We are here to support you
COUNSELING SERVICES
A trouble shared is a trouble halved;
and a blessing shared is a blessing doubled!
Our Counselors are here to support you gain self-understanding, emotional resilience and personal insights into any challenges you may be experiencing throughout your university years - ranging from academic and interpersonal stress to depressed and anxious moods. We provide high quality counseling and evidence-based psychological services that help you put into effect real changes, unleash your personal potential, as well as to enhance your psychological well-being.
All discussion will be handled in strict confidence under normal circumstances. Make an appointment with our Counselors to discuss your personal concerns, get empathetic support and professional advice! No problem is too small or trivial.
24/7 HEARing (852) 8208 2688
This is a 24-hour helpline that supports exclusively all HKUST students 7 days a week. The service is made available by our Counselors in collaboration with the Christian Family Service Center.
Relax and unwind in
the serenity lounge
Students are welcome to rest and gather in the lounge of our Counseling and Wellness Center.
COUNSELING AND WELLNESS CENTER
Room 5003 (Lift 3), Academic Building
Counseling and Wellness Center Website
counsel@ust.hk
2358 6696
hkustcounseling
hkustcounseling
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Concerned about money?
We know that meeting the financial needs of university is not an easy task for many young adults. Here are a number of ways to get the support you need financially.
Scholarships and Financial Aid Office
Room 5022B (Lift 3), Academic Building
Scholarships and Financial Aid Office Website
sfao.fa@ust.hk
2358 8336
SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
Equal opportunities for all
The University takes a proactive role in ensuring and cultivating a positive learning environment for all students at HKUST, where equal opportunities in academic and non-academic pursuits for each student are guaranteed. If you are diagnosed or suspected difficulties of any type(s) of special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities, you are advised to self-declare and provide recent documentation to the SEN Support of Counseling and Wellness Center. Reasonable accommodations or adjustments will be worked out among students, instructors and SEN Support colleagues.
SEN Support
Room 5022 (Lift 3), Academic Building
SEN Support Website
sen@ust.hk
2358 6696
SAFETY & EMERGENCY
In the case of emergencies, you can contact our Campus Security Control Center.
In the case of sudden illness or injury, accident, crime, fire or other emergency on campus that requires immediate assistance,
- call the Campus Security Control Center at 2358 8999;
- or call the Hong Kong city-wide emergency phone number 999 and then inform the Campus Security Control Center immediately after.
The University has in place a set of procedures in handling critical incidents. A critical incident is a traumatic event or situation that has the potential to:
- cause or has caused severe physical injury, or loss of life to member(s) of the University community whether on-campus or off-campus; or
- resulted in significant disruption to University’s normal operations.
In case of a critical incident, the Critical Incident Management Team will be activated to manage and coordinate the university community's responses. The Dean of Students is a member of the Team for critical incidents involving students.
Campus Management Office - Security
2358 6565
Remember
When you make the call,
- 1 give your name, location and phone number;
- 2 describe what happened;
- 3 do not hang up until asked to do so; and
- 4 follow any advice that the Security Control Center or the 999 Center may have for you.
DIVERSE & INCLUSIVE CAMPUS FOR ALL
Speak Up For A Safe And Inclusive Environment
The University is committed to creating and maintaining a diverse, inclusive and open campus environment in which HKUST members including students are treated with fairness, presented with equality of opportunities, with diversity valued and respected. The University opposes, and will proactively challenge and eliminate, any form of discrimination and harassment, prejudices and biases to ensure a level playing field, regardless of any individual characteristics.
In a diverse and complex institution, there are inevitably misunderstandings, elements of misinformation and moments of confusion. Students who feel they are unfairly treated or being discriminated/harassed in any way may seek assistance from the supervisor(s), the relevant DEO Resource Person, Residence Master and/or the Hall Tutor.
Magic formula for a happy and enriching life in a diverse community
- Show respect for others, e.g. using inclusive language
- Be considerate and sensible
- Stay open-minded
The online module aims to enhance your knowledge on sexual harassment and give you practical steps to respond to, and appropriately intervene in incidences of, sexual harassment. The online training module contains two parts which cover a series of animated videos that help students learn while having fun. It will take approximately 45 to 50 minutes to complete the whole training module. You can learn at your own pace, take it all at once or complete it in phases. For details, click here.
The Committee is responsible for overseeing matters concerning equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion; cultivating awareness and enhance education on equal opportunity issues; and handling enquiries and appropriate cases of complaints on discrimination and harassment. To understand more, please click here.
The Diversity and Equal Opportunities Policy provides an overview of the University’s commitment in building a welcoming, diverse and discrimination and harassment-free environment while the Procedures for Handling Discrimination/Harassment Complaints set out the definitions of discrimination/harassment and mechanism for dealing with allegations or complaints covered by the anti-discrimination ordinances of Hong Kong. Click here to read more.
Being inclusive is a HKUST core value. The University encourages students to use inclusive language in the study environment to enhance communication by ensuring that everyone can understand and engage with content of a course or in a discussion. It also helps prevent misunderstandings and encourages the sharing of diverse perspectives. Click here to learn more about the tips.
A list of useful resources on discrimination and harassment can be found at the University’s DEO website. Additional resources on sexual harassment are available on COMPASS, an online portal launched by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) in 2021, offering a wide range of information on sexual harassment, including explanation of the law, digests of court cases, research reports, training tools, policy guidelines, and printed and audio-visual materials addressing sexual harassment in various contexts. For more information, click here.
SCAM PREVENTION
Be vigilant and be aware of the common characteristics of scams.
When receiving suspicious calls/messages, HANG UP/PAUSE, VERIFY, and GET HELP by calling the Government’s Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC) hotline 18222 for assistance.
- The scammer may know some of your personal information such as name, school, address, or even student ID number
- They might offer you something that is too good to be true (e.g. free gifts or jackpot prizes)
- They will ask for personal information, bank details or even money transaction
- They will ask you to take immediate action or call repeatedly
- They will commonly address themselves as law enforcement officers (police, staff of Department of Health), school staff, shipping company staff, or even distant relatives/friends
- To pretend as local calls, scam phone call numbers usually come in prefix "+852"
- Don't give out any of your personal or financial information to unknown individuals
- Don't click any embedded links or download any files from suspicious emails or text messages
- When you receive emails or phone calls from someone who claims to be school / government personnel and ask for your personal data
- Please verify carefully and do not give out any information if in doubt
- Ask for their name, organization and contact information, the verify authenticity via official open channels (e.g. official website, university directories, etc)
- Resist the pressure to act immediately
- Stop and talk to someone you trust
Scameter was introduced in 2023 to assist the public in identifying fraud and online pitfalls. It serves as a one-stop search engine, allowing anyone who receives a call, text message or email from a suspicious web address, phone number, email address, or unfamiliar payment accounts to utilize Scameter by providing the necessary details. The app will check against its database and inform users about the level of threat they may face.
With the recent upgrade, three news functions have been added to the Scameter+ mobile app: automatic alert on suspicious calls, detection of suspicious websites, and a public scam report platform.
Scan the QR code or download the app here
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Additional Resources:
- CyberDefender, the one-stop cyber information platform
- CyberDefender YouTube video (Cantonese with Traditional Chinese subtitles)
- Hong Kong Police newsletter “Offbeat”
Call the Government’s ADCC hotline 18222 or report the case to the Hong Kong Police immediately.
MORE TIPS HERE
STAY AWAY FROM DRUGS
Drug use is addictive and can cause significant physical and mental damage.
It is crucial to be aware of the local laws and regulations in Hong Kong, as they may differ from those in other countries. Drugs such as cannabis and ecstasy, which are considered recreational drugs in other countries, are illegal in Hong Kong.
Possessing and vaping of Etomidate “Space Oil Drug” is illegal in Hong Kong with a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of $1 million starting from 14 February 2025. Please stay away from drugs and don’t fall into the traps.
- Trafficking a dangerous drug, including selling or distributing drugs.
- Manufacturing a dangerous drug.
- Possessing any pipe, equipment, or apparatus intended for smoking, inhaling, ingesting, or injecting a dangerous drug.
- Cultivating plants such as cannabis or opium poppy.
- You can find valuable resources and further details at the Narcotics Division, Security Bureau – Anti-drug Resources.
- If you require assistance, professional social workers are available to answer your inquiries through the following inquiry services. All information will be kept strictly confidential.
- Anti-drug Telephone Enquiry Service: 186 186
- Anti-drug Instant Messaging Enquiry Service (WhatsApp/WeChat): 98 186 186