Student Exchange and Dual/Joint Degrees

This article is part of the ‘HKU Wild History’ project, module 09: Internationalisation. It focuses on student-level international mobility: semester/year-long exchanges, dual and joint degrees, summer and short-term study-abroad programmes. Data is current as of June 2026; figures and programme structures are aligned with the official HKU website, are subject to annual adjustments, and should be cross-referenced with the University’s disclosures for the relevant year.

This piece follows on from global-partnerships.md (institution-level partnership networks and alliances) and zooms in on the specific programmes available to students. Its three pillars are: ① HKU Worldwide Exchange (the university-wide student exchange programme); ② dual/joint degrees (undergraduate dual degrees and postgraduate joint degrees); and ③ the HKU Summer Institute and short-term study-abroad programmes.

# 1. HKU Worldwide Exchange (University-wide Student Exchange)

# 1.1 Scale

According to the HKU ‘International and Mainland Collaboration’ page^※, HKU has established exchange partnerships with over 380 institutions across 46 countries/regions, offering students semester- and year-long overseas exchange opportunities every year. The University’s stated aim is for the ‘vast majority of undergraduates’ to have at least one overseas experience during their studies.

# 1.2 Programme Structure and Application Thresholds (Main Round)

According to the HKU International Affairs Office ‘HKU Worldwide Student Exchange’ page^※, exchanges are arranged as full-year / Semester 1 / Semester 2 options, with applications conducted in multiple rounds. The standard application thresholds (as stated for the Main Round) include:

Note: The thresholds above reflect the Main Round criteria for a single application year and are subject to minor annual adjustments; the International Affairs Office’s announcement for the current year is the definitive source. Individual faculties also have their own exclusive exchange lists and additional requirements.

# 1.3 Characteristics of Overseas Destinations

HKU states that its exchange partners include leading universities across many countries, with geographic coverage spanning North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, Oceania, and beyond. A full partner list is available on the International Affairs Office Partner List^※; individual faculties (such as Law, and Business and Economics) also maintain their own pages listing faculty-specific exchange partners.

# 2. Dual and Joint Degrees

HKU operates several dual degree programmes: students split their studies between two universities and, upon completion, receive degrees from both institutions separately. According to the HKU Admissions Office ‘Dual Degrees and University Collaborative Programmes’ page^※, the current undergraduate dual-degree and collaborative programmes include:

Note: The table above is compiled from the HKU Admissions Office page for the current year. Programme offerings, the distribution of study years, and the operational status of programmes are all subject to annual adjustments; the Admissions Office’s official disclosures for the relevant year are definitive. At the postgraduate level, there are further double-master’s and joint doctorate arrangements with institutions such as Peking University; see individual faculty pages and the ‘Joint PhD Programmes’ mentioned in global-partnerships.md.

# 2.1 Clarification of Terminology

The terms ‘dual degree’ and ‘joint degree’ are often used interchangeably in Chinese, but their structures differ: a dual degree involves split-site study at two universities, with each issuing its own degree; a joint degree is collaboratively designed by the two institutions and may result in a single degree certificate issued jointly. The undergraduate programmes listed above by HKU are predominantly dual degree programmes (each issuing a separate degree). This site reports each programme’s structure exactly as described on its official page and does not conflate the two categories.

# 3. HKU Summer Institute and Short-term Study-Abroad

# 3.1 HKU Summer Institute

According to the HKU Summer Institute official website^※, the HKU Summer Institute (HKUSI) aims to provide learning opportunities for secondary school, undergraduate, and postgraduate students from around the world. Its offerings span disciplines including engineering, artificial intelligence, business, humanities, sciences, and languages, with programme lengths ranging from intensive courses lasting about 5 days to roughly one month. Most are non-credit-bearing, but some grant credits (e.g., 6 credits). Participants include secondary school students (S1–S6 / Year 8–13 / Grade 7–12), undergraduates, and postgraduates, and applications from international candidates are welcome.

# 3.2 Other Short-term Mobility

According to the HKU website, beyond semester/year-long exchanges, students can also gain overseas experience through visiting programmes, summer study-abroad trips, and other short-term student mobility schemes (HKU website)^※. Mainland China-oriented options include the ‘China Vision Programme’ and others, covering academic courses, research projects, cultural visits, field studies, and community service; for details, see greater-bay-area-and-national-role.md.

# 4. See Also

• Institution-level partnership networks and international alliances (U21/APRU/WUN clarification) → global-partnerships.md
• Mainland China exchange programmes (China Vision), Greater Bay Area ventures → greater-bay-area-and-national-role.md
• Overseas presence and international research collaboration → overseas-presence.md
• Undergraduate admissions and tuition fees → ../02-admissions/