Foundation and Development
For more than 60 years, Hong Kong Baptist University has developed world-class strengths across many disciplines with an enduring commitment to excellence in teaching and learning, research and scholarship, service and discovery. Founded in 1956 as Hong Kong Baptist College, our Mission affirms the University's commitment to "Academic excellence in teaching, research and service, and to the development of whole person in all these endeavours built upon the heritage of Christian higher education." In 1970, the University became the first institution to be recognised by the Hong Kong Government as an approved post-secondary college under the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance (revised 1964).
In 1983, the Hong Kong Baptist College Ordinance was enacted by the Legislative Council, thus establishing the College as a statutory body and an autonomous institution. In the same year the College became a fully government-funded institution within the ambit of the University and Polytechnic Grants Committee (renamed University Grants Committee with effect from November 1994).
With the improved funding base and strategic planning, in consultation with the University and Polytechnic Grants Committee, the College moved at a deliberate pace to introduce its first degree programmes (1986–87), to discontinue admissions to diploma-level programmes (1989–90), to introduce the MPhil (1988–89) and PhD (1991–92) research postgraduate degrees, and to introduce the postgraduate degrees by means of coursework (1992–93). In November 1994, legislative amendments were made to the Ordinance and the Institution was renamed the Hong Kong Baptist University.
Through each transformative event in our brief history, we have balanced academic excellence with dedication to the holistic development of the person and society. Today, the University is proud to be a leading, publicly-funded university in Hong Kong that is open to all talents from across the world regardless of race, nationality, gender, creed and religion. Our vision is: "To be a leading liberal arts University in Asia for the world delivering academic excellence in a caring, creative and global culture."
