The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) publishes a fixed, per-programme dataset for its taught postgraduate admissions. For September 2027 entry the university’s programme finder lists 124 entries, each with a programme code, hosting faculty, study mode, normal duration, credit requirement, tuition fee, entrance requirements, English language requirement and application deadlines. It does not publish admission rates, applicant numbers, score distributions or round-by-round offer ratios. Knowing which fields exist is the fastest way to tell a verifiable claim from an unsourced one.
The fields every programme page carries
Each entry in the September 2027 directory exposes the same header block: programme code (five digits, e.g. 47007), a longer subcode identifying the study modes, entry term, study mode, normal duration, credit requirement and fund type. Below that sit the application deadlines, split into Local and Non-local rows.
The body of the page is organised into two tabs. About Programme contains programme aims, characteristics, recognition and prospects, curriculum, credit requirement for graduation, programme leader, subject area, entrance requirements, enquiries and tuition fee. How to Apply contains admission requirements, procedures, supporting-document rules, online application and student visa information, plus policies on credit transfer, concurrent enrolment and non-local applicants.
Anything you need for an eligibility decision is in one of those two tabs. If a claim about PolyU cannot be traced to a field there, treat it as unsourced.
Application rounds and the rolling-basis rule
PolyU’s taught postgraduate admissions page states: “Applications are considered on a rolling basis.” The admission requirements page is more specific: departments consider applications on a rolling basis until places are filled, and applicants should apply as early as possible before the application deadlines of individual programmes.
For September 2027 entry, the great majority of programmes publish two rounds: an Early Round closing 20 October 2026 and a Main Round closing 25 February 2027. The university’s key-dates block also references an Extended Round “if applicable”, and notes that applicants should check individual programme information for specific deadlines.
Deadline patterns are not uniform. Across the 124 entries there are several distinct arrangements, including at least one programme where the Local row shows only 25 February 2027 while the Non-local row shows both rounds, and the Integrated Graduate Development Scheme programmes, whose deadline rows point to a separate scheme page instead of giving dates. Always read the Local and Non-local rows separately.
Deadline patterns are not uniform across the 124 entries — read the Local and Non-local rows separately.
The English language requirement
The university-wide minimum for taught postgraduate admission applies to applicants who are not native English speakers and whose bachelor’s degree was awarded by an institution where the medium of instruction is not English. Those applicants must provide one of the following, taken in a single sitting within two years: TOEFL iBT with an overall score of 80 out of 120, or 4.5 out of 6 for tests taken on or after 21 January 2026; or IELTS Academic with an overall band score of 6.0 or above.
Four result types are explicitly excluded: TOEFL iBT Home Edition, IELTS Online, the IELTS Indicator test, and IELTS one skill retake results.
Individual programmes may set a higher bar. The two Integrated Graduate Development Scheme programmes state IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 92 or equivalent on their own pages. Checking only the university-wide minimum will produce the wrong answer for those programmes. For the difference between taught and research routes, see taught vs research master’s and the general master’s degree entry.
Tuition: three different charging models coexist
PolyU does not use a single tuition model. Three appear side by side in the September 2027 directory.
Most programmes charge per credit. Across taught master’s entries the published per-credit rates run from HK$5,800 to HK$19,600, with the one-credit Academic Integrity and Ethics subject exempt from charge on most pages. Some programmes quote a per-programme total instead — for example HK$267,000 for one engineering master’s and HK$341,000 for a hospitality master’s. The Integrated Graduate Development Scheme programmes charge per module and add a separate dissertation fee, with different rates for the January and August intakes.
The practical consequence is that no single “PolyU master’s tuition” figure exists. Comparing two programmes requires reading both Tuition Fee blocks and noting which model each uses.
Credits and duration
Of the 124 entries, 89 state a credit requirement of 31. Others differ: a hospitality scheme states 32 credits for the MSc and 20 for the PgD, while the Integrated Graduate Development Scheme programmes express the requirement as a number of modules plus a project rather than as credits.
Normal full-time duration ranges from one year to three years depending on the programme. Registration-linked health programmes tend to sit at the longer end. Duration matters for cost planning because it determines how many months a non-local student spends in Hong Kong; see the Hong Kong country overview for the wider context.
Two status flags worth checking
The directory carries two status markers that change what an application means.
The first is “offered subject to approval”. For September 2027 entry exactly one listing carries this note: the MSc in AI for Architectural and Habitat Design. The programme appears in the directory and accepts applications, but its offering is conditional.
The second is “Not inviting applications”, which appears in the deadline row instead of dates. For September 2027 entry three listings show it: the MSc in Advanced Occupational Therapy, the MA in Marriage and Family Therapy, and the Doctor of Social Work. This is a per-entry-year status shown on the page, not an announcement that a programme has been discontinued.
Two status flags — “offered subject to approval” and “Not inviting applications” — change what an application means.
What PolyU does not publish
The following do not exist as fields anywhere in the taught postgraduate admissions material: admission rates; the number of applications received; the distribution of admitted applicants’ grades; any breakdown of admitted applicants by the type or tier of their undergraduate institution; and the proportion of offers issued in each application round.
The general entrance requirement states only that the basic requirement for a master’s degree or postgraduate diploma is a bachelor’s degree from an institution recognised by PolyU, that applicants must also meet programme-specific requirements, and that equivalent qualifications may be accepted on an individual basis. Grade-related wording at programme level takes the form of qualification descriptions such as “Bachelor’s degree with Honours” or “Second Class (Upper Division) Honours” — these are eligibility descriptors, not score thresholds.
Any figure presented as a PolyU admission statistic therefore has no official page to point to. The companion entry PolyU admissions myths vs. published requirements works through the most common examples.
How to verify any claim in this entry
Open the PolyU postgraduate admissions section, go to the taught postgraduate programme finder, select September 2027 entry, and locate the programme by faculty or by its five-digit code. Read the header block for duration, credits and fund type; the Application Deadline block for the Local and Non-local rows separately; Entrance Requirements for subject scope and any cross-discipline clause; the same block for a programme-specific English requirement; Tuition Fee for the charging model; and Additional Documents Required for which materials are mandatory. Record the date you checked — fields change during the admissions cycle. Programme-level early-application signals across Hong Kong institutions are summarised in Hong Kong early admission overview for 2027 entry.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many taught postgraduate programmes does PolyU offer for 2027 entry?
The programme finder lists 124 entries for September 2027 entry. Entries include doctoral and postgraduate diploma awards as well as master’s degrees, and a single programme code can carry more than one listing where separate specialisms exist.
Is the 20 October 2026 deadline the same for everyone?
For most programmes both the Local and Non-local rows show an Early Round closing 20 October 2026 and a Main Round closing 25 February 2027. Some programmes differ, and the Integrated Graduate Development Scheme programmes direct applicants to a separate scheme page. Check both rows on the programme page.
Does PolyU publish minimum GPA requirements?
No. Programme pages express academic thresholds as qualification descriptions such as “Bachelor’s degree with Honours” or a specified class of honours. No numeric grade minimum is published for taught postgraduate admission.
Can I use an IELTS Online result?
No. IELTS Online, the IELTS Indicator test, IELTS one skill retake results and TOEFL iBT Home Edition are all excluded from meeting the English language requirement for taught programmes.
What does “offered subject to approval” mean?
It indicates that the programme’s offering is still conditional at the time of listing. It appears on one listing for September 2027 entry. The final position is determined by the university.
Why do some programmes cost so much more per credit than others?
The university does not publish a rationale. What is verifiable is that each programme page states its own rate, that published per-credit rates for taught master’s entries span HK$5,800 to HK$19,600, and that some programmes use per-programme or per-module pricing instead.
Primary sources
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University — Taught Postgraduate admissions overview (rolling-basis statement, key dates structure, per-programme deadline note). Accessed 31 July 2026.
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University — Admission Requirements (TPG): general entrance requirement, English language requirement, excluded test types, rolling review until places are filled. Accessed 31 July 2026.
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University — Find Your Programmes (TPG), September 2027 entry: the 124 programme listings and their individual programme pages, from which all codes, durations, credit requirements, tuition models, entrance requirements, status flags and deadlines in this entry were taken. Accessed 31 July 2026.
Figures in this entry are the values published on the dates accessed. Fields change during the admissions cycle; verify before relying on any of them. This entry is general information only and is not admissions or immigration advice.
Last updated: 29 July 2026.