Well u said already a lot, so i f they are reading, they already know We are talking about THEM :-) I dont think thea you have said something that could be used against you. But anyway, in this case what I would do is: I would go to emig.office and ask tell them your story ( seem your havent done anything wrong ), ask them what options you have. Dont tell them its the money issue but just u want to change school and if they ask why? Say something reasonable, not just teachers are bad or some other complaint ( u never know what guanxi is here) . My be there is no any transfer visa option ( like I said before ) . If your case is like I wrote and they renew your visa 1nce a year, then I think u can make changes ( like school or type of visa ) only end of that year ( not in the midlle of the year ). Same with my visa which is only 6 months, but I can do anything only after semester ends.If I decide to go study to the different place after 2 months, they also take my visa and probably also give me 10 days to sort my stuff out. Im sorry tha cant give u an answer u r looking for ( visa via HK ) and I feel sorry that u have to read lots of bla bla bla here instead getting any help.I can only give u an advice : get the money and pay what they want. Next semester take your passport and then ask for the transfer certificate ( which could be also problem, if u think they are not willing to let students pass to the competetors ), without that cert u can not sign up for study in other school. I had to get my from Shenzhen by post and Im only language student, for graduates the papers are more strict, I guess. Fingers X.

I experienced the star visa last year, you CAN NOT get a new visa in HK you will have to return to your home country and then you can get any visa you are qualified for tourist and buisness is easy but if you are a student you need to have the documents for it, work is a whole other matter.

sorry to say HK is not able to get you a visa if you have a * visa it will not effect your ability to get a visa in your home country

Thank you Alexez, yes you are right, I have the one year Visa, don't know how you were able to get your Visa in HK then since you had the (*) in your passport . How did you get it ? They don't accept transferring unfortunately, because other students have tried transferring from this University and they said they are free to go but would lose all their credits and would have to start from the begginning.

Darkone, What if, lets say, something bad happened to my (*) Visa passport, like I stupidly forgot it my pants and turned on the washing machine in HK.

Then I could get a new passport in HK from my embassy. The new one would have no star in it. Would I be able to get a tourist visa then?

@Reptilin - If yu show up in HK with a brand new passport (and a stupd story) you have NO problems getting a new visa, tourist-, business-, or what ever-visa.
Been there, done that...

Reptilian : Sorry, misunderstanding. I ment: If I decide change the school in the middle of semester, they would probably also give me * visa.

But I never done it,I changed school after semester. Just forgot to take transfer cert before I left, but SZU send it to me on request by post. My gf ( grad.in Hanzhou Uni ) She says that grad. study cant be transfered in China unfortunately.

If you make your passport washed or lost, I guess that the * is in their comp system . Also in visa app form might be some question about previous visit China ( visa )? not sure, dont remember.

Thanks Shimi !!! a GOD sent reply, I think I'll be able to sleep for the first time in days...

Yes, Alexez, I think the * might be in their computer system, however the new passport would have a new number, so I'm guessing it wouldn't show or be trackable.

@Rep. Yes, they go by the passport number, aka a new passport gives a new number, and so it is a blank canvas - no registration in their system.