FAQ

Students enrolled in a self-financed programme, including MSCS, are not eligible for University hostels that are subsidized by the Hong Kong Government. Off-campus affordable housing can be found in various residential neighborhoods close to the University, which is conveniently located right next to a major transportation hub. Visit the Student Residence Office's website for assistance and more information on searching for off-campus accommodation.

The MSCS programme strikes a careful balance between theory and practice. It significantly enhances the skills of its graduates. In fact, almost all past MSCS students who chose to stay in Hong Kong after graduation either found local employment opportunities or progressed for further research studies.

The application period for each intake usually begins in September until the published deadline and the course commencement is August/September. There is only one intake cohort each year.

Applicants are required to provide a scanned copy of the following official documents for processing at the application stage. Original documents should be presented for verification upon request by the University at the later time. NOTE that provision of any false or misleading information or failure to supply the full documentation for verification will lead to disqualification of the admission application and any offer/enrolment made will be rescinded. All fees paid will not be refunded.

1. For Current Students: Official enrolment certificate
2. For Current Students and Graduates: Official certificate in terms of Overall Average Mark issued by the university
3. For Current Students and Graduates: Official academic transcript issued by university registry office, including overall average mark/CGPA, with explanation on grading system.
4. For Current Students and Graduates: Applicants whose entrance qualification is obtained from an institution where the medium of instruction is NOT English should also fulfil the English Proficiency Requirements (EPR): IELTS (≥6.5) / CET6 (≥450) issued by the Examination Centre with stamp / TOEFL (≥79) with “ETS Security Guard” printed on the top right corner of the report.
   If your qualification is obtained in France/Holland/Italy/Germany/Sweden/Switzerland, etc. and the medium of instruction is English, please provide a proof from the institution. If you cannot provide a proof, you have to fulfill the EPR requirements as listed in item (4) above.
   If your qualification is obtained in Australia/Canada/India/UK/USA, etc. and the medium of instruction is English, then the EPR is waived.
   These English tests are NOT acceptable for our programmes: TOEFL iBT home edition, IELTS indicator, Duolingo, GMAT and GRE.
5. For Graduates: Degree Award Certificate and Graduation Certificate in English and, if applicable, in Chinese with photo.
6. For Mainland Graduates: Online Verification Report of Higher Education Degree Certificate (中國高等教育學位在線驗證報告) issued by the Center for Student Services and Development, Ministry of Education, P.R. China (CSSD) (教育部學生服務與素質發展中心).
7. Applicants holding the following documents issued by the Hong Kong Immigration Department are classified as non-local students:
   • Student visa / entry permit
   • Visa under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG Visa)
   • Dependant visa / entry permit who were 18 years old or above when they were issued with such visa / entry permit by the Immigration Department of the HKSAR
8. To avoid unnecessary problems, make sure that your personal information (name, gender and birth date) in the application form is identical with that shown in your identity document (e.g. for mainland applicants, the format of name is CHEN Daiwen instead of CHEN Dai Wen).
9. Email inquiries must be made by the applicant oneself using the email addresses stated in the applications. We will not respond to any other party's inquiry about individual applications.
10. The corresponding address in the application should be the applicant's address.
11. Personal statement and CV are required.
12. You are required to upload the updated supporting documents to facilitate quick and easy access by department for consideration. Supplementary document(s) can be uploaded after submitting the application. You may login to your application account to upload the document(s). The uploaded files are preferably in pdf format and fitted in A4 size clear and with high enough resolution for viewing.
    
    For details, please visit our Admissions webpages:
    https://www.cs.cityu.edu.hk/academic-programmes/msc-computer-science/aims
    https://www.cityu.edu.hk/pg/taught-postgraduate-programmes/apply-now

We cannot evaluate the eligibility of any application until it is fully received through our application system for holistic assessment. Assessment is done holistically on all submitted information. No “entrance score” can be provided. Interview will be arranged on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants are expected to have university-level knowledge and skillsets in computer programming. Some prior knowledge about computer network and web application development is preferable. For details of the course syllabi, please visit our webpage.

Admission offers are mostly made in the months of  November to June. The selection process is normally completed by the end of May for non-local applicants, or by the end of June for local applicants. Late announcement of application results may be due to:

• a very large number of applications and enquiries received during the admission period
• late application materials submitted after the application deadline
• examination results relevant to the evaluation still pending
• marginal cases for which selection decision will depend on enrolment situation and the need to fill vacancies nearer the start of term

Decisions on applications are made on a rolling basis. Owing to a large number of applications, an application may take 6 to 10 weeks to process. Applicants who did not receive the decision beyond 10 weeks may consider their cases put on the waiting list. You may check the updated application result via your online application account as we will update the system once your application status is changed.

The normal period of completing the programme is one year (full-time) or two years (part-time), while the actual period may vary depending on the student's study plan and progress. The required credit load for full-time study is 12-18 credit units per semester. For part-time study, students may determine their own credit load as long as it does not exceed 11 credit units per semester.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Science (PGDCS) is an intermediate award which a student may obtain after the completion of 24 credit units (including all core courses and at least 3 credit units of elective courses in Group I) with satisfactory results if the student decides not to continue with the Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS) programme.

The University class hours for full-time students are set as follows:

Monday to Friday: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm. Many courses will be arranged in the evenings which normally start at 7:00 pm. Classes with a duration of more than 3 hours may start earlier at 6:30 pm or extend to 10:50 pm, if applicable.