Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) is a scheme and the main route of application designed to assist local students with Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination results (past and/or current) to apply for admission to programmes offered by the 9 JUPAS participating-institutions and the Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/ Sectors (SSSDP) institutions.
Please visit the JUPAS website for eligibility and procedures of JUPAS application.
Applicants can apply through EITHER JUPAS or Non-JUPAS scheme according to their academic qualifications but NOT both in the same academic year.
Applicants may refer to the “First Year Intake” stated on the JUPAS website for the indicative programme intake quotas. Please note, however, that the number of JUPAS students to be admitted will depend on the quality of applicants each year.
The University offers over 80 major programmes to JUPAS applicants via over 70 JUPAS programme choices. Some of these programmes (including most of the major programmes in the Faculty of Science and most of the major programmes in the Faculty of Social Science) have introduced broad-based admission arrangements to provide more flexible major programme choices to applicants.
Please check Programme Information or the JUPAS website for details.
CUHK accepts application from applicants with results in more than one sitting of the HKDSE exam. For 2025 entry, the best result in the same subject taken by a candidate in his/her three most recent attempts of the HKDSE exmaination will be used for calculation of the admission score.
For some programmes, the admission scores of applicants seeking admission on the strength of results from more than one sitting of the HKDSE examination will be adjusted. Please refer to Arrangements for Applicants with More than One Sitting of HKDSE for reference.
The minimum University entrance requirements for applicants with Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) are 4 core and 2 elective subjects, or 4 core and 1 elective subject and the Mathematics (Extended Part) Module 1 or 2 / Other Language subject.
From 2024 entry, the minimum requirements for the 4 core subjects of Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and Citizenship and Social Development are Levels 332A (that is, 332 and “Attained”). The minimum requirement for elective subjects is Level 3 (Please refer to FAQ #10 for the minimum requirement of Other Language subject).
In addition to meeting the minimum University requirements for application, applicants shall also satisfy the specific requirements of the programmes concerned.
Please click here to view the details
Applicants who study 4 core and 2 elective subjects, or 4 core and 1 elective subject and the Mathematics (Extended Part) Module 1 or Module 2, are eligible to apply for admission to undergraduate programmes at CUHK.
Note 1:
Please note that the following four programmes at CUHK require students to have taken either M1 or M2. Please check the additional requirements of the programmes here.
Note 2:
For JS4501 Medicine (MBChB) Programme and JS4502 Medicine (MBChB) Programme Global Physician-Leadership Stream (GPS), the programmes do not consider M1 or M2 to be one elective subject. For details, please refer to the programme website.
Some programmes will accept “Attained with Distinction I/II” in Applied Learning subjects as an extra elective subject for the award of bonus points. Please click here for details.
Other Language subjects would be considered as an unspecified elective subject in fulfilling the minimum University requirements. Unless otherwise specified by individual programmes, the results of an Other Language subject can be used in the admission score calculation.
For Category C – Other Language subjects to be considered in 2025:
| Level / Grade | ||||
| French / German / Spanish | C2 | C1 | B2 | B1/A2 |
| Japanese | N1 | N2 | N3 | — |
| Korean | Grade 6 | Grade 5 | Grade 4 | Grade 3 |
| Score ^except JS4501 & JS4502 | 7 | 5.5 | 4 | 3 |
| Score for JS4501 & JS4502 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
The University will consider your experiences and achievements in Other Learning Experiences (OLE) as submitted under the Other Experiences and Achievements in Competitions/ Activities (OEA) templete of your JUPAS application form. You may also submit your Student Learning Profile (SLP) through JUPAS for reference by the University. If you are invited for interviews, you may also present your portfolio. The information may provide topics for discussion during interviews.
In addition to subjects considered in the selection principles of programmes (that is, Best 5 or Best 6), applicants’ performance in extra elective subjects will be considered, and bonus points will be awarded to up to the 7th subject.
Subject to fulfilling the following conditions, JUPAS applicants with very special circumstances^ may, at the discretion of the faculty deans concerned and on a case-by-case basis, be granted waivers of the Chinese Language requirement.
The applicant concerned:
i. should NOT have taken the Chinese Language subject in HKDSE; and
ii. should have obtained a pass grade or above in a Chinese subject or in another language subject (other than English and Chinese) in other recognized public examinations as approved by the University from time to time.
Alternative qualifications in Chinese Language (ACL) to be accepted generally for applicants fulfilling the above specified circumstances:
| ACL Qualification | Minimum Grade Required |
| HKDSE Applied Learning (Chinese) [ApL(C)] | Attained |
| GCSE / IGCSE / GCE O-Level | Grade C or Grade 4 |
| GCE A-Level / GCE AS-Level | Grade E |
Please note that some CUHK programmes are more specifically tied to the local context or may require a high level of Chinese language proficiency. They therefore do not accept application for waiver of the HKDSE Chinese Language requirement. Please check the requirements of the programmes here.
From 2024 entry, the ACL results obtained by NCS applicants would be used in the admission score calculation:
| Level / Grade | ||||
| GCE A-Level / AS-Level | A* / A | B | C | D/E |
| IGCSE / GCSE / GCE O-Level |
— | — | 9 / 8 / 7 | 6 / 5 / 4 |
| — | — | A* / A | B / C | |
| HKDSE ApL(C) | — | — | — | Attained with Distinction / Attained |
| Score ^except JS4501 & JS4502 | 7 | 5.5 | 4 | 3 |
| Score for JS4501 & JS4502 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
For NCS applicants with results in multiple ACL qualification, the result with the best converted score will be used in the admission score calculation.
^ For details of the special circumstances, please refer to the website of Education Bureau (EDB) at https://www.edb.gov.hk/en/student-parents/ncs-students/about-ncs-students/jupas-admission.html
First of all, CUHK adopts the following Grade Point Conversion for HKDSE Category A subjects in calculating the admission scores:
| Level | 5** | 5* | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Score | 8.5 | 7 | 5.5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Except JS4501 Medicine (MBChB) Programme and JS4502 Medicine (MBChB) Programme Global Physician-Leadership Stream (GPS) where 5** = 7 | 5* = 6 | 5 = 5 | 4 = 4 | 3 = 3 | 2 = 2 | 1 = 1
For 2025 entry, programme at CUHK are going to consider 5 to 6 HKDSE subjects in the admission score calculation. The “Attained” level in the Citizenship and Social Development subject (or Liberal Studies subject in 2023 or before) will NOT be used in the admission score calculation.
Please view the video here for detailed explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_jOfkBq6Js
Detailed arrangement of individual programmes can be found here.
Selection interviews will generally be conducted after the completion of the HKDSE examinations, and/or after the release of HKDSE results in July 2025.
Please view the arrangement of previous entry here as reference.
The selection interview is an opportunity for the faculty/programme to better understand the aptitude and aspiration of an applicant. For faculties/programmes that conduct selection interviews, interview performance is one of the factors taken into consideration in admission decisions.
Shortlisting of candidates for interviews would take into consideration information submitted by applicants/ their schools, recommendation of school principals/ teachers, participation and achievements in other experience and activities, and public examination results. Admission decisions will be made after the announcement of HKDSE results and will be announced through JUPAS in August.
Bilingual small group or individual interviews are usually scheduled. Details such as the date, time, and language of the interview will be provided in the interview invitation.
If you are shortlisted for interviews, you will receive individual notification by phone or by email.
Due to the large candidature, please make every effort to attend the interview at the scheduled time. However, if you have good reasons to decline an interview, please inform the contact person (listed on your interview invitation) as soon as possible. Re-scheduling of interviews will be at the discretion of the faculties/ programmes concerned.
The tuition fee for local students for 2024-25 is HK$44,500 per annum.
Once you are admitted, you can apply for financial aid. For more information, please visit the pages of Financial Aid.
Scholarships/ awards are available for students of the University, granted based on academic merits or non-academic achievements. In addition, the CUHK Admission Scholarships are granted every year to outstanding JUPAS students who are admitted to the University. For details, please visit the pages of Scholarship.
CUHK has launched the Sports Scholarship Scheme since 2001 to enable members of the Hong Kong National Squad and Youth Squad with HKDSE qualifications and exceptional sporting prowess to study at the University.
Students with outstanding sports achievements will be awarded sports scholarship of HK$15,000 to HK$80,000 per year. The Maximum years of receiving scholarship is subject to respective study programmes. Please click here for details of the Sports Scholarship Scheme or visit the website of Physical Education Unit at http://www.peu.cuhk.edu.hk.
Of all universities in Hong Kong, CUHK is the only one that offers a college experience. Each undergraduate is assigned to one of the constituent Colleges, Chung Chi, New Asia, United, Shaw, Morningside, S.H. Ho, CW Chu, Wu Yee Sun and Lee Woo Sing. The Colleges complement the formal curricula to deliver whole-person education and pastoral care. The college system encourages intimate interaction among teachers, students and alumni.
For details, please visit Colleges page.
Applicants who have been admitted to a full-time undergraduate programme will be asked to indicate their preferences for college affiliation.
In assigning new students to different Colleges, it is desirable that each College would have students from different faculties/ departments to facilitate interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge and ideas and to widen the students’ intellectual perspective. The system for assigning new students to Colleges takes into consideration the preferences of students, their study programmes and admission scores. Priority is given to a new student to be assigned to his/her first-preference College if either of his/her parent is an alumnus of the College.
While students will be assigned college affiliation based on their preferences as far as possible, they may not be assigned to their most preferred College owing to limitation of places available.
For details, please visit Colleges page.
Yes, students admitted to the University can apply for hostel accommodation. Their applications will be considered by the respective Colleges.
The University has the largest number of hostel places among UGC-funded institutions.
