Hong Kong Master's Interview Questions and Format

Hong Kong Master's Interview Questions and Format

If you are applying to a taught master's in Hong Kong from abroad and your programme interviews, the pages we checked point to a video interview with the programme office, not an in-person panel. HKUST's MSc in Family Office and Family Business says it holds "face-to-face interviews with shortlisted applicants residing in Hong Kong where possible" and that "For applicants in other regions, video interviews via the internet will be arranged." PolyU's School of Accounting and Finance says the same. HKU's admissions FAQ says "Not all programmes require interviews or tests".

What the interviewer has in front of them is your application, and for programmes such as HKUST's Family Office MSc the main piece of writing in it is the personal statement ("Completed online application form, including a personal statement"). Our view: treat the interview as a spoken check of that statement and of your English. Do not open with a memorised introduction that repeats the statement; use the opening to add what the statement could not say.

Every university page quoted below was checked on 31 October 2026. Interview practice is set programme by programme; your invitation email is the authority.

Which programmes interview

Read the table this way (our reading): an interview invitation means you are on a shortlist, not that you are admitted, and if you live outside Hong Kong you should prepare for a camera, not a room. We could not load CUHK Business School's master's application page when we checked, so CUHK is not in the table; CUHK's central how to apply page does not mention interviews.

The countercase: if your programme does not interview, everything on this page about the conversation is irrelevant and your statement carries the whole application. Our guide to one personal statement for the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore covers that document, and the CUHK master's personal statement guide covers the "why Hong Kong" paragraph.

When the invitation comes

HKUST's Family Office MSc publishes an "Interview Notification" date for each full-time application phase for 2027/28 entry:

Our arithmetic: each notification date is one month after its deadline. That is one programme's schedule, not a Hong Kong rule, but it shows the shape of a rolling-round system: apply in an early phase and you hear early. For the deadlines across the region, the 2027 master's timeline for the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore puts them in one table.

Questions from your personal statement

No Hong Kong university publishes its interview questions. The questions below are ours and cover four parts of your statement: the curriculum, the city, the job and any weak point. For questions built sentence by sentence from your own projects, the UK master's interview guide shows the method on one paragraph. Prepare a spoken answer of four or five sentences for each.

Two practical rules for a video interview. First, keep your statement out of sight: the point of the call is to hear you explain it without the page. Second, answer in full sentences even when a question is short. One-word answers give the interviewer nothing to judge, your English included. For the "why this country" question in more depth, see why study in this country: the interview answer.

The opening self-introduction

If the interviewer opens with "Please introduce yourself", do not recite your statement. They have already read it.

Constructed example: a self-introduction, weak and revised

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant's answer.

Context (invented): Zhou Yan, a finance graduate from a university in mainland China, is interviewed by video for an invented MSc in Finance in Hong Kong. Her statement covers her degree, an internship at a securities firm and her goal of working in equity research.

Weak version (62 words):

Good morning. My name is Zhou Yan. I graduated from the School of Finance with a GPA of 3.6. I did an internship at a securities company. I am very passionate about finance. I chose this programme because it is famous and Hong Kong is an international financial centre. In the future I want to be an equity research analyst. Thank you.

Revised version (79 words):

Good morning. I'm Zhou Yan. You have my statement, so I will add one thing it does not say. In my internship I built the first draft of a coverage report on two battery makers, and my manager rewrote most of the valuation section. That showed me my accounting is stronger than my modelling. That is the reason I applied to your programme: the financial modelling course in the first term. I'd be glad to talk about the report.

Why the revision works: the weak version repeats the statement and adds two claims nobody can check ("very passionate", "famous"). The revised version gives the interviewer something new, admits a gap, names a course, and ends by offering a topic. That hands the interviewer their next question, which is the point of an opening.

After the interview: offer, deposit and updates

The rules here are short and strict, so read them before you pay anything.

• Deposits are not refunded. HKU: "Deposit is non-refundable unless you do not meet the conditions specified in the offer of acceptance." CUHK: "All fees paid are non-refundable and non-transferable."
• You can hold one CUHK offer at a time. CUHK: "If you receive several offers, you can only accept one. Decline previous offers before accepting a new one."
• HKU wants proof you left other programmes. "Applicants are required to provide proof of withdrawal from any other programme of study before confirming an offer."
• Offers come by email. CUHK: "No physical offers will be sent."
• Visas take time. HKU says "the processing time for student visa applications is approximately 10-12 weeks."

A decision procedure for two offers

1. Write down the deposit deadline for the offer you hold.
2. Write down when the other programme expects to decide (its notification date, if published).
3. If the second date is before the first, wait and then decide.
4. If it is after, decide whether the first offer is worth its deposit as a fallback, because the deposit will not come back.
5. If you accept a CUHK offer, decline any earlier CUHK offer first, as CUHK requires.
6. Count back 10 to 12 weeks from the programme start for the visa (HKU's figure) and make sure your final choice leaves that time.

When an update email is appropriate

HKU says you "cannot make any changes in the application form after submission" and "To update or add additional information, please email relevant programme office directly." For status, it says "Please consult the relevant programme office". So an email is appropriate when something material has changed (a new grade, a test score, a corrected document), and not to ask whether the interview went well. Our guide to emailing graduate admissions after applying has templates for each case.

Questions about Hong Kong master's interviews

Is a Hong Kong master's interview in English?

None of the pages above states the language of the interview. Prepare in English unless your invitation says otherwise.

Can I ask for a phone interview instead of video?

Not at HKUST's Family Office MSc: "Phone interview requests are not considered." Other programmes do not say.

Does an interview invitation mean I am admitted?

No. Every page in the table that describes the process interviews only shortlisted applicants, and none says an interview leads to an offer.

I am applying for a PhD in Hong Kong. Is this the same interview?

No. Research degrees, and the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, follow a different process; see the HKPFS PhD interview guide. For a research-led alternative to a memorised self-introduction, see our tell me about yourself answer for PhD interviews.

If the programme sends a timed recording instead of a live interview, see recorded video interview for a master's application.

Get a free review of your personal statement

Get a free Quick Review of your personal statement against GradPilot's general master's statement of purpose rubric, the closest rubric we have for a Hong Kong taught master's statement. It reads whether your statement explains your academic interests, preparation, goals and reasons for choosing the programme, which is what the interviewer will ask you to say out loud. You can also start a master's SOP review and choose the general master's statement of purpose rubric; more guides are on the graduate school essays hub.

Sources

Retrieved 31 October 2026, except where noted.

• The University of Hong Kong, Taught Postgraduate Admissions FAQ: interviews, deposit, changes after submission, status, withdrawal proof, visa processing time.
• HKUST, MSc in Family Office and Family Business: application schedule and procedures (2027/28): phases, interview notification dates, interview format.
• HKUST Business School, Priority Round for MSc Programs (2026/27 Intake): shortlisted applicants notified individually.
• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, School of Accounting and Finance, FAQs: interview required, format.
• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Faculty of Business, MSc in Operations Management: admissions: shortlisted candidates may be invited.
• The Chinese University of Hong Kong Graduate School, How to Apply (applications open 1 September 2026): offers by email, one offer, deposit, fees non-refundable.
• CUHK Business School, master's application page: not retrieved (connection failed on 31 October 2026); not quoted.