Non-local Tuition Fees and the "Eye-watering" Vet Fee — 2025/26 and 2026/27 Figures

"What does it cost to study at CityU?" For non-local students — those from mainland China and overseas — this is the core question before applying. And the answer contains a trap which is often overlooked: pick the wrong programme, and your tuition bill can be more than ten times the standard rate. This article uses publicly available sources to set out non-local undergraduate tuition fees at CityU in recent years, and in particular to unpack that trap — the eye-watering tuition fee for the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) . For local student fees, scholarships and fee waivers, see Tuition and Entrance Scholarships.

# 1. Preliminaries (read first)

# 2. Non-local Undergraduate Tuition (General Programmes)

Per the CityU International Student Tuition Fee page^※:

As can be seen, non-local undergraduate tuition rose from around 170,000 to around 190,000 Hong Kong dollars in a single year — a roughly 1.2× increase year-on-year. This is consistent with the "subject to annual review and upward adjustment" pattern. For applicants, the fee for the year of admission ≠ a fixed cost for the whole programme: fees are very likely to rise in subsequent years, so budget headroom is essential.

# 3. The "Eye-watering" Fee for the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM)

CityU has one striking "special case" in its tuition schedule, which often catches applicants off guard — the non-local tuition for the six-year Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) is far higher than for general programmes. Per the CityU Admissions BVM page^※:

Why is the veterinary fee so high? This is not CityU cynically "fleecing" students, but a consequence of the cost structure of veterinary education:

• Extremely expensive clinical facilities. An undergraduate veterinary programme requires teaching-hospital-grade facilities (the CityU Animal Medical Centre is equipped with a 1.5T MRI, 64-slice CT, etc.; see 11-medical-hospital/veterinary-medical-centre.md). Equipment and running costs are far higher than for a typical programme.
• Low staff-to-student ratio and highly personalised instruction. Clinical rotations and hands-on training demand small-group teaching and a high investment in teaching staff.
• Costs of maintaining international accreditation. The BVM programme holds dual accreditation from the AVBC and RCVS; maintaining these standards requires continuous, substantial investment.

In other words, the BVM's high tuition fee is, to some extent, the price tag on a scarce configuration: Hong Kong's only veterinary school, backed by international accreditation and a teaching hospital.

# 4. What This Means for Applicants

1. Budget based on "yearly increases + total programme length". Don't look only at the first-year fee; estimate the cumulative tuition for the whole programme (four or six years) and build in headroom for annual increases.
2. Veterinary medicine is a separate financial track. BVM applicants are looking at a completely different order of tuition magnitude from general programmes, and need to plan for it independently.
3. Scholarships can dramatically alter the real cost. CityU offers various entrance scholarships for outstanding non-local students (see Tuition and Entrance Scholarships and Non-local / Mainland / International Students). The actual net cost can be far lower than the "sticker price"; always investigate scholarship opportunities as part of the application.

# 5. In Brief

• CityU non-local undergraduate tuition (general): approx. HK$170,000 in 2025/26, approx. HK$190,000 in 2026/27^※. Subject to annual review and upward adjustment, calculated over an approx. 9-month academic year.
• Non-local tuition for the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) is far higher: approx. HK$350,000 in 2025, approx. HK$392,000 p.a. in 2026^※. It is a six-year programme, making the cumulative cost substantial — a result of the high-cost structure and scarce configuration of veterinary education.
• Applicants must budget for "yearly increases + total programme length"; veterinary medicine is a separate financial track; scholarships can significantly reduce the real net cost.