HKUST Hosts "Fire Up Your Year" Orientation Carnival to Welcome the 2026/27 Academic Year

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) today held its orientation carnival, "Fire Up Your Year," today (September 1). Coinciding with the University's 35th anniversary, the event themed "Where Miracles Happen," brought together President Prof. Nancy IP, members of the University leadership, faculty, staff, and alumni to warmly welcome more than 8,000 new undergraduate and postgraduate students from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Chinese Mainland, and around the world to the HKUST community as they embark on an exciting new chapter in their academic journey.

In her address, President Ip stated, "Thirty-five years ago, HKUST was just a bold idea. Our founding President and pioneering leaders dared to envision a university that would not simply follow established paths but create new ones. United by a 'Can-Do' spirit, they built HKUST with ambition, courage, and an unwavering belief that great ideas can change the world.”

President Ip offered words of encouragement to students, saying, “Today, that same 'Can-Do' spirit continues to guide us as we evolve to meet society's changing needs. Our ongoing efforts to establish the HKUST School of Medicine stand as a landmark development, enabling us to nurture talent across a broader spectrum of disciplines and help shape the future of healthcare and medical innovation. As we begin this new academic year and celebrate our 35th Anniversary, I encourage all students to be curious, courageous, connected, and engaged. Embrace every opportunity, challenge yourself to grow, and strive to make a meaningful impact on the world around you."

For the 2026/27 intake, HKUST recorded an increase in total local student applications, with JUPAS Band A applications rising by nearly 10% year-on-year. The University also received nearly 30,000 non-JUPAS undergraduate applications from local and non-local students across more than 120 countries and regions, representing a significant 20% increase from the previous year. These included first-time applications from Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Malawi, Qatar, and Togo. On the postgraduate front, HKUST received over 53,000 applications for the Fall 2026 intake.

This year's incoming cohort of non-local undergraduate students comes from over 65 countries and regions around the world. International students account for nearly half of the non-local undergraduate population, including students from Qatar, Finland, Costa Rica, Georgia, Romania, Serbia, Zambia, and Switzerland. In addition to strong representation from Asia, the cohort includes students from Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East, with countries represented including Germany, France, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the United Arab Emirates. For postgraduate enrollment, over 5,000 students have registered for the 2026/27 Fall term to date, including approximately 4,700 non-local students from countries and regions such as Nepal, Montenegro, Türkiye, Vietnam, Iran, India, and Indonesia.

The orientation carnival featured a vibrant array of activities, including live band performances, rope-skipping demonstrations, interactive quiz sessions, and a 35th-anniversary cake-cutting ceremony, bringing together faculty, staff, students, and alumni to celebrate the start of the new academic year. To further enhance the festive atmosphere, HKUST also organized a two-day, campus-wide "Campus Quest" stamp-collecting event featuring interactive game stalls and information stations. Students can collect stamps by completing challenges at designated locations across campus to redeem a variety of commemorative gifts.

As HKUST embarks on a new academic year and celebrates its 35th anniversary, the University remains committed to advancing education, research and innovation. Together with its students, faculty, staff and alumni, HKUST will continue to push boundaries, achieve new milestones, and write the next chapter of excellence and impact.