PolyU Residential System, Hung Hom & Homantin Halls, and Hall Culture

This article's remit: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has no collegiate system (see the module introduction). Undergraduates are not affiliated with any "college"; accommodation is provided through Student Halls of Residence, administered by the Student Affairs Office. This article maps the PolyU hall system (Hung Hom, Homantin, and two new projects under construction), hall place allocation and hall culture, and distinguishes two continuing-education units that bear the name "College" but are emphatically not residential colleges: CPCE and HKCC. For the day-to-day realities of hall life, meal arrangements and the full application process, see the companion document residential-halls-2.md; for an in-depth look at hall culture, see residential-halls-3.md.

# 1. The Hall System at a Glance

According to the "Residential Life" page of PolyU's Student Affairs Office, the University's self-operated student halls are concentrated in two areas: Hung Hom and Homantin. Per the orientation pages, the two complexes together house over 4,600 students^※ from diverse cultural and disciplinary backgrounds, in what the University calls a "living and learning" environment.

PolyU's halls operate on a limited-places, centrally allocated basis (no guarantee of a place), unlike the "full-residential" pledges attached to some newer CUHK colleges — a PolyU undergraduate typically cannot stay in halls for their entire four years. The current President has publicly stated that he hopes, once the two new hostels at Homantin and Kowloon Tong are completed, students will be able to enjoy around two years of hall residence within the four-year curriculum (per the University's May 2023 press release^※).

All figures are approximate and shift with the academic year and project progress; the cited pages at each row are authoritative.

# 2. Hung Hom Halls

According to Wikipedia (Hong Kong Polytechnic University entry), Hung Hom Halls were the University's first student hostel, completed in 2002^※ at 1 Hung Lai Road, Hung Hom: a 22-storey^※ tower linked to the main campus by a covered footbridge. Per the Student Affairs Office "Hung Hom Halls" page, the complex comprises 9 individual halls^※ housing over 3,000 students^※. As PolyU's earliest hostel, Hung Hom Halls is where the University's hall culture began — hall traditions, inter-hall events and student self-governance all trace their origins here (see residential-halls-3.md).

Per the same page, the 9 halls operate independently, each occupying roughly two stacked floors, with the following division of labour:

• Boyan Hall — research postgraduate residents only;
• Xuemin Hall — female students only;
• The remaining seven halls (Kaiyuan, Wuhua, Chengde, Lizhi, Lisheng, and the Yuxian / Minyin group, among others) are co-ed for undergraduates.

The official Chinese names of individual halls follow the official handbook; the University has not published per-hall bed capacities. The hall names above are compiled from the Student Affairs Office hall pages and handbook. Hung Hom Halls has its own canteen (Hung Hom Hall Canteen), managed by the Catering Facilities Office.

# 3. Homantin Halls

According to Wikipedia, Homantin Halls opened in 2012^※ at 15 Fat Kwong Street, Homantin: a 25-storey^※ building with common facilities on the lower floors and residential accommodation above, about a 15-minute walk from the University's Lee Shau Kee Building. Per the Student Affairs Office "Homantin Halls" page, the complex now houses over 1,600 students^※.

# Colour Halls and the Emergence of Residential Colleges

Homantin Halls names its constituent halls by colour — a distinctive feature of PolyU hall culture. According to Wikipedia, the complex originally had six colour halls^※: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Violet. Some were later reorganised as Residential Colleges — per the Student Affairs Office pages, Homantin now comprises two residential colleges plus four individual halls:

Per Wikipedia, Green Hall was reorganised in 2021^※ as "CURI Residential College", themed around research and innovation, with students in the University's Undergraduate Research and Innovation Scheme (URIS) given priority for places; the other residential college, STARS Residential College, was established around 2022^※ according to multiple sources.

A crucial distinction: the "Residential Colleges" here are themed residential zones within the Homantin complex (clustering residents by research interest or similar themes) — they are not the CUHK-style college system that runs through the whole undergraduate career and carries a general-education mandate. PolyU as a whole remains without a collegiate system; CURI / STARS are merely residential-community units at the hall level, part of the housing system rather than separate academic groupings. The difference between the original "six colour halls" and today's "four colour halls + two residential colleges" is simply that colour halls have been successively reorganised — the two descriptions are not contradictory; they are snapshots at different points in time.

# Naming / Donations

According to available official and Wikipedia sources, the Homantin colour halls are named for colours rather than donors. There is no record of halls named after the Jockey Club or the Wharf Group (note: PolyU campus does contain non-residential Jockey Club-named buildings such as the Jockey Club Innovation Tower and the Jockey Club Auditorium, which are not part of the hall system). Jockey Club / Wharf-named residential halls: none found.

# 4. Hall Place Allocation and Hall Culture

Per the Student Affairs Office "Hall Applications" page, PolyU places are allocated through an application + merit-points system, not guaranteed: applicants are scored on published criteria (typically covering distance between home and campus, year of study, past hall participation/service, special needs, etc.), and places are awarded by score and quota; non-local students and those with a genuine housing need are usually given priority. Multiple application rounds exist — mid-semester, summer and ad-hoc. Because places are limited, local students may not secure a hall place every year — consistent with the absence of a collegiate system and of any full-residency promise. For the full application process and scoring details, see residential-halls-2.md.

Per the hall and orientation pages, PolyU halls are built around residential education activities and hall communities: each hall runs student organisations and floor/hall associations, orientation events and hall-based activities, fostering a "living and learning" environment of cross-cultural exchange and whole-person development. The Homantin residential colleges (CURI/STARS) go further, organising residents into themed communities (such as research and innovation). Overall, PolyU hall culture leans toward "hall community + residential education" and does not carry the collegiate elements of CUHK — no compulsory communal dining, no high-table dinners, no college mottos. For the full account of hall culture and traditions, see residential-halls-3.md.

# 5. New Halls Under Construction

Per the May 2023 University press release^※ and the Campus Development Office project pages, PolyU is building two new student hostels, both with a target completion of 2028^※:

• Ho Man Tin Slope Student Hostel: on a government-granted slope site in Homantin, providing over 1,200 places^※.
• Kowloon Tong Student Hostel: around Tat Hong Avenue, arranged as four blocks^※ in a radial/fan layout, providing 1,680 places^※ along with social, recreational and catering facilities.

Together the two projects will add roughly 2,880 places^※, supporting the President's stated goal of "about two years in halls within four years". More broadly, the Hong Kong SAR government has in recent years promoted various student-housing initiatives (the Hostel Development Fund, the "Hostels in the City" scheme, and others) to expand places across the tertiary sector; PolyU's two projects sit within this policy context as campus-level expansion. The policy background to the new builds — the historical shortfall arising from the "3+3+4" reform, and the origins of the "two-in-four" goal — is covered in residential-halls-2.md.

# 6. Units Named "College" That Are Not Residential Colleges: CPCE and HKCC

PolyU has several units carrying the word "College" in their names. To be clear: these are self-financed continuing-education colleges — they are not residential colleges, have nothing to do with the collegiate system, and offer no CUHK-style college affiliation.

Per CPCE's official "College Overview", the College of Professional and Continuing Education (CPCE) was established in 2002^※ as a self-financed college under PolyU, overseeing two teaching units: the Hong Kong Community College (HKCC), offering sub-degree programmes (associate degrees and higher diplomas); and the School of Professional Education and Executive Development (SPEED), established in 1999^※ per its official pages, offering self-financed bachelor's, master's and continuing-education programmes. CPCE provides an articulated pathway from an HKCC sub-degree into a SPEED bachelor's degree (2-year associate degree + 2-year honours bachelor's). It is a continuing-education grouping, not a residential college.

Per HKCC's official "College Overview", the Hong Kong Community College (HKCC) was established in 2001^※ as a self-financed tertiary institution under PolyU, offering associate degrees and higher diplomas across the arts, sciences, social sciences, business, design, health, social work, surveying and other specialist fields; teaching is mainly at the PolyU West Kowloon Campus. Per its official pages, it has helped over 44,400 graduates^※ articulate into bachelor's programmes since its founding. HKCC is called a "College" but is a sub-degree institution, not a residential college.

Per HKCC's official "CPCE Student Hostel" page, CPCE also operates a small student hostel — a 5-storey building with only 46 beds^※ (14 single beds^※ and 32 bunk beds^※) — open to full-time HKCC and SPEED students, with priority for non-locals and those with genuine housing need. This hostel serves the self-financed college sector and is administratively separate from the main University hall system at Hung Hom and Homantin described above.

# 7. Hall Fees at a Glance

Per the Hall Fees page^※, for the 2025/26 residential year the daily rate is about HK$61.7 (double or triple room; approximately HK$16,905.8 for the full period; triple rooms are available only at the Homantin halls). All rooms come with air-conditioning, a refrigerator and internet access. Fees are adjusted annually and the current official figures take precedence; for room types, the application process and scoring criteria in more detail, see residential-halls-2.md.

# 8. PolyU Halls vs. the CUHK Collegiate System — Side by Side

PolyU's CURI and STARS take the name "Residential College", but they are in substance themed learning communities inside the halls — not comparable in institutional depth to the CUHK collegiate system.

# Not Found / Not Applicable

• Collegiate system (CUHK-style residential college system): none — not applicable to this University. PolyU as a whole has no collegiate system; the "Residential Colleges" of CURI / STARS at Homantin are merely themed communities within the halls and do not constitute a college affiliation running through the undergraduate career.
• Jockey Club / Wharf-named residential halls: none found. Homantin halls are named by colour; the Jockey Club-named buildings (Innovation Tower, Auditorium) are not residential.
• Per-hall bed capacities: the University has not published per-hall figures, only area totals; none are guessed here.
• Whether CPCE / HKCC are residential colleges: no — they are self-financed continuing-education colleges, as explicitly distinguished above.
• Housing Allowance: no official scheme has been found providing a uniform housing allowance for local students who fail to secure a hall place; relevant resources are listed in residential-halls-2.md.