Exchange Report

University: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Country: China
Semester: SoSe 2026
Duration of stay: 4 months
Level: Master level (graduate)
Degree program: Master's Degree Program in International Management/CEMS
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1. Preparation

There is not much preparation necessary in advance. It would be a good idea to find the peers joining you to share an apartment. I can only recommend to live in Central.

2. Accommodation

At first we booked an AirBnB in Prince Eward, which was unfortunately not exactly the way we expected it to be. However, we were able to drop out and move to another apartment. This one was offered by Habyt at Staunton Street 88. I can only recommend to choose this one as well. You can either book single rooms, or a whole flat for 3, as we did. There was a lot of space and weekly cleaning. Other than that I can recommend Weave apartments (which however are quite small and expensive in comparison). You can also have a look at the Colive apartments.

3. Academic life at host university

The campus is amazing. Quite far from Central, it took us around 60min to get there, but we only had classes on 2-3 days, so that was worth it. I would not recommend living close to campus. I really enjoyed the Business Project with HKTB.

4. Cost of living in €

Number of months at the partner university (Count from the orientation session to your last exam.)

Preparation before departure (e.g., insurance, vaccinations, visa, university fees)

Travel to/from the host destination (round trip)

Accommodation (rent, utilities)

Everyday living (groceries, local transport, phone, basic expenses)

Monthly living costs (includes accommodation and everyday life expenses)

Monthly living costs in host country compared to those in Austria

Total cost of living for complete stay in €

Student received a mobility grant administered by WU (e.g. Erasmus+, WU Mobility Grant, CEEPUS)

Yes No

Grant type

Other grants received

5. Everyday life

Public transport is really good and reliable. Except for the minibuses, which sometimes do not arrive on time. I recommend using local apps for more precise timings. Hong Kong is super safe and there are a lot of activities going on, including the weekly horse races on Wednesdays.

6. Exchange semester in a nutshell

Our Cems cohort was amazing, we were only around 30 in total and 25 of those were exchange students. We were all super close and had a great time. I spend some time in Tokio and Shanghai as well, which I can only recommend as destinations. Two of my favorite cities now. I general it was exactly what I wished for and even better. I can only recommend to choose Hong Kong and would do the same again.

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