The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT AND ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Students at HKUST have ample opportunities to participate in a variety of enrichment programs to develop themselves as future leaders. 

• Scholarships for HKDSE Holders
  
  Admissions scholarships are available to new entrants as a recognition of their academic achievements and outstanding performance in HKDSE. Apart from academic merits, HKUST also embraces the different talents our students bring to the university community. Student Athletes Admissions Scheme (SAAS), which recognizes high performing student athletes, offers comprehensive support along their way till graduation. While the Beyond Academic Admissions Scholarship (BAAS) acknowledges students with diversified talents, including creativity and innovation, leadership and entrepreneurship, arts and music, sustainability and community services, and e-sports, etc. 
  
  
• Financial Aid
  
  Students who have financial need can apply for the Tertiary Student Finance Scheme and the Non-means-tested Loan Scheme administered by the Government to support their studies. Supplementary to the Government schemes, the University also offers bursaries and loans to eligible students who require additional financial support.
  
  
• Exchange and Study Abroad
  
  HKUST has a comprehensive study abroad programs in Hong Kong with 260+ institutional partners in 42 destinations worldwide. The University offers a large variety of study abroad opportunities for our students to broaden their academic and social exposure: Exchange programs, summer and winter study abroad programs, language programs as well as virtual study abroad programs.
  
  
• Research Opportunities
  
  HKUST is creating outstanding impacts through excellent research. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and the International Research Opportunities Program (IROP) provide undergraduate students with an exciting opportunity to engage in academic research, thereby helping them to develop insightful perspectives on their areas of interest and advance the frontiers of knowledge.
  
  Launched in 2005, UROP has been well received by both students and faculty members. It is now offered in three semesters (Fall, Spring, and Summer) throughout the academic year, allowing students to immerse themselves in various tailor-made research projects under the supervision of world-class researchers.
  
  Thousands of undergraduate students have participated in UROP. Armed with strong research experiences, many of them explored a possible career in the research field and were admitted into the world's leading PhD Programs with a full scholarship.
  
  
• Entrepreneurial Spirit
  
  Entrepreneurship Center
  
  HKUST Entrepreneurship Center runs activities and funds to foster an entrepreneurial campus and cultivate a risk-taking value-creation mindset. The signature - Dream Builder Program supports the HKUST community to turn big dreams into reality. The program also equips interested parties from knowledge acquisition (workshops and seminars), ideation (networking events and industry visits), prototyping to commercialization (competitions, accelerator funds and co-working space 'The BASE').
  
  Minor in Entrepreneurship
  
  The Minor Program in Entrepreneurship is a credit-bearing program jointly offered by the School of Science, the School of Engineering and the School of Business and Management to provide structured training for students interested in entrepreneurship and starting their own ventures. 
  
  
• Internships & Career Development
  
  HKUST Career Center offers comprehensive support to enhance our students’ employability by connecting them with extensive internship and graduate job opportunities through campus-wide job fairs, recruitment talks, and an HKUST-exclusive job board. Our credit-bearing Co-op Program and study tours to the Greater Bay Area and other APAC destinations also provide our students with invaluable local and global industry exposure. To further prepare our students for placements and opportunities in Hong Kong and beyond, we deliver a wide range of career education courses, programs and training workshops to equip them for future success.
  
  Career Mosaic 
  
  Organized by the Career Center, Career Mosaic is our campus-wide bi-annual weeklong job fair, with more than 230 employers participating every time. The fair offers a highly effective platform for our students to connect with promising employers for various internship and graduate employment opportunities. 
  
  Co-op Program
  
  The HKUST Co-op Program offers a unique opportunity for our undergraduate students from all disciplines to integrate work experience with academic learning. Starting from their second year, students can immerse themselves in a full-time work placement to gain invaluable hands-on experience in a real-world setting. Participants are eligible to earn academic credits upon completion of the Co-op placement and a designated course. By collaborating with a wide range of industry partners, the Co-op Program not only enhances students’ employability and professional skills but also helps them build a strong foundation for their future careers before graduation.
  
  Study Tours
  
  To broaden students’ global perspectives and career horizons, the Career Center organizes a series of career treks and career exploration programs at major cities in the Greater Bay Area of the Chinese Mainland and other international destinations. During these trips, students can visit leading companies and innovation hubs, gaining firsthand insights into the latest industry trends and cutting-edge technologies. These experiences are designed to help students explore diverse career paths, understand different corporate cultures, and prepare for the opportunities and challenges of the global market.
  
  
• Learn, Serve, Lead
  
  HKUST is dedicated to nurturing our students as responsible global citizens and future leaders. Through a vibrant network of opportunities – from community service, sustainability to holistic well-being – we inspire students to learn, serve and lead. 
  
  Smart Sustainable Campus
  
  The HKUST Sustainable Smart Campus as a Living Lab (SSC) combines faculty research with campus operations, community and hands-on project-based learning. It has sparked 56 homegrown projects, supported 20+ seed projects, involved over 110 students, 280 faculty members and over 1,200 outside visitors over the last six years.
  
  Funded projects include self-cleaning multipurpose nano-coatings to improve solar panel efficiencies, a butterfly biodiversity database with AI cameras, and a fully automated photobioreactor system for algae-based carbon capture. This year's newly founded initiatives expand this innovation portfolio, featuring:
  
  
  • The Sustainable Smart Campus Pier for coral restoration via AI-powered underwater livestreaming
  • An Agentic AI Hyper-Local Heat Warning System to empower the community against climate extremes.
  • An AI-Powered Thermal Management System designed to keep campus temperatures "just right" while saving energy.
  • Nanotech Wall Coatings formulated for cleaner indoor and outdoor campus air.
  • Safer Cleaning with Nanobubble Drones for high-altitude facility maintenance.
  • Smarter EV Charging algorithms to ensure stability across the campus electrical grid.
  • A Waste-Heat Driven Dehumidifier to optimize environmental comfort sustainably.
  
  
  The goals of such projects are to move innovation out of research labs to the campus as a testing ground, and to assess the scalability of these ideas from campus to our city and beyond 
  
  HKUST Connect
  
  HKUST Connect is a community engagement initiative that aims to build on the University's efforts in raising civic awareness and developing sustainable connections with the wider community to promote a benevolent world. Students will find insights, tools and people who will help them empathize, lead, and collaborate with others to solve real needs in the world. Programs from volunteering, training, experiences, to service learning trips and NGO internships are offered to challenge, build, and transform students' mindsets and skills to create positive changes in the community.
  
  Co-curricular Programs
  
  Co-curricular Programs offer students the space to explore who they are, grow outside the classroom and connect with the wider community – all while discovering their unique contribution in the world.
  
  From interactive workshops on habits and mindsets to expressive arts activities that help students unwind through Project CREATE, we provide practical tools to navigate university life. Beyond campus, students can step into the community to make a meaningful difference with HKUST Connect, or recharge in nature to build resilience and friendships with HKUST SOAR.

• Academic Advising
  
  A comprehensive academic advising scheme is put in place in each School to assist students in identifying and achieving their academic, professional, and personal goals.
  
  It is a "walk-with-you" journey, which dedicated mentors will assist students to acquire valuable learning experiences. Students may seek advice from Faculty Advisors, Counselors, and peer mentors at different stages of their studies.
  
  
• Counseling and Wellness Center
  
  The Counseling and Wellness Center is here to support students in gaining self-understanding, emotional resilience, and personal insights into any challenges they may experience throughout their university years. The Center provides high quality counseling and evidence-based psychological services that help students to put into effect real changes, unleash their personal potential, as well as to enhance their psychological well-being.
  
  
• Student Societies and Clubs
  
  There are close to 130 student organizations that focus on sports, community service, arts, culture, and academics. Orientation activities, social events, competitions, festivals, and performances are organized throughout the year.