CityU Student Loses Judicial Review Against Expulsion Over Low GPA
HK01 · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago1 MIN
Summary
A City University of Hong Kong student failed to overturn his expulsion through judicial review on May 14. Tsang Pun-hei, who studied Biomedical Engineering starting from August 2021, was dismissed after three consecutive semesters with credits below 1.7. Presiding Officer Lin Zhancheng dismissed the application, ruling the university's actions were neither unfair nor beyond its authority.
Key Points
- Tsang Pun-hei enrolled in CityU's Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering programme in August 2021
- During the 2021-2024 academic years, his semester credits were 1.5, 0.8, and 1.6 respectively, all falling below the 1.7 threshold
- CityU notified Tsang of termination in June 2024, but granted him a second chance in July after he appealed citing health reasons, on condition he achieve 2 or more credits in the following year
- Tsang's credits in the first semester of 2025-2026 dropped to 1.1, prompting another termination notice in January 2026, with his appeal rejected in February
- Tsang argued the university should not reconsider semesters already evaluated in the 2024 decision, but the judge upheld the regulation stating "any three semesters" applies broadly
Why It Matters
The ruling clarifies that universities retain broad discretionary power in academic probation decisions, and that prior leniency does not exempt students from meeting minimum requirements in subsequent evaluations .
The ruling clarifies that universities retain broad discretionary power in academic probation decisions, and that prior leniency does not exempt students from meeting minimum requirements in subsequent evaluations .