Application-Review Mechanism

Leveraging the interdisciplinary “Hub-Thrust Concept” and innovative pedagogy, newly enrolled RBM students will undergo a six-month exploratory phase before determining their project direction, team, and academic supervisor. Thus, applicants do not need to pre-select a prime supervisor or major and may optionally submit a research proposal and recommendation letters. Applicants are required to submit all evidence of their competencies via the HKUST(GZ) Online Application System (OAS). Please refer to the latest application guidelines on the Online Application System (OAS) website.

To enhance the quality and efficiency of the admission process amid growing applications, the RBM has implemented a screening mechanism with a university whitelist and academic record. An automated grading system screens applications against predefined criteria. Those who pass the preliminary screening will enter the next stage of selection, while those who do not pass will receive rejection letters.

Applicants who do not pass the preliminary screening but possess special talents or other outstanding performances are encouraged to apply for HKUST(GZ)’s “Red Bird Challenge Camp”. Please refer to the official website for more details.

After passing the preliminary screening, the RBM’s grading system will automatically match each application with at least three evaluators from the Selection & Interview Committee to ensure that the evaluation panel provides professional assessments and diversified comprehensive reviews. Evaluators will score applicants based on different disciplinary backgrounds such as science, engineering, humanities, arts, design, business, management, and medicine, considering various ability indicators like mathematical ability, language and literacy skills, core course grades, laboratory course grades, graduation projects/works, internships in enterprises/clinics, community service activities, student organization activities, and domestic/international competition results, and more. Based on the committee’s collective decision, applicants are classified into the following categories:

(1) Applicants recommended in selection will be invited to an offline interview.

(2) Applicants with a “Borderline” selection result will be placed on a “Waiting List” for rolling selection in subsequent rounds. To ensure admission quality and fairness, each applicant on the waiting list has only one chance for rolling selection.

(3) Applicants not recommended in selection will receive a rejection letter and will not be allowed to resubmit their admission applications for the same cohort, including the Red Bird Challenge Camp.

Since conventional exams and online interviews cannot fully evaluate an applicant’s true abilities, the RBM has pioneered a unique offline interview process, including group activities and individual interviews, to comprehensively assess applicants’ group collaboration and individual performances.

To ensure transparency, fairness, and justice in the admission process, the RBM openly announces interview questions, formats, and scoring rules in advance to ensure all applicants receive consistent information. The Selection & Interview Committee will strictly conduct offline interviews according to regulations, completing comprehensive evaluations and collective decision-making. If the applicant successfully passes the selection and interview by the Selection and Interview Committee, they will be admitted to the RBM Program. If the interview result is “Borderline”, the Selection and Interview Committee will allow the applicant to apply for the “Red Bird Challenge Camp” for admission in the same cohort. If the interview result is “not recommended”, the applicant will receive a rejection letter, and the Selection and Interview Committee will not accept their application in the same cohort of Red Bird Challenge Camp. For more details, please refer to: https://cft.hkust-gz.edu.cn/2026/07/01/hkustgz-college-of-future-technology-red-bird-mphil-program-2027-2028-fall-intake-admission-offline-interview-guidelines/.

Additionally, considering the significant restrictions on visas and international travel etc. for overseas applicants (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions) with Chinese nationality, the RBM specifically allows these applicants to choose an online pre-interview. Based on the feedback from the evaluators, they can then decide whether to attend the offline interview. The pre-interview results will not be used as a basis for the committee’s final decision on admission. The overseas applicants with foreign nationality may choose to attend an online interview, which will then be reviewed and processed by the committee. For more details, please refer to: https://cft.hkust-gz.edu.cn/2026/07/01/hkustgz-college-of-future-technology-red-bird-mphil-program-2027-2028-fall-intake-admission-online-interview-guidelines/.

For applicants who have been recommended for admission by the Selection & Interview Committee through the “Application-Review Mechanism”, their application materials will be submitted to the College of Future Technology for review and further to the Fok Ying Tung Graduate School for approval after passing review. Upon approval by the Fok Ying Tung Graduate School, official offer letters will be issued uniformly.

To ensure the legality of the admission process, any applicant who has participated in the offline interview activities under the “Application-Review Mechanism” and has any doubts or objections regarding the fairness or legality of the admission may submit a formal written appeal with strong evidence via the RBM official email within a specified time. The Admission Appeal Committee will strictly handle appeals in accordance with university regulations and make the corresponding final decisions.