University of Hong Kong — Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

This page answers common questions about HKU in a Q&A format. All figures, dates and names carry official sources; the data below are time-sensitive, so please verify against the latest official publications before citing. For in-depth topical coverage, follow the cross-links between modules.

# 1. What is it?

Q: What kind of university is HKU? A: HKU (The University of Hong Kong) is a public research university, established under the University Ordinance on 1911 and opened for teaching in 1912^※, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Hong Kong^※. Its medical lineage traces further back to the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, founded in 1887^※.

Q: What is HKU's motto? A: The Chinese motto is 明德格物 ("bright virtue, investigating things"), with a Latin version, Sapientia et Virtus^※ (rendered in English as "Wisdom and Virtue"). The two Chinese phrases both trace to the Confucian classic The Great Learning^※; in the University's own reading, Sapientia corresponds to 格物 (the investigation of things) and Virtus to 明德 (bright virtue)^※. See symbols.md.

Q: What language does HKU teach in? A: English is HKU's primary medium of instruction, with some courses taught in Chinese. This stands in contrast to its bilingual (Chinese–English) counterpart, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

# 2. Where is it?

Q: Where is HKU's main campus? A: The main campus sits in the Pok Fu Lam area of Hong Kong Island, around Pok Fu Lam Road and Bonham Road^※. The campus extends westwards to the Centennial Campus; the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine is on Sassoon Road, next to Queen Mary Hospital; and the Faculty of Dentistry is housed at the Prince Philip Dental Hospital in Sai Ying Pun^※.

Q: Which is HKU's teaching hospital? A: Its principal teaching hospital is Queen Mary Hospital, which opened in 1937^※; dental teaching is based at the Prince Philip Dental Hospital. See ../11-medical-hospital/.

# 3. When was it founded?

Q: Which year was HKU founded — 1911 or 1912? A: Both, but for different things: the University Ordinance came into force and the University was legally incorporated on 30 March 1911^※; teaching began on 11 March 1912^※. HKU officially takes 1911 as its founding year, which is why it marked its "centenary" in 2011. The foundation stone is even older, laid on 16 March 1910 by the then-Governor, Sir Frederick Lugard^※.

Q: When was HKU's first graduation ceremony? A: The first congregation was held in December 1916, with 23 graduates^※.

Q: When did HKU first admit women? A: HKU began as a men's institution; per published academic records, the first female students were admitted in 1921^※ (the official history phrases it as "about ten years after its founding"). See history.md.

# 4. Who leads it?

Q: Who leads HKU now? A: As at the time of writing (June 2026) —

• Chancellor: ex officio the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region^※ (currently John Lee Ka-chiu).
• President & Vice-Chancellor: Xiang Zhang, who took office in July 2018^※; he is an internationally known scientist specialising in nano-optics and metamaterials.
• Chairman of the Council: Peter Wong Tung-shun, since 1 January 2025^※.

HKU has experienced governance disputes in recent years (2023–24), involving the relationship between the Council and senior management. This module only states the neutral facts; for an in-depth account and the positions of the disputing parties, see ../13-governance-and-reform/.

Q: What is the difference between the "Chancellor" and the "President"? A: The Chancellor is the titular head of the University (held ex officio by the Chief Executive, and not involved in day-to-day affairs); the President & Vice-Chancellor is the University's chief academic and administrative officer. For the governance structure — Chancellor / Council / Senate / Court — see governance.md.

# 5. How big is it?

Q: How many students does HKU have? A: According to HKU's Quick Stats (2025/26 figures; the page notes data as at April 2026), total enrolment is 45,303^※, comprising 20,103 undergraduates^※, 20,366 taught-postgraduate students^※ and 4,834 research-postgraduate students^※. Note: taught-postgraduate numbers are very large, which is why the "total enrolment" figure sits far above the undergraduate count.

Q: How many non-local students does HKU have? A: Non-local students account for about 55.3% of enrolment^※, and the vast majority of them — roughly 86.8%^※ — come from mainland China.

Q: How many staff and alumni does HKU have? A: Academic staff (excluding honorary/visiting appointments) number 10,076^※, or 15,685^※ if honorary and visiting staff are included; cumulative alumni total around 311,300^※ (as at August 2025).

# 6. What faculties are there?

Q: How many faculties does HKU have? A: Ten faculties: Architecture, Arts, Business and Economics (HKU Business School), Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Law, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Science, and Social Sciences^※. The Business School was the tenth to be established, in 2001^※.

Q: What is special about HKU's Faculty of Dentistry? A: The Faculty of Dentistry is the only institution in Hong Kong offering both undergraduate and postgraduate dental degrees^※; it was founded in 1982^※; and ranked 2nd in the world for dentistry in the 2026 QS World University Rankings by Subject^※.

# 7. Does it run a "collegiate system"?

Q: Is HKU a collegiate university? A: No. HKU operates a hall system (住宿制 / residential halls), distinct from CUHK's college system. Per published sources, HKU currently runs about thirteen residential halls^※, including the oldest, University Hall, alongside the independently run St. John's College and Ricci Hall, among others. See ../10-colleges/.

# 8. Rankings and honours

Q: How does HKU rank worldwide? A: 11th in the 2026 QS World University Rankings^※; 33rd in the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings^※. By subject, dentistry ranks 2nd globally and education 5th, with 29 subjects in the world's top 50^※.

Q: Who is HKU's most famous early alumnus? A: Sun Yat-sen^※ studied at HKU's predecessor, the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, from 1887 to 1892^※; when he returned to speak at HKU in 1923, he called "Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong" the birthplace of his knowledge^※. See history.md.

# 9. What has happened in recent years?

Q: What significant events has HKU seen in recent years? A: On the neutral factual front: several Nobel laureates have been appointed as chair professors^※, the scale of self-financed taught-postgraduate programmes and the share of non-local students have risen markedly (see facts-and-figures.md), and a new Council chairman took office in 2025^※. For a timeline of recent developments see history-2.md; in-depth coverage of the governance disputes is routed to ../13-governance-and-reform/.