Official application (Applicable to students who have already completed the proposed course(s))
Notes for Applicants
1. Students should read the information below carefully if they intend to apply for course and unit exemption to fulfil the University General Education (University GE) requirements with courses taken at other universities.
Submission of official applications
2. Official applications for University GE Course and Unit Exemption must be submitted via CUSIS. For details, please visit the webpage of the Registration and Examinations Section (RES), Registry.
Supporting documentation
3. Official applications for University GE course and unit exemptions are evaluated by the Office of University General Education (OUGE). Applicants must comply with all the prevailing course registration restrictions before an official application will be considered.
4. An official application must be accompanied by documentary proof that the academic level of the course taken at another institution is comparable to CUHK’s GE standards and requirements in actual delivery. The relevant details that need to be provided by the applicant include course outlines, required and recommended reading lists, course handouts, class timetables/schedules, sample lecture PowerPoint presentation(s), assessment methods, and student assignments (e.g., student’s presentation deck, project reports, term papers, etc.). OUGE may request applicants to provide additional information when necessary. Students should keep a proper record of the relevant course materials when taking a course at another institution for which they intend to apply for University GE course and unit exemption. Insufficient course details will result in the rejection of the application. For courses taught in languages other than Chinese or English, students should provide translated versions of sample course materials.
Criteria for approval
5. OUGE considers the course(s) under application on a case-by-case basis, and each course will be evaluated individually based on the course details provided.
6. A previously approved exemption for a particular course offered by another university does not guarantee that the same course taken in another semester will be approved if there are changes to the key learning elements of the course in actual delivery such as the course syllabus, required readings, or assessment methods.
7. The following conditions must be met for courses taken at other universities/institutions to be considered for University GE course and unit exemption:
(a) If the course under application adopts a virtual teaching and learning mode, there must be a justification for why such a mode of teaching and learning was chosen, such as addressing specific pedagogical needs of the discipline or enhancing students’ learning experience. In particular, the course under application should adopt a teaching mode that includes interactive elements between teachers and students, and among students, to be in keeping with CUHK requirements for virtual teaching and learning.
(b) Weekly topics organized by theme and a detailed reading list of the course under application should be provided. The reading list is expected to demonstrate an academic level comparable to that of GE courses at CUHK.
(c) The course must have a well-defined grading system. In cases where a pass/fail grading is used, a clear rationale must be provided.
(d) The assessment methods for the course under application should be comparable to those of CUHK University GE courses in terms of academic rigour and task diversity. The assessment tasks should effectively support students in attaining the intended learning outcomes. Courses that rely heavily on group work without assessment tasks that can evaluate individual students’ performance will generally not be accepted. Additionally, students should provide relevant details and proper records of all assessment components that carry significant weight, including on-site examinations and in-class participation.
(e) If the application result remains uncertain after review, or if the assessment details are unavailable for evaluating the application, OUGE may require the student to submit an additional written assignment on a topic related to the course to demonstrate that the student has achieved the intended learning outcomes. Such an assignment must be of an academic standard satisfactory to the Director of OUGE and must be submitted within a specified timeframe.
(f) If the course under application permits the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for completing student assignments or any graded work, there should be documentary proof of proper guidance from the course instructor on how to use these tools. The use of AI tools in the course concerned must align with the general University policy on the use of AI tools at CUHK.
Relevant regulations concerning course registration
8. Students should be aware of the following University regulations for GE and for course enrolment when applying for course equivalence/unit exemption:
(a) Certain courses will NOT be accepted as equivalent to University GE courses, including language courses, skills training courses, discipline-based courses with a narrow or specialized focus, and courses that are closely related to the applicant’s major study.
(b) GE Foundation courses (i.e., UGFH1000/UGFN1000) are co-requisites for the courses in the Four Areas. The co-requisite requirement also applies to the course(s) taken from overseas or approved virtual exchange programmes when the course(s) are considered for fulfilment of University GE requirements.
(c) A student at CUHK can only take a maximum of two University GE courses in one term or session, inclusive of those taken from overseas or virtual exchange programmes.
(d) The number of units that can be exempted will be based on the coverage of the course content and the total number of contact hours.
(e) Any course that is considered equivalent to a University GE course is subject to all the course registration restrictions of the corresponding University GE course. Students are reminded to check the Student Handbook for such restrictions.
(f) Courses taken during CUHK regular term time at other universities by undergraduate students are not eligible for course and unit exemption from University GE, unless these students are enrolled in programmes with special provisions for exchange.
New arrangement for approval-in-principle (w.e.f. 6 January 2025)
9. Effective 6 January 2025, OUGE no longer grants approval-in-principle (AIP) for individual courses offered by non-CUHK institutions. Students planning for overseas exchange are strongly advised to refer to the requirements for University GE course and unit exemption outlined above. This will help determine if the courses offered at other institutions are equivalent to CUHK courses or meet the standards of CUHK GE courses.
[Note: AIP applications approved before 6 January 2025 will remain valid, but the approval of official applications finally submitted will be considered on a case-by-case basis, subject to the requirements outlined in the above sections.]
Students may send inquiries about course and unit exemptions to OUGE at uge-info@cuhk.edu.hk.
January 2025