Current Students»International Programs
Photo of a street in Hong Kong

Hong Kong SAR, China

Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)

Applications for Fall 2026 are now open and close on February 16, 2026. Apply here.

Hong Kong is a pretty international city so I found everything I needed and the best part of the program was the open, intellectual, and social students from all over the world that were at CUHK.” – Maxime, Former CUHK Participant

Want to hear more from our students about their experience studying abroad in Hong Kong? Check out our AIP blog for more information.

Program 
The Annenberg Hong Kong program offers an exciting opportunity to live and study in the vibrant and cosmopolitan city of Hong Kong. Study alongside local and international students in a variety of disciplines from communication and journalism to marketing and culture, at the highly regarded global research institution- Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). The CUHK campus, with its amazing waterfront views, is located in the Sha Tin district of the New Territories and is only 30 minutes away from the politically, economically, and culturally diverse city center of Hong Kong. Discover why it's considered the gateway into Asia for the western world and explore its unique “East Meets West” spirit. 

This program is open to all USC Undergraduates who meet eligibility requirements. 

Dates

Program Dates: September 7, 2026 – December 23, 2026

Hostel check-in with additional fee: August 31, 2026

Hostel check-in: September 5, 2026

Orientation: September 2 – 4, 2026

Classes begin: September 7, 2026

Classes end: December 5, 2026

Exam period: December 9 – 23, 2026

Curriculum
Courses taught in English are offered in the following fields:  

  • Communication
  • Public Relations
  • Journalism
  • Language classes (Cantonese and Putonghua/Mandarin)
  • English
  • Fine Arts
  • Humanities
  • Natural Sciences
  • International Relations
  • Intercultural Studies
  • Music
  • Public Administration

Academic Units & Credit
All students are required to enroll in a full course load of 15 units.

  • COMM students will be able to earn 12 units of upper-division major elective credit; the remaining 3 units taken will be general elective credits
    • The free elective course is required to focus on Hong Kong or Chinese culture or history.
    • Students who take Putonghua courses at CUHK can earn a maximum of 9 units of upper-division COMM credit.
       
  • JOUR & PR students may be able to earn 12 units of upper-division major elective credit; the remaining 3 units will be free elective credits
    • The free elective course is required to focus on Hong Kong or Chinese culture or history.
       
  • All other USC majors will be able to earn 15 units of general elective credits.  
    • Non-Annenberg majors are required to take one free elective course focusing on Hong Kong or Chinese culture or history. 

Approval for non-Annenberg major/minor credit is granted by the non-ASCJ major/minor department and is not guaranteed. For more details on earning major and minor credit in this program, contact International Programs.

Students must take courses for a letter grade, pass/no pass is not an option. Courses will transfer into USC as credit/no credit and will have no impact on USC GPA. CUHK will issue a separate transcript that students may be required to submit to graduate or professional schools in the future.  

Program Highlights

  • Field trips, monthly dinner talks, excursions, and other cultural programs are offered to international students each semester
  • CUHK student organization called the "i-LOUNGE" fosters interaction between international and local students with a number of excursions to Buddhist monasteries, big tourist sites, and trips to Shenzhen and Macau; most of which are included in program costs
  • Participate in CUHK team athletics and intramural sports
  • Explore Asia! Traveling to China and other Asian countries is very convenient and inexpensive
  • Extremely affordable on-campus housing
  • Access to USC Global Office, Hong Kong

Housing 
Students are required to live in a dormitory on campus. On-campus dormitories are shared with other international and local students. All dormitories have bathroom facilities on each floor and laundry service in the basement. The dormitories are also cleaned every day by staff. Cooking is not common in the dorms due to limited kitchen facilities, but each dormitory has a student dining hall. Eating out is the most common option since food is very inexpensive and diverse in Hong Kong. Students may choose a meal plan in some dorms for an additional cost.

Eligibility
Open to all USC majors. Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a minimum sophomore standing before the start of the program. There is no language requirement.

Estimated Costs
Please see the detailed estimated program costs below for Fall 2026. Each semester, Annenberg International Programs provides an up-to-date cost sheet to admitted students. If there are any changes from the time students are admitted to a program to the time they leave for a study abroad semester, updated cost sheets will be sent to them.

Please note that these costs are subject to change without notice:

Tuition: $36,630 (2025-2026 USC tuition rate)
Student Visa, bedding and admin fees: $215 
Housing: $1,100 - $1,400
CUHK Housing Deposit: $445 (refundable)
USC Overseas Health Insurance*: $2,298 (2025 – 2026 rate)
Estimated Round Trip Airfare: $1,200
Estimated Personal Expenses (food, entertainment, weekend travel, etc.): $4,000
TOTAL: $45,443 - $45,743

Financial aid and tuition remission apply. Contact AIP for more information on financial aid and scholarships.

*All USC students are required to have sufficient health insurance during their study abroad program. In order to ensure proper coverage, all students going abroad must have either USC Overseas Policy or the USC Student Health Insurance Plan for the semester they are abroad. As students may not waive out of USC health insurance when they study abroad, students will be automatically enrolled in the USC Student Health Insurance Plan and billed accordingly by the USC Health Insurance Office. Students who have a waiver on file (because they have successfully waived out of the USC Student Health Insurance Plan through the online process on OASIS) will be enrolled in the USC Overseas Policy and billed accordingly.