Outstanding academic staff of the University are recruited through rigorous selection procedures, comprising internal peer-reviews and external assessments conducted by international and prominent experts in the relevant fields. About 45% of academic staff are drawn from overseas. The University has recruited distinguished academics from all over the world. University teachers are top researchers in many major areas of research including Human Health and Development, Biotechnology and Drug Development, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Build and Natural Environments, Theoretical and Computational Sciences, Public Law and Public Policy, China Studies, and Communications.

The University attracts the best students in Hong Kong. In 2007-2008, the University had just over 23,400 students (12,150 undergraduates, 11,250 postgraduates), of which more than 3,300 mainland Chinese and international students. Local students admitted to HKU are consistently among the most proficient in English among UGC-funded institutions. From 2003-04, the great majority of the highest achievers at the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (i.e. candidates with 8-10 Grade-As in the Examination) joined HKU under the Early Admissions Scheme for Secondary Six Students.

HKU has a fine tradition of nurturing the largest number of research postgraduate students in the territory. They form an important and valued part of the University and currently make up over 10% of the total student population. All ten faculties and their departments provide teaching and supervision for research (MPhil and PhD) students with administration undertaken by the Graduate School.

For details of undergraduate and postgraduate admissions, please kindly refer to http://www.hku.hk/ugadm/.

HKU undergraduate curricula encourage students to construct their own understanding of issues and devise solutions to real-world problem scenarios through means such as Problem-Based Learning (PBL). They enable students to work in teams and exercise and develop their research and communication skills, critical thinking and ability to integrate information across different domains.

For more statistics of the University's latest development, please kindly refer to:

http://www.hku.hk/qstats/index.html