Housing

Deciding where to live during your time in the Joint Bachelor’s Degree Program is an important part of your enrollment preparations. JBDP students are prioritized for access to housing at both CityU and at Columbia University. After accepting their offer of admission, students will receive details on how to apply for accommodation from the Joint Bachelor’s Degree Program.

Housing at City University of Hong Kong

CityUHK maintains 11 residence halls at Cornwall Street as well as 6 residence halls in Ma On Shan in order to provide undergraduate and postgraduate students with a high quality of life.

Housing at CityUHK is communal and engaging and designed to be a vital part of the student experience. Residence halls have Inter-Hall Contest Fun Days throughout the year featuring competitions of badminton, basketball, soccer, and other sports. Regular yoga practices are offered to help students alleviate stress and practice mindfulness. Students celebrate events like the Mid-Autumn and Spring Festivals together, and each hall has residence tutors who provide pastoral care to fellow residents. Art, music, and entrepreneurial workshops are regularly offered to residents to help them meet fellow students and engage their passions.

To learn more about CityUHK’s housing system, visit their Student Residence Office website.

Housing Fees

Full residential year hall places are to be offered to residents. Lodging fees for the residential year 2025/26 are payable in two installments to cover the entire residential period. The two installments will be charged to one’s student account (tentative) in September and January.

Student Type*: Cohort*; Rate for Double Room (per person); Rate for Single Room (per person)
Local Students: All; HK$15,900/year; HK$31,200/year
Non-local students: 2018 and before; HK$15,900/year; HK$31,800/year
Non-local students: 2019 and thereafter; HK$19,100/year; HK$38,200/year

Withdrawal from Student Residence

In general, a full residential year hall placement is offered to residents. There are TWO withdrawal deadlines: one is for withdrawal from Semester A and one is for withdrawal from Semester B. Successful applicants are not required to settle the remaining hall lodging fee of Semester A or full hall lodging fee of Semester B. Email notification will be sent to successful applicants. Please visit Withdrawal from Student Residence for more details. Any residents who do not submit a withdrawal application before the deadline are liable for settling the payment of full hall lodging fee in full.

Policies on Fees

Payment Procedures

Upon the announcement of allocation results, students have to pay a confirmation fee at a time to be specified in the offer letter to indicate the acceptance of the offer. Failure to pay the confirmation fee within the specified time period will imply forfeiture of the offer.

Confirmation Fee

The confirmation fee is set at the level approximate to 25% of a double room rental per semester (i.e. HK$2,000). The exact fee level will be determined by the Student Residence Office.

Administrative Charge

An administrative charge ($300) will be charged separately for those special requests approved by the Student Residence Office.

Damage to Hostel and Properties

Compensation to the university for damage caused to the student residence and properties will be based on assessment by the Director of the Student Residence Office in consultation with the Directors of Facilities Management and Finance Office in order to determine to the cost of property to be repaired and replaced as appropriate.

Penalty Charges for Late Check-Out and Improper Check-out

Penalty charges will be levied to any residents who commit the following:

Fail to check out their rooms upon the completion of the assigned period.
Fail to properly clean up their rooms.
Fail to restore the furniture upon check-out.

The exact penalty charges will be determined by the Student Residence Office in consultation with the Finance Office.

Penalty Charges


Late check-out:: HK$200/day/person + room charges/day/person
Improper check-out:: A minimum of HK$200/room

Loss of / Damage to Resident Card / Key Card

Resident Card: HK$100 per card

Late Payment

In line with the principle recently adopted by the Sub-Committee on Tuition Fees, penalties for overdue stays and associated charges may be levied at about 2% of the amounts outstanding per billing cycle, to be billed together with other outstanding student fees and charges, if any. Students who do not pay the fees and charges in full by payment due date may be barred from accessing university facilities and have their studies terminated by the university.

Refund

Confirmation Fee: Non-refundable and non-transferable on all conditions.

Hall Lodging Fee:

Early withdrawal from student residence initiated by the student: No refund, e.g. due to leave of absence, outbound exchange or withdrawal from study.
Early withdrawal from student residence initiated by the University, e.g. due to expulsion from University on account of disciplinary and/or academic grounds: Refund on a pro rata daily rate basis for all the hall fees paid (except the confirmation fee which is non-refundable and non-transferable).

Housing at Columbia University

Joint Bachelor’s Degree Program students will be guaranteed access to Columbia Residential housing when making the transition from Hong Kong to New York in their third year. Students who choose not to take advantage of University housing leading up to this transition will not be guaranteed a placement at a later date.

In comparison to the housing options offered to students during their time at CityU, there are far fewer studio apartments available and GS students are usually accommodated in apartments or dormitory-style suites shared by other Columbia students. Typically each student has his or her own bedroom while sharing kitchen and bath facilities. An overview of types of accommodations is available on the Columbia Residential website.

Housing Eligibility

To be eligible for University housing, students must be registered full-time (meaning they must register for and complete at least 12 points each semester). Full-time student status is also a requirement for maintaining a student visa. It is easier to be assigned to Columbia Residential as a student who is new to the University than as a continuing student. If you plan to apply for University housing, it is best to do so early in the spring semester before you begin your studies at Columbia, as the timeliness of your application will impact your housing allocation. You may decline an offer if you decide you do not want University housing, though it is important to note that JBDP students who choose not to take advantage of university housing leading up to this transition will not be guaranteed a placement at a later date.

Housing Application Timeline

Students must submit the housing application in the spring semester before enrollment at Columbia. The housing application deadline is April 15.

Fall Semester

*Housing assignments are made on a rolling basis as spaces become available.

Joint Bachelor’s Degree Program students who plan to apply for Columbia Residential housing will receive instructions in their third-year transition packets, which they will receive in the spring term of their second year at CityUHK. Students are responsible for all associated housing costs during their enrollment at Columbia University.

It is important to note that housing is only guaranteed to students who remain on their original Columbia Residential Housing Agreement. Students who choose to break their Housing Agreement or leave University housing are not guaranteed access at a later date, though every effort will be made to accommodate requests outside of this process.

Questions concerning Columbia Residential housing may be directed to [email protected].

Application Process