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HKU Business School R1 Offers Arrive: HK$150,000 Deposit and 10 Days to Decide – Pay or Pass?

发布时间：2025-11-07

The first-round offers from HKU Business School are out, but the accompanying sky-high deposit of HK$150,000 and a mere 10-day decision window have put many families in a dilemma. The deposit, as a confirmation of enrollment, is usually non-refundable and will be credited toward tuition fees. Failure to pay by the deadline means forfeiting the offer. HK universities generally require high deposits with short deadlines. For students applying to multiple countries, paying a huge sum too early may lead to sunk costs if a more desirable offer comes later, causing immense pressure. In contrast, deposit policies in the US, UK, Canada, and Singapore are more lenient and reasonable. In the US and Canada, deposits are typically a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Most UK programs charge around £2,000, and refunds are possible under certain conditions. More importantly, these regions usually allow 1–3 months for consideration, giving students time to wait for other offers before deciding. CheersYou（清柚教育） advises students facing such high-pressure demands from HK universities to comprehensively assess their backup options and risk tolerance, weigh whether to immediately secure their place, and avoid unnecessary financial losses from impulsive decisions.

The first-round results for HKU Business School are out!

Many students, including those from CheersYou（清柚教育）, have already received offers. First of all, congratulations to everyone on the good news!

However, receiving an offer from HKU also brings a happy headache.

HK University Deposits Rival Tuition Fees

A deposit can be seen as a down payment made by students to confirm their place after receiving an offer of admission.

If you enroll at the school as scheduled, the deposit will automatically become part of your tuition fees. If you fail to pay the deposit by the deadline, the school will deem that you have given up the offer, and you will lose your eligibility to enroll.

Collecting a deposit is a standard practice for universities to secure enrollment and prevent students from holding spots without attending. However, deposits at Hong Kong universities have become a major headache in recent years, mainly for two reasons:

Expensive — Generally between HK$30,000 and HK$160,000, with the highest equivalent to over RMB 160,000, and usually non-refundable.

Urgent — The payment deadline is very short, typically giving only about two weeks to decide. Offers for which the deposit is not paid on time are considered forfeited.

For example, at HKU Business School, a deposit of HK$150,000+ for the 26Fall intake is already the norm. The newly launched AI in Business program also falls into the most expensive tier.

Source: HKU official website

The HKU offer also explicitly states that the deposit consideration period is only 10 days, and the large sum is non-refundable once paid.

HKU email

Moreover, Hong Kong universities generally send out offers quite early. For students who are not only applying to Hong Kong, paying a sky-high deposit only to later receive an offer from another region can feel like cutting flesh.

Source: Rednote

Deposit Comparison: US, UK, Canada, Singapore

Compared with Hong Kong, deposit policies in other study-abroad destinations are much more reasonable.

In the US and Canada, some programs require a deposit, ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand US dollars.

Universities typically give anywhere from two weeks to a few months to decide whether to accept the offer. Once paid, the deposit is generally non-refundable.

Columbia University offer

In the UK, not all programs require a deposit. For some, you simply choose "Accept" in the online application system if you decide to take the offer.

For programs that do have a deposit, most charge around £2,000, equivalent to about RMB 18,000. For G5 universities, it can be higher; for example, Imperial College's deposit is 10% of the tuition fee.

Source: IC

The deposit payment deadline for UK universities is usually 1–3 months later, giving ample time for careful consideration and the chance to wait for other offers before deciding.

More importantly, UK deposits can be refunded under four circumstances:

Some universities allow a deposit refund within 14 calendar days without giving a reason (*only applicable to certain schools; subject to official policy).

Source: Leeds

If you ultimately fail to meet the conditions of your conditional offer, you can apply for a refund by providing relevant proof.

For example: If the offer requires a qualifying IELTS score and the student still hasn't achieved it by the deadline, they can provide the unsatisfactory score report received after the offer and apply for a deposit refund.

Visa rejection also allows for a deposit refund—simply provide the rejection letter and relevant visa page details.

If the school cancels the program after you have accepted the offer, the deposit can also be refunded as it is due to the school’s own reasons.

Even for Singapore universities, where competition is equally fierce, the deposit for most programs is around S$5,000.

Some programs may require a deposit of over S$10,000, but it can be paid in two installments, leaving some room for consideration.

Source: NUS

The “unreasonable” deposit situation at Hong Kong universities is actually driven by the surging number of applicants. By making the deposit onerous, they can more easily filter out students who are truly committed. And since Hong Kong universities continue to be oversubscribed each year, deposits will only go up, not down.

As an applicant, instead of worrying about how expensive the deposit is, it’s more important to think carefully about “whether to pay it.”

Should You Actually Pay the Deposit?

Your top-choice school has already sent an offer

If you’ve received an offer from your top-choice program, don’t hesitate—pay the deposit and wait for the start of the semester.

Still waiting for an offer from your dream school

If you haven’t yet heard from your dream school, but another program’s deposit deadline is approaching, you need to think carefully:

Assess your chances of getting into your preferred school, check the current offer release status, and, when appropriate, you may gently urge them for a decision.

You can also try to request a deposit extension from the program that has already sent an offer. However, extensions are usually no longer than two weeks, so you still need to prepare and plan as quickly as possible within that time.