Program Overview

The School of Engineering (SOE) of the Catholic University of America (CUA) has established a student exchange program with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). Through the established student exchange program, qualified engineering students at CUA may study abroad at PolyU during the second semester of their junior year. Students who are interested in the student abroad program at PolyU should contact their academic advisor and Dr. Abot, Director of International Programs, 1 year in advance, ideally, to plan their coursework and familiarize his or herself with the application process. 

PolyU and Hong Kong

• PolyU is a public university with about 30,000 students and 5,000 staff.
• Poly U offers 220 degrees in eight facilities (colleges) including the Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Construction and Environment
• PolyU has various services for exchange students including orientation on arrival, buddy program, international club and host family scheme.
• PolyU has well-established exchange programs with 150 institutions in more than 20 countries around the world.
• Hong Kong is a very dynamic and prosperous metropolitan city of with a population of about 7 million. As a shopper's paradise, it offers international cuisines and fabulous sightseeing attractions.
• Hong Kong's main languages are Cantonese and English.

How Does It Work?

• The student pays full tuition at Catholic University for the study abroad semester. For students participating in the study abroad program at PolyU, there is no change in their existing financial aid arrangement in terms of their federal and CUA grants and scholarships.
• The CUAbroad office will register the participating student for a study abroad course (XHKG 500) of 15 semester credit hours (SCH) for the study abroad semester.  Students are encouraged to communicate with the CUAbroad office one year in advance.
• If applicable, the student informs CUA regarding their desired dormitory status while abroad and upon return to CUA so that proper arrangement can be made.
• All courses are taught in English at PolyU, thereby requiring no Chinese language proficiency. However, students are encouraged to take some beginning courses of Chinese languages before going abroad.
• Upon receiving the transcript from PolyU for the courses the student completes at PolyU, the SOE Dean's office will enter credit for the equivalent CUA courses on the student's CUA transcript. Grades earned at PolyU will not be used in the calculation of the student's grade point average (GPA).

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to participate in the study abroad program, students must be in good standing and possess a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 at the end of their sophomore year.

Application Procedure

1. Students must first receive pre-approval from the School of Engineering (SOE). Please note the August 31st deadline. Application materials to be submitted to SOE academic advisor include:

   • SOE Education Abroad Application Form
   • 2 Letters of Recommendation
   • Unofficial Transcript
   • Passport copy, if available
2. Next, students must apply through CUAbroad. Please note the October 1st deadline. All applicants must follow the CUAbroad How to Apply Guidelines and also submit the additional application materials listed below. These materials should be submitted to CUAbroad, not to the SOE.

• Two additional passport-sized photographs (3 total)
• Curriculum vitae (résumé)
• Visa application form
• Proof of Financial Support, which should be a bank document with evidence of HK$20,000 or more in your holding each semester. The document must contain the name of the bank, name of account holder, and balance of the account. The document must be an original; an online printout will not be accepted. If the student is not the account holder, a notarized affidavit of financial support must be provided.

3. Finally, students submit their applications to Hong Kong Polytechnic University. This includes the items below. HKPU will send a private application link to each student after receiving the nomination list from CUA.
4. PolyU Online application with your passport page uploaded. The passport must have a validity of 6 months after the completion of the exchange. HKD $500 (approx. $65 USD) Visa application fees and Living Expenses at PolyU.

Tuition

Exchange students do not pay tuition at PolyU.  Tuition is charged to the student's CUA account. For more information about expected costs, please see the estimated budget sheet found on the CUAbroad website.