Yau was a student in Chung Chi College from 1966 to 1969. At that time, the Chinese University of Hong Kong consisted of three colleges with different campuses: Chung Chi at Shatin, New Asia in Kowloon and United College in Hong Kong Island. Most of the mathematics courses were taught by the colleges separately. Yau took courses from L.O. Tse, H. L. Chow, S. Salaff, R. Turner-Smith and E. J. Brody (the Math Department was small then and only consisted of these teachers together with T. W. So and C. H. Yung Chao). Most teachers who taught Yau left Chung Chi College later. Yau also audited courses from a few professors of other colleges (D. Fremlin, J. Knight, K. F. Ng in United College and K.T. Leung on Algebra in Hong Kong University).
To honor his teachers Yau initiated to set up Dr H. L. Chow Mathematics Scholarship and also set up Dr S. Salaff Mathematics Scholarship in the Chinese University of Hong Kong. In addition he also set up two education funds, one to honor his father and one for his mother. More recently, in memory of his great teacher, the eminent Professor S. S. Chern, Yau made personal donations in setting up Shiing-Shen Chern Educational Fund in the IMS to foster mathematical research and education.