HKU is committed to preparing students for life in the digital age. Over the 2024–25 academic year, we introduced mandatory programmes on how to use AI effectively and ethically and provided students with opportunities to develop the leadership abilities and core human values that are essential to pursuing meaningful, impactful lives.

Our approach to AI illustrates both aims. In September 2025, a micro-credential course in AI literacy was launched for all first-year undergraduates, led by the new School of Computing and Data Science (SCDS), on the fundamental concepts and principles of using AI. At the same time, students must take a Common Core course in AI to reflect on how AI is transforming society at all levels, and to consider the ethical, individual and societal implications of such rapid technological change. The Common Core is HKU’s innovative cross-disciplinary programme, bringing students from different disciplines together to explore contemporary issues in five Areas of Inquiry (Scientific and Technological Literacy; Arts and Humanities; Global Issues; China: Culture, State and Society; AI). The new AI Area of Inquiry, comprising over 30 new courses, is the biggest change since the Common Core was launched in 2012.

Interdisciplinary learning is also being formalised through the establishment of new interdisciplinary schools, including the SCDS, supported by the Faculties of Engineering and Science; the School of Innovation, offering project-based learning and straddling the Engineering, Architecture, Business and Science Faculties; and the School of Biomedical Engineering, which involves the Medicine, Dentistry, Engineering and Science Faculties.

A poster exhibition was held in April 2025 where projects from the new AI literacy course were showcased.

Eleven new interdisciplinary degree programmes launched this year also had a strong element of AI and data science, while the new Delta+ Tech Immersion Fellowship will allow top-performing students admitted to the Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science or Bachelor of Engineering in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science to complete their final year at the new HKU-CDS Shanghai Teaching and Research Site. We also introduced HKU’s first Co-op programme (see CO-OP OPPORTUNITIES), open to students in all faculties, and a four-year Graduate-Entry MBBS for students with a first degree.

Alongside formal learning, HKU continues to be a place where bright young people can develop not only their minds but also their character. Co-curricular activities organised through the Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS), Horizons Office, halls and residential colleges, as well as less formal arrangements, provide students with mentoring, career guidance, life skills such as leadership, and very much more. These activities are often where students make friends with people from other disciplines and cultures and have their most memorable and impactful experiences.

A group of HKU international students organised a vibrant cultural carnival on campus.

The high quality of the HKU learning experience, and our willingness to innovate, were recognised with the QS and Times Higher Education awards in 2024–25 (see CROSSING DIVIDES). Most importantly, it enables us to attract accomplished students from around the world. In September 2025, HKU admitted the highest number of students ranked in the top 1% of Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) scorers of any local university. We also benefitted from the ‘Study in Hong Kong’ initiative by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People’s Republic of China, which increased non-local student admissions from 20% to 40% above the local intake from 2024–25 (calculated on a four-year average) and 50% from 2026–27. More than 25,000 students from over 120 countries and regions applied for about 1,600 spots. Many were top performers, helping the University enter the 2025–26 academic year on a high note.

Innovative Teaching

CROSSING DIVIDES

Dr Tim Yung (right) of the Faculty of Arts and Dr Khong Mei-li (left) of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine.

A cross-disciplinary project in which students from four countries collaborated on sustainability initiatives was recognised in the QS Reimagine Education Awards 2024 with the Global Silver Award for Sustainability Education Literacy.

Students from HKU, Mexico’s Tecnológico de Monterrey, Thailand’s Srinakharinwirot University, and the International Islamic University Malaysia came together in the project ‘Cross-Cultural Classroom: Empowering Future Leaders with Sustainable Citizenship’. They each identified a problem in their home country with reference to the UN Sustainability Development Goals, then worked in cross-country, interdisciplinary teams to create a viable product that would work in all four settings. The results included compact portable water filters, water recycling systems, apps to reduce healthcare inequalities and traffic accidents, and an AI-supported triage system.

Dr Tim Yung of the Faculty of Arts and Dr Khong Mei-li of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine led the HKU team and said the experience enriched everyone involved: “Thinking about sustainability beyond one’s discipline, while empathising with other cultural contexts, is essential for higher education – for both students and educators!”

MOST INNOVATIVE TEACHER

Mr Samson Wong Ki-sum (fourth from left) was honoured as the Most Innovative Teacher of the Year in Asia 2025 by Times Higher Education.

Mr Samson Wong Ki-sum, an assistant lecturer in the Medical Ethics and Humanities Unit of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, was the inaugural winner of the ‘Most Innovative Teacher of the Year’ in the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards Asia 2025, for his innovation in grief literacy education. Mr Wong uses an immersive virtual reality game, together with a mini-lecture and two debriefing sessions, to deepen second- year MBBS students’ understanding of anticipatory grief in family members of dying patients. Mr Wong’s unique pedagogy was published in the journal Medical Education.

The THE judges noted that anticipatory grief is a ‘highly important challenge’ in medicine. “The adoption of digital-visual technology to bring this to the attention of medical students, particularly in the early stage of their education and training, can thus have a long-term positive impact on their professional maturation and readiness,” they said. “[Mr] Wong’s effort deserves recognition for its relevance, innovation and demonstrated effectiveness.” Prior to the THE award, Mr Wong was also a finalist in the 2023 and 2024 QS Reimagine Education Awards for the ‘Nurturing Values and Ethics Award’.

AN AI ASSISTANT FOR SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION

Dr Johnson Cheung Chun-sing (second from right), Professor Ben Kao (first from right) and the project team.

A new AI-learning innovation is providing social work students with richer opportunities to practise counselling and interview skills and to reflect on their interactions with different kinds of virtual clients. The specially developed AI chatbot overcomes the challenges of traditional simulation-based learning, such as the lack of real client involvement and limited opportunities to practise, by offering complex, lifelike scenarios that students can interact with at any time or place. A pilot version was led by Dr Johnson Cheung Chun-sing in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration in collaboration with Professor Ben Kao and his team at the Tam Wing Fan Innovation Wing, and students from both social work and engineering were also involved. The project is now being expanded over two academic years and will be further fine-tuned and integrated into the curriculum.

“This initiative illustrates the transformative potential of GenAI for experiential learning in social work education, and demonstrates how cross-disciplinary partnerships can drive practical innovation, benefitting students, faculty and the wider professional community. The project also reflects HKU’s commitment to pioneering educational practices for social good,” Dr Cheung said.

Cream of the Crop

WORLD AMBITIONS

João Davi de Morais started classes in September with a short detour to the United Nations’ General Assembly in New York, where he was one of 10 people selected worldwide for Theirworld’s journalism project to showcase his work reporting on the importance and need for more daycare in his home country Brazil. His future hope is to develop tools that can improve access to education and give voice to the underserved and underprivileged. He has enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Digital Technologies.

João Davi DE MORAIS
Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Digital Technologies

I was attracted to HKU’s interdisciplinary approach. I really love the freedom to not be restricted to a single area of study but to mix different subjects. I was also excited when I discovered the investments the University has made in technology, such as new labs and the course for first-year students on artificial intelligence. While I’m here, I really want to develop projects intersecting technology and education or communication, that can be used not only in Hong Kong but beyond.

THE SPORTS MEDALLIST

Para table tennis player Pang Wing-ka, who won a bronze medal in the Women’s Singles Class 6 Event at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games in 2023, was one of seven athletes admitted this year to HKU via the Top Athletes Direct Admission Scheme. Pang is pursuing a Bachelor of Social Sciences and hopes to combine her studies and sport to promote social inclusion and the rights of people with disabilities.

PANG Wing-ka
Bachelor of Social Sciences

On top of its excellent academic reputation, HKU offers me access to world-class training facilities and flexible study programmes. I’ve received significant assistance from HKU and the Hong Kong Sports Institute and I hope to continue representing Hong Kong in international competitions, including the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles.

WINNING WAYS

Jeffrey Chiang Shing-hin has been admitted to the MBBS programme on the back of outstanding achievements in his studies and beyond. He scored full marks (45/45) in the IB and, at the same time, won gold in the 25th Asia Pacific Bridge Federation Youth Championships in May. In November, he represented the Hong Kong bridge team in the 15th National Games and won bronze in the Men’s Youth Team Event. Despite offers from several UK institutions, including Imperial College London, he chose HKU for its commitment to holistic development, including his participation in future bridge competitions, and an early, supportive encounter with the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine.

Jeffrey CHIANG Shing-hin
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery

I was selected for the bridge championships during the most demanding phase of my IB examinations and I wavered on whether to go. Around this time, I attended an HKU event and spoke with Professor Kenny Kwan Yat-hong [of the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology]. He took time to thoroughly evaluate my case and expressed confidence in my ability to manage both responsibilities. This interaction was transformative for me.

MAKING IT WORK

Cheng Wai-chun comes to HKU with experience applying his learning in the community. He was not only head prefect and member of the robotics team at his secondary school, but developed multiple web systems for his school, such as an assignment record checking system and iPad booking system. He has been admitted to the Computing and Data Science programme via the School Nominations Direct Admission Scheme.

CHENG Wai-chun
Computing and Data Science

I chose HKU because I was impressed by the hospitality of HKU students and the equipment in the Innovation Wing when I visited on Info Day. I was also attracted by the flexibility to choose between majoring in data science or computer science in Year 2 of the programme, and the University’s numerous connections in the community. I look forward to joining hackathons and competitions and exploring the opportunities available at HKU.

Enriching Experiences

LEAD FOR LIFE

Participating students at the Lead for Life Cohort 2025 Orientation Weekend Launch.

Lead for Life was launched in 2021 to help students develop their character as a foundation for effective leadership, through interactive teaching, engagement with industry mentors and students across faculties, and serving the community. From 2025–26, the programme will be a two-year, six-credit, free elective course based in the Faculty of Arts, in collaboration with CEDARS.

Two third-year students, Sabrina Cheung and Bibi Harijah, completed the programme in 2025 and reflected on what they learned.

Sabrina CHEUNG
Bachelor of Social Sciences

My perception of leadership changed. I had thought only successful and confident people were capable of becoming leaders, but I was encouraged to see there are different leadership styles that exist everywhere. Even as a shy person, I can still become a capable leader in my own style. This allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and embrace my strengths and weaknesses.

---

Bibi HARIJAH
Bachelor of Economics and Finance

I want to contribute meaningfully to society while pursuing a fulfilling career in finance. I’ve learned that good leadership starts within. It’s not just about being competent or strategic; it’s about leading with integrity, empathy and purpose. If you want to inspire others, you first need to cultivate the kind of character that earns trust and respect.

NEW HORIZONS

MBBS student John Lo (first from left) during his first summer research project at HKU.

Zahra Lotfifard at the Poster Session of the HKU Laidlaw Scholars Programme.

HKU’s Horizons Office works with community partners to develop experiential learning opportunities for students, both within Hong Kong and beyond. One programme it supports is the Laidlaw Scholars Programme for research and leadership. John Lo, a fourth-year MBBS student, completed the programme in 2025. Over two summers at both HKU and King’s College London, he conducted research on Alzheimer’s disease and machine-learning-based digital blood twins for cancer screening. He presented his initial research on Alzheimer’s disease at the Asia-Pacific Neuroscience Student Congress and the North American Laidlaw Scholars Conference 2024. “It was inspiring to exchange ideas with aspiring peers from around the world. I learned the importance of ethical, collaborative leadership in science and how research can drive tangible change in healthcare,” he said.

Zahra Lotfifard, a 2025 Bachelor of Science graduate, joined The Hong Kong Project, a six-credit course on social issues open to high-performing students in their final year. Zahra was placed with Agewhale, which supports families and businesses facing challenges in eldercare, where she and teammates developed materials for two hands-on workshops. “I had done research on ageing before in a scientific context and it was interesting for me to look at it in a social context as well, to bridge the two,” she said, adding she learned much from teammates in social sciences and global health, who offered new perspectives to her.

CO-OP OPPORTUNITIES

Ashely Li (left) had her placement at CLP Power.

Bachelor of Economics and Finance student Eason Chow had the internship in the audit and technology advisory units of KPMG.

The University piloted a Co-op programme in early 2025, ahead of its formal launch in September for students from all faculties (except in their first and final years), that places students in a workplace for six months or more to apply their knowledge and skills, and learn about working life. Students receive pre- course preparation from CEDARS, such as interview and career coaching, and support from an HKU teacher throughout their placement. The 18-credit course also requires them to produce reflective journals, an industry report and a final report on their responsibilities and personal growth during the placement.

Pilot participant Ashely Li Kwun-lam, a third-year Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering student, was placed with CLP Power and given tasks such as developing a distribution network analysis platform. “Being involved in real engineering projects gave me confidence and made me realise the challenges in adapting to the pace and expectations of working in industry. Before the Co-op, I mainly prioritised job security in large companies, but I now realise that staying curious, learning continuously and having passion and responsibility are much more essential for a meaningful career.”

Eason Chow Yee-shun, a fourth-year Bachelor of Economics and Finance student, was placed with accountants KPMG, working in the audit and technology advisory units. She was similarly struck by the differences between the workplace and classroom. “While university provides structured learning, the real world presents complex, ambiguous challenges that require adaptability, communication and critical thinking. This has motivated me to continue seeking opportunities to bridge theory and practice” – an outcome that responds to one of HKU’s Teaching and Learning Educational Aims to enable students to tackle novel situations and ill-defined problems.