Exchange (CEMS Track ONLY)

1. Will I be able to join any of the partner schools in your exchange program? 

The opportunity to undertake an exchange is guaranteed to students with CEMS qualification but whether you can go to your preferred school depends on the number of spaces available. Those spaces vary year by year. If the demand for a specific partner school is more than the available exchange spaces, students will be assessed in terms of their academic and personal qualities to match with partner schools. Students are advised to select a list of preferred exchange partner schools during application, and their exchange opportunities will be assigned according to their priority in the preference list.

2. Do I need to pay tuition fee at the exchange school? 

Students continue to pay HKUST tuition fee for the credits they take at exchange schools. They have to take care of other expenses such as flights, accommodation and living expenses during the exchange. In some cases, the partner universities may require exchange students to pay for the costs of participating the Block Seminar and some other course materials.

3. Do I need a student visa for the exchange?

Some locations require students to get a student visa for the exchange. Students are recommended to coordinate with the exchange school for the application of the student visa before the exchange term begins, if needed.

4. Is it possible to change my exchange preference? 

We give students liberty to pick their preferred exchange school only at the time of admissions, which is why we require students to prioritize the schools according to their preference. It is the students' responsibility to make sure that their listed choices are based on their evaluation of the schools and their priority of preference. Any changes of choices will not be entertained after submission and assignment of exchange schools.

5. When will I know the result of exchange? 

Exchange allocation will be processed and announced after the second phase of application. Applicants from the third or fourth phase of application will not have priority on exchange school selection, and exchange allocation will depend on the availability of exchange seats left after the first two phases. 

6. How does the Program Office allocate exchange for students? 

The HKUST MIMT Program Office assigns the exchange opportunity by taking consideration from various aspects in order to widen students’ international exposure towards different cultures and communities, which they might probably not have experienced before. The various aspects for careful consideration include students’ holistic background, interview performance, preferred school term for exchange, students’ priority of exchange school in the preference list, overall student demand for particular exchange schools, available exchange slots in each school, etc.

Since CEMS advocates a balance of students going to each member school in each school term, there is only a limited number of seats in each school and in each term. Please note that some of the exchange schools are in extremely high demand, but there is no way to accommodate the request of all students to one school. If all the choices in the student’s preference list have already been filled up by other students with better qualification/performance, the HKUST MIMT Program Office has no choice but to assign students to another CEMS school with available seats. We encourage students to apply as early as they can.