An Overview of the Hall System at HKU

This article is the master guide to the University of Hong Kong's residential system. HKU operates on a hall system, not a college system: undergraduates live in halls and, apart from their teaching faculty, belong to a hall that provides whole-person education and residential life. Each hall has its own in-depth profile as a separate file in this directory; the present article provides the system-wide overview, the historical development, and a quick-reference table of all halls.

# 1. The institutional background: hall system vs college system

HKU's residential system is rooted in the British university tradition. According to the HKU undergraduate handbook^※, all full-time undergraduates must apply to become formal members of at least one hall or residential college; even those who do not ultimately receive a place retain hall membership as an institutional part of campus life.

# 2. Historical development

# 2.1 1912–1950s: laying the foundations in the British tradition

# 2.2 1960–1990s: an era of expansion

# 2.3 2000s to the present: the Jockey Club Student Villages and residential colleges

# 3. Quick reference of halls (2025/26)

# Residential halls (under CEDARS)

# Residential colleges (Jockey Club Student Village III · Kennedy Town)

According to an HKU press release (2015 inauguration)^※, Jockey Club Student Village III offers 1,800 places, 67% of them for non-local students, and is named after a HK$108.25 million donation from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust^※:

# Non-residential halls

# Postgraduate accommodation

# 4. St. John's College (separate profile)

St. John's College is the oldest residential unit at HKU (originating in 1912) and enjoys unique legal status: it was established under Cap. 1089 of the Laws of Hong Kong, the St. John's College Ordinance^※, making it the only hall at HKU separately incorporated by statute under the title "College". See the dedicated St. John's College profile.

# 5. The traditional four great halls

Among HKU's halls, the following four are commonly known as the "traditional four great halls", for the longest histories and deepest cultural legacies:

1. University Hall — moved into the old castle in 1956; a men's hall; see profile
2. St. John's College — predecessor founded 1912 by the Anglican Church; see profile
3. Ricci Hall — founded by the Jesuits in 1929; a men's hall; see profile
4. Lady Ho Tung Hall — founded 1951; the University's only female hall; see profile