Please browse the website of Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies (SGS) for general admission information on the research degree programmes at the University; please also study our Application Guide for detailed information specified for our PhD programme.

Applications are accepted throughout the year and will be considered mainly in one admission round. Applicants seeking admission in Semester A (fall term) 2022/2023 should submit a full application by 12:00 noon, 1 December 2021. Applications received after deadline will be considered subject to the availability of student places left outside the main admission round.

Yes, applicants in their final year of study can apply for our PhD programme. Conditional offers will be made to applicants who can complete their current academic programme prior and can commence study in 2022/2023.

You must propose one academic staff in our Department to be your supervisor and get his/her consent prior to application submission. Applicants who fail to propose a supervisor or propose a supervisor without his/her consent will not be considered normally.

After getting consent from one of our academic staff, please put his/her name on the Check Sheet as your proposed supervisor, and upload the Check Sheet and a pdf of email showing the professor’s consent to the online application system.

There is no standard template for supervisor’s consent. After one of our academic staff has agreed to be your supervisor or guided you to submit an application online, you can simply save that email as a pdf and upload it to the online application system as a proof of his/her consent.

In principle, yes. Since the online application system is open throughout the year, applicants can upload documents to the system separately. However, all documents should be arrived on time. Incomplete submission of application documents will delay the processing of your application and receive less favourable treatment. Applications will not be processed under any circumstances if (i) any required documents remain unreceived, (ii) the application fee is unsettled, or (iii) false/misleading information is found.

All documents should be uploaded in pdf format, and must be clearly readable.

Yes. Please log in to your online application to update your address, email address and contact phone number any time. For change of other information, please write to SGS at sg@cityu.edu.hk. For provision of additional information, please upload it as a supporting document to the online application system.

Submission of documents through email is not accepted. All application documents must be submitted through the online application system in pdf format. If you encounter any problems with the system, please contact SGS (email: sg@cityu.edu.hk; online enquiry form: http://www.ncm2.xyz/pg/enquiries); if the remaining file size for additional upload is 0 bytes left in your online application, please also contact SGS for the possibility of increasing the maximum upload file size.

HKPFS applicants must provide their research plans and vision statements in the online application. For candidates applying for regular MPhil/PhD studies, please consult your proposed supervisor whether such documents are required.

You must provide a certificate/transcript which has been translated into English, along with the official version in its original language. The translation must be certified i.e. signed and stamped by your institution or an official translator.

Yes, all applicants including CityU students and staff should take responsibility to provide all required documents to facilitate the evaluation of application. Only full applications will be considered.

An English test report fulfilling the University’s English proficiency requirements must be provided unless

• you can provide university’s proof that the medium of instruction of at least one of your degrees (for regular MPhil/PhD admission) or all degrees (for HKPFS applicants) is English, or
• you are with at least one of your degrees (for regular MPhil/PhD admission), or all degrees (for HKPFS applicants), from Hong Kong / a country where English is the sole official language e.g. USA, UK and Canada. This waiver is not applicable to applicants with a degree with Chinese or Chinese Medicine major.

A minimum total score of 490 in CET6 may be considered case by case for regular admission. CET6 is not recognised by the government for HKPFS applications.

You can check the statuses of your referee’s reports by logging into the online application system. Once your referee has submitted the referee’s report, the Referee Report Status under Academic Referees section will be changed to Received.
The above arrangement is not applicable to HKPFS applicants who need to check with their referees directly on the report submission status.

No, referee’s reports cannot be submitted by applicants. Referees must submit the referee’s report to the University by themselves using their institutional email address directly.
Applicants are required to indicate two academic referees in their online application,

• for applicants seeking regular admission, the University will base on your online application to invite your referees by email to complete and submit the referee’s reports via an online platform. If they missed the email, please ask them to download the Referee’s Report Form for completion;
• instead of the above, HKPFS applicants are required to send the HKPFS-specific Referee’s Report Form directly to their referees for completion. Referees should then return the completed reports directly to SGS as stated on the Report Form.

After you provided the referees’ information in your online application, an automated email notification will be triggered. If your referees fail to receive the email, please follow the guidance listed below.

1. Check if you have entered the referee’s email address correctly in your online application. If you need to amend the email address, please contact SGS.
2. Ask your referee to check their spam/junk email folder to see if the notification email has been placed there.
3. If the above steps 1 and 2 have not resolved the problem, please ask your referee to download the Referee’s Report and send the completed report to SGS as indicated on the form.
4. Referees of HKPFS applicants will not receive the automatic email. Instead, HKPFS applicants are required to email the HKPFS-specific Referee’s Report Form to their referees directly for completion.

You can upload the reference letter to the online application system in support of your application. However, two standard Referee’s Reports are still required for each application.

There are very limited Master of Philosophy (MPhil) places available in the Department. Please refer to the University’s Programme and Course Cataogue for details and contact your potential supervisor directly for possible funding support and vacancies prior to your application submission.

Research studies can be undertaken on a government-funded or a self-financing basis, subject to the availability of student quota and funding. Qualified full-time candidates admitted to a research degree programme will be considered for postgraduate studentship supported by government fund or external funds. The application procedures, entrance and English proficiency requirements, and programme requirements for these two types of students are the same. In general, applicants can firstly choose government-funded at the time of application if any doubts. The final source of funding will be confirmed on the Letter of Submission to successful applicants.

Yes. VM/P is offered by Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences (JCC) separately, hence you have to submit another application if you want to be considered for admission for both programmes. Please consult your proposed supervisor to submit proper application(s) through the online application system. The application fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.

There is no need for applicants to send in hard copies of application materials at the application/screening stage. You should provide original documents for verification if your application is successful or upon request by the University.
Applicants should be reminded that provision of any false or misleading information, or failure to supply the original document for verification will lead to disqualification of the admission application. Any offer or enrolment made will be rescinded and all fees paid will not be refunded.

Application results will be announced from March 2022 onwards on a rolling basis normally. You can check your application status through online application system. Successful applicants will also receive email reminders from SGS. Applicants seeking admission in Semester A (fall term) 2022/2023 may assume their application unsuccessful if they do not hear from the University by end of July 2022.

Enquiries regarding application/screening result will not be answered.

Our Application Guide clearly states the application details and procedures. You may also get instant answers to the most common questions on this FAQ page. If you still have remaining questions after reviewing the comprehensive information provided, please contact the relevant unit:
RGC – for enquiries about HKPFS
SGS – for enquiries about online application
BMS – for enquiries about our MPhil and PhD programmes