai on the Clear Water Bay Peninsula. The site was earmarked for the construction of a new British Army garrison to house the 2nd King Edward VII's Own and 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles, but plans for its construction were shelved after the 1984 signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration resulted in the downsizing of army presence in Hong Kong.
Originally scheduled to finish in 1994, the planning committee for the university decided in 1987 that the new institution should open its doors three years early, in keeping with the community's need and in fulfilment of the wishes of Youde, who died in 1986. The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club pledged to contribute HK$1,500 million (later increased to $1,926 million) towards the construction cost of the university campus, and took up the role of project manager. This has the effect of accelerating construction as it relieved the project from complicated approval procedures for government capital projects.
The university was officially opened by Youde's successor as governor, Sir David Wilson, on 10 October 1991. Several leading scientists and researchers took up positions at the university in its early years, including physicist Leroy Chang who arrived in 1993 as Dean of Science and went on to become vice-president for academic affairs. Thomas E. Stelson was also a founding member of the administration.
The project was criticized for surpassing the budget set forth by the Hong Kong Government and the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club. Under the fund-raising efforts of its president, Woo Chia-wei, the first students enrolled in October 1991. By 1992, the second phase of HKUST's campus was completed, expanding laboratories, student and staff accommodation, and athletic facilities to support about 7,000 students.
Several more expansion projects such as the construction of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Enterprise Center have since been completed.
"30 for 30" Campaign In February 2023, to coincide with its 30th anniversary, HKUST announced "30 for 30" talent acquisition campaign, a global hunt for 30 leading academics to drive innovation in Hong Kong with 30 major research projects designed to have maximum social impact. The campaign focused on six areas: biomedicine, material science and future energy, artificial intelligence, fintech, green technology, and art technology.
University anthem In 2023, the university commissioned a new university anthem, composed by Professor Kelvin Yuen.
Governance Established in 1991 under Chapter 1141 of the laws of Hong Kong (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Ordinance), HKUST is one of the eight statutory universities in Hong Kong. It is an institution funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC).
As with all other statutory universities in Hong Kong, the chief executive of HKSAR acts as the chancellor of HKUST. Prior to the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong, this was a ceremonial title bestowed upon the governor of Hong Kong.
The supreme governing body of the university is its Council, formed by a total of 27 members. Council members include university administrators, the chairperson of the alumni Convocation, an elected staff member, an elected full-time student representative, as well as 14 "lay members" not being employees or students at the university. Under the HKUST Ordinance, the chief executive of Hong Kong (as chancellor) possesses the power of directly appointing the chairman and vice-chairman of the council, the treasurer of the university, and not more than 9 of the lay members.
The Senate acts as the university's supreme academic body, responsible for making and reviewing the academic policies of the university. It is composed mostly of academic staff members but also includes the Students' Union president, an elected representative of the undergraduates as well as an elected representative of the postgraduates.
Being the supreme advisory body of the university, the Court is responsible for promoting the university's interests and to raise funds.
Senior management President Nancy Ip (2022–) Wei Shyy (2018–2022) Tony Fan Cheong Chan (2009–2018) Paul Ching Wu Chu (2001–2009) Chia Wei Woo (1988–2001)
Provost Guo Yike (2022–) Lionel Ni (2019–2022) Wei Shyy (2010–2018)
Vice-Presidents Vice-President for Administration and Business: Kar Yan Tam Vice-President for Research and Development: Tim Kwang Ting Cheng Vice-President for Institutional Advancement: Charles Wang-Wai Ng Vice-President for Development: Ir John Kwong
Academic Registrar King Lau Chow (2026–) James Prince (2016–2026)
Campus
The university is largely a campus university, occupying a 60-hectare site at the northern part of Clear Water Bay Peninsula in Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong, overlooking Port Shelter in Tai Po Tsai. The campus layout and architecture is based on a master plan submitted jointly by Simon Kwan & Associates and Percy Thomas Partnership, the runner-up entry in an architectural competition held before the university was founded.
As the campus has a sloped terrain, buildings and facilities are built on separate terraces carved out of the hillside, with the academic facilities occupying the top-level terraces, and undergraduate halls of residence and sporting facilities at the seafront. The terraces are connected by motor roads as well as a network of footbridges and elevators known as Bridge Link.
The countryside setting of the university contributed to the fact that HKUST was once the only public university in Hong Kong not being directly served by an MTR station, prior to the re-titling of the Education University of Hong Kong. The university is connected to the metro network through public bus routes including 91, 91M, 91P, 291P and 792M, complemented by a handful of minibus services, with Choi Hung and Hang Hau stations being the major feeder points.
Academic complexes
Academic activities are mainly conducted in the Academic Building, which contains 10 lecture theaters (A–H, J–K), a multitude of classrooms, laboratories and administrative offices. The lecture theaters can accommodate classes of up to 450 students and offer audiovisual equipment. In addition, an information center and a souvenir shop can be found at the Piazza. The semi-outdoor Hong Kong Jockey Club Atrium located near the main entrance of the campus serves as the focal point of campus life, and is where major events such as student societies recruitment, performances, and (before the Shaw Auditorium opened) congregations are staged.
Prior to 2013, offices and classrooms of all of the four schools were grouped under the same roof in the Academic Building. With the completion of the Lee Shau Kee Business Building (LSK) in 2013, most facilities for the School of Business and Management have relocated from the Academic Building. Opened in 2015, the Cheng Yu Tung Building (CYT) afforded the other schools with a lecture theater (L), additional classrooms and laboratories.
Located at the southern tip of the campus, the Lo Ka Chung Building houses the HKUST Jockey Club Institute of Advanced Study (IAS). The adjacent Conference Lodge, managed by the hotel-operating arm of Chinachem Group offers on-campus accommodation for conference attendees and official guests of the university.
Sundial
Anchoring the entrance piazza outside the Atrium, the red sundial sculpture is an important symbol of HKUST. The sculpture is entitled "Circle of Time" but is more widely known as the Red Bird or the Turkey (火雞). It was the work of Australian sculptors Charles Smith and Joan Walsh-Smith. Its dual function as a functioning sundial and a work of art symbolizes the synthesis of art and science.
Student halls and staff housing
A total of nine undergraduate halls are located at the seafront and mid-rise terraces of the university campus. Also, the university provides 404 Senior Staff Quarters flats and 40 University Apartments flats to its eligible senior staff.
Lee Shau Kee Library
The HKUST Lee Shau Kee Library, part of the Hong Kong Academic Library Link (HKALL), occupies a central location of the campus. Connected to the Academic Building, it is accessible directly from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Atrium. It spans five floors with over 12,350 sq m of floor space, providing more than 3,674 seats as well as computing facilities. It offers a wide array of information resources, both local and remote. In addition to over 720,000 print and electronic volumes and a large collection of media resources, it provides access to more than 47,000 periodical titles, a large number of e-books, databases, and other digital information resources.
The library owns a collection of old maps of China and the rest of Asia, produced by Chinese and Western cartographers over the last 500 years. A selection of these maps, providing an insight into the history of international geographic knowledge, was published by the library in a limited-edition (1000 copies) volume in 2003.
Shaw Auditorium Built with funds donated by the Shaw Foundation, Shaw Auditorium is a 4-storey multi-purpose auditorium designed for concerts, lectures, musicals and visual productions. The building consists of three superimposed elliptic rings surrounding a sculptural core. The rings that blend into the architecture provide shade and rain protection around the building. The auditorium is equipped with modular seating that can be adapted to allow for multiple arrangements, ranging from 850 to up to 1300 seats. Its curved walls can function as a 360-degree projection screen, enabling audio-visual experiences.
HKUST opened Shaw Auditorium on 17 November 2021, as part of a celebration of the university's 30th anniversary.
Ancillary services