HKUST runs on a semester-schedule (fall term: September to December, and spring term: February to May). Check out the HKUST academic calendar.

Our undergraduate students are generally available for full time internships from June to August (Summer Break) as well as January (Winter Break).

During school terms (fall and spring), some of our students are open to do off-campus part-time internships, and some would also consider taking a gap-semester to take on full-time internships. If students were to take on off-campus part-time internships while they take a full load of classes during the term, we generally recommend the internship commitment shall cap at 10 hours/week.

Most internships are paid and would comply with the Minimum Wage Ordinance in Hong Kong.

If the internship does not meet the Minimum Wage Ordinance in Hong Kong, the student would need to register for exemption under 1) work experience student or 2) student intern, as stipulated in the minimum wage ordinance in Hong Kong. Regarding exemption under 2) student intern, student would need to obtain special approval from his/her academic department. For details, please refer to the Labour Department website.

For internships outside of Hong Kong, employers shall observe the minimum wage ordinance (if any) applied to the work location in which the student is employed.

Non-local students (as defined by students who are currently studying at HKUST on a student visa and working towards a degree granted by HKUST) are eligible to take on internships (both on-campus and off-campus). 

Starting from November 2024, all full-time non-local students would be temporarily exempted from the restrictions on taking up parttime jobs with an updated No Objection Letter (NOL) issued by the Hong Kong Immigration Department, which grant them eligibility to work off-campus in Hong Kong during their studies at HKUST. When non-local students pursue any off-campus internships in Hong Kong that can fulfill the minimum wage requirement in Hong Kong, no additional approval is required. 

Please note that all HKUST undergraduate students may not engage in employment for more than 10 hours per week on average during Fall and Spring Terms – any exception to this rule requires the approval of the relevant Dean or the Dean’s designee. To ensure satisfactory academic performance, HKUST taught postgraduate students are strongly advised not to take up employment of more than 18 hours per week. For HKUST research postgraduate students who are HK PhD Fellowship Scheme holders, exceptional approval from the RGC has to be obtained. For employment of research postgraduates involving 18 hours or more per week, special approval from the respective Associate Deans (PG) should be sought. 

For further details, please refer to the Hong Kong Immigration Department website. 

Internship Program for inbound EXchange undergraduate students (iPEX)

By becoming a Corporate Partner (CP) in the program, you would be provided with a list of overseas students from top universities who are already in Hong Kong, interested and eligible to work in Hong Kong for Summer 2025. HKUST will handle all the logistical support, including visa, insurance, and housing for you. Simply interview and select the student that you like best to work for you for 8-10 weeks during the summer! This is a great way to bring in young talents with international perspectives and grow your business and talent pool globally.

Our inbound exchange students are from top universities in many different countries, e.g. Switzerland (EPFL), France (Sciences Po, KEDGE Business School, Université Grenoble Alpes), Germany (Technische Universität München), Spain (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Universitat Politècnica de València), UK (Warwick, St. Andrews, Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol, U of London, Exeter, Glasgow), majoring in a variety of academic disciplines, including engineering, computer science, business, and social sciences.

Interested? Click HERE to learn more and become one of corporate partners by completing the Online Form now!

*Inbound exchange students who are eligible to participate in iPEX are on exchange at HKUST for at least two semesters/one academic year. Inbound exchange students whose study period is less than one academic year (i.e. students from other institutions spending only one exchange semester at HKUST and their degree will not be granted by HKUST) are NOT eligible for off-campus internships during their time in Hong Kong as stipulated by the Immigration Department. For further details, please refer to the Hong Kong Immigration Department website.

HKUST Career Center runs an exclusive job board accessible by all HKUST students across all disciplines. Post your internship here to reach out to all our students instantly! Please find posting instructions below:

Job Posting System:
https://career.hkust.edu.hk/web/employer_home.php

Steps involved are pretty straightforward and simple:

1) sign up for a new account ended with your company email domain name (for first time users only);

2) if you have signed up successfully, a *system-generated email will be sent to you;

3) sign in at the above URL (or click the link in the notification email in step 2);

4) press "Post Job" to proceed and click "Post Job" under "Regular Job Posting";

5) press "Agree" to proceed after reading to confirm your agreement to the Declaration and Disclaimer from HKUST Career Center;

6) after input the job details, press "Confirm and Preview" button to preview your job ad;

7) press "Confirm and Submit" button to submit your job posting request;

8) ^click the link in a *system-generated email (Job Posting Request Verification) to confirm and proceed with your job posting request.
 

* Please check your junk mail box if you don’t receive it in your inbox
^ Don’t miss out the final step or else our account manager could not receive the notification when a new job posting request comes in.