HKU has always had a strong international orientation. More than half of our professoriate staff come from outside Hong Kong. We have the most diverse student population among universities in Hong Kong. In 2022-23, there are over 13,300 non-local undergraduate and postgraduate students from 86 jurisdictions. About 70% of professoriate staff come from outside Hong Kong. The interactions of local and non-local students help to promote intercultural understanding, which has been incorporated into our educational aims.

In support of the internationalization of our campus, English has been adopted as HKU’s lingua franca. It is the common language used for lectures, tutorials, seminars, forums and other events to enable inclusive participation by Chinese and non-Chinese speaking students and staff. Students also take two 6-credit courses of English language: one to induct them into academic studies at university, and the other to provide English support for their disciplinary studies.