CUHK plans 10th college and expansion near Pak Shek Kok Station

The Chinese University of Hong Kong will expand its campus near the planned Pak Shek Kok MTR Station, including a 10th college, while leveraging the Northern Metropolis University Town to overcome space constraints, president Dennis Lo Yuk-ming said on Sunday. 

Speaking on a radio program, Lo said the university will publish its Strategic Plan 2026–2030 this Thursday (Aug 6). The plan, which has been in preparation for a year, will align with the goals for education and technology outlined in the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan. 

Following the launch of the blueprint, Lo said the university plans to maximize its land use in Area 39 of Pak Shek Kok. With a tunnel set to connect the upcoming station with the Science Park, CUHK will construct a new 300,000-square-foot building for the Faculty of Medicine, a research institute accommodating up to 850 people, a life sciences building scheduled for completion in a few months, and a 10th student college. 

Regarding CUHK jumping 14 places to rank 18th globally in the QS World University Rankings 2027 — marking its debut in the top 20 — Lo expressed excitement over the achievement, attributing it to generations of university members over the past 60 years. 

He highlighted notable gains in employer reputation and said the international faculty ratio remains strong, with around 56 percent of professors recruited from overseas. 

Lo also observed that while Hong Kong has five universities ranked within the global top 100, local institutions often function like “boutique hotels”—they have outstanding international reputations but are limited by their physical size. 

He explained that ranking methodologies elevate institutional size, total research output and citations, which can put more compact campuses at a disadvantage compared with multi-campus overseas universities.

Lo expressed hope that the future Northern Metropolis University Town will provide vital space for growth and foster deeper cross-institutional collaboration.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓