Staff Courses | Chinese Language Centre

1. Subsidized Courses in Chinese (Cantonese or Putonghua)

Academic Terms
Semester 1 September 7 – November 20, 2026
Semester 2 January 18 – April 23, 2027

Course Content
The emphasis of each course is on the spoken language, in particular daily conversations. The Jyutping and the Hanyu Pinyin System are used for the romanization of Cantonese and Putonghua respectively.

Fee
A University subsidy has made it possible to keep the fee down to $2,400 per person per course. Payment should be made via the Online Payment System (OPS). Successful applicants will receive the payment link by email in due course. Tuition fees, once paid, are not refundable.

Enrollment
The 26 places for each course will be offered on a first-come-first-served basis. Please complete the online Registration Form by no later than August 20, 2026 (Thursday). Late applications will not be considered. Any course with an enrollment of less than 10 will be cancelled.

Withdrawal
If, for any reason, you wish to withdraw from the course after you are admitted, you should notify the Head of the School of Chinese in writing as soon as possible.

Notes:
1. Application
Applications open in late July / early August each year. Please complete the online Registration Form by no later than August 20, 2026 (Thursday).

2. Tuition Fee
Tuition fees, once paid, are not refundable. Due to budget and administration constraints, our Centre is unable to arrange for another timeslot for student’s cancellation of any scheduled tutorial(s).

3. Enquiries
Please send your enquiries to the Chinese Language Centre at learn.chinese@hku.hk.

3. Free Places Tuition in Chinese (Cantonese or Putonghua)

The University annually provides 14 “Free Places” for staff who wish to learn survival Chinese.

The subsidy covers free individual tuition for 20 sessions (50 minutes each) per student from September 7, 2026 to April 23, 2027. Please note that additional sessions will be charged at the full rate of HK$530 each. Students may consider continuing the tuition on a self-financed basis at HK$530 per session in Summer Semester between May 3 and June 25, 2027.

“Free Places” are allocated on the basis of the following principles:
(a) First priority is given to those members of staff who have paid their Part-time Tuition in 2025-2026 and/or 2024-2025.
(b) Second priority is given to those who have enrolled in the Subsidized Courses in Chinese in 2025-2026 and/or 2024-2025 but have not enjoyed the Free Places offer within that period.
(c) If the number of applicants is over 14, those who have enjoyed the Free Places offer in the previous five years will not be considered in 2026-2027.

Academic Terms
Semester 1 September 7 – November 20, 2026

Semester 2 January 18 – April 23, 2027

Summer Semester May 3 – June 25, 2027

Enrollment
The closing date for applications for Free Places Tuition (Cantonese or Putonghua) is August 20, 2026 (Thursday). Please complete the online Registration Form. Late applications will not be considered.

Notes:
1. Application
Applications open in late July / early August each year. Please complete the online Registration Form by no later than August 20, 2026 (Thursday).

2. Tuition Fee
Tuition fees, once paid, are not refundable. Due to budget and administration constraints, our Centre is unable to arrange for another timeslot for student’s cancellation of any scheduled tutorial(s).

3. Enquiries
Please send your enquiries to the Chinese Language Centre at learn.chinese@hku.hk.

2. Part-time Tuition in Chinese (Cantonese or Putonghua)

For many years the University has subsidized part-time tuition by charging members of staff at half-rate. The University has provided an annual fixed sum of money as subsidy for the School of Chinese to operate under the half-rate scheme. Under this scheme, members of staff enjoy the half-rate for their tuition once a week as long as the subsidy balance is in the black; but once the subsidy is exhausted, members of staff will be charged the full rate thereafter should they wish to continue. It should be noted that staff’s additional sessions and staff’s spouses are required to pay the full rate regardless of the availability of subsidy.

Payment should be made via the Online Payment System (OPS). Successful applicants will receive the payment link by email in due course. Tuition fees, once paid, are not refundable.

Academic Terms
Semester 1 September 7 – November 20, 2026
Semester 2 January 18 – April 23, 2027
Summer Semester May 3 – June 25, 2027

Enrollment
The closing date for applications for Part-time Tuition (Cantonese or Putonghua) is August 20, 2026 (Thursday). Please complete the online Registration Form. Late applications will not be considered.

Notes:
1. Application
Applications open in late July / early August each year. Please complete the online Registration Form by no later than August 20, 2026 (Thursday).

2. Tuition Fee
Tuition fees, once paid, are not refundable. Due to budget and administration constraints, our Centre is unable to arrange for another timeslot for student’s cancellation of any scheduled tutorial(s).

3. Enquiries
Please send your enquiries to the Chinese Language Centre at learn.chinese@hku.hk.