Hong Kong’s third medical school is expected to admit its first cohort of 50 students in the 2028/29 academic year.

The Medical Education and Research Complex at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) at Clearwater Bay has topped out and is expected to open in 2028. 

The HKUST says that it is now working to speed up the recruitment of teaching and research staff to align with the admission timeline of the first cohort of students and has agreed that Kai Tak Hospital will be the interim teaching hospital for Hong Kong’s third medical school. The other two medical schools are the University of Hong Kong’s Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine and the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Medicine.

“It will cultivate medical professionals with both clinical and scientific research capabilities for Hong Kong, with a view to responding to the healthcare demands brought by an ageing population, and promote the development of Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub,” said secretary for health Lo Chung-mau. 

The accreditation work by the Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK) for the HKUST’s medical programme is also proceeding. An accreditation visit was conducted in October.

“The establishment of the new medical school is an important milestone in the development of Hong Kong’s higher education,” said secretary for education, Choi Yuk-lin. 

In November last year, the chief executive in council approved the establishment of the third medical school and gave approval in principle for the new medical school to be established by HKUST, with the target of admitting the first cohort of 50 students in the 2028/29 academic year.

SOM designed the eight-story complex with Wong Tung & Partners Limited (WTPL).

“Achieving this milestone early is a testament to the seamless collaboration among all collaborators on the ground, reflecting our shared drive to pioneer advancements in medical education,” says SOM managing partner Vram Malek. “We look forward to the next phases of construction as we bring this vision to life.”