Hong Kong Five-Institution Admissions Overview and Application Timeline (DSE · Gaokao · International Qualifications · Postgraduate)

In one sentence: The five publicly funded research universities in Hong Kong—HKU, CUHK, HKUST, CityU, and PolyU—operate several mutually exclusive admissions tracks defined by an applicant's background. Local students taking the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) apply through JUPAS; mainland China gaokao candidates follow institution-specific routes (CUHK participates in the national unified admissions system's early batch and requires no separate application; HKU, HKUST, CityU, and PolyU each run their own independent direct applications); applicants with outstanding non-academic achievements may enter through holistic assessment / early selection schemes; students holding international qualifications (IB, A-Level, SAT, etc.) or transfer students apply via the Non-JUPAS route; and postgraduate applicants apply through each university's Graduate School. For the 2026/27 academic year, local undergraduate tuition is HK$47,000 per annum, while non-local undergraduate fees are approximately HK$190,000–250,000 per annum; postgraduate programmes follow a separate fee structure.Government fee announcement^※

# How many undergraduate admissions routes are there? Five tracks at a glance

Admissions to Hong Kong's eight UGC-funded universities are organised into several mutually exclusive tracks based on the applicant's qualification type and residency status. This portal focuses on the five comprehensive research universities; the table below gives the shared framework and the corresponding detailed article for each track. The specifics live in those articles.

Scope note: This portal's main text focuses on admissions arrangements for the September (autumn) intake. Degree programmes, intake years, quotas, and dates are subject to each institution's official prospectus for the relevant year; the specific dates that follow use the 2026 intake as an illustration and are intended solely to convey the overall timing structure.

# What happens on each track across the year? A master timeline

This is the core of the page. The table below places the six main admissions strands for the five universities onto a single annual timeline, so you can see at a glance what each track is doing in any given month and how they interleave. Use it as the skeleton for your application calendar—for precise dates on a specific strand, click through to the corresponding detailed article. Timings are illustrated with the 2026 autumn intake and are adjusted slightly each year.

# How do the rhythms differ across tracks? A quick-read of the six strands

Flip the "horizontal time" of the table above into "vertical logic." Here is each line's character in a sentence; click through to the detailed article for the specifics:

• Local DSE / JUPAS — One application covers all eight UGC-funded institutions; automatic allocation based on DSE results. Register and rank your choices during Secondary 6; after results are released in July, there is one opportunity to re-order preferences; the Main Round runs in early August. See the Local DSE / JUPAS full guide.
• Mainland · Independent (HKU / HKUST / CityU / PolyU) — Each university runs its own online system; does not occupy a unified admissions preference slot; can be pursued in parallel with the unified system. Windows open in the previous autumn, close May–June; after the gaokao, scores are submitted and admission is score-based; some institutions set interviews. See the Five-institution gaokao routes.
• Mainland · Unified Admissions (CUHK) — The only one of the five still on the unified admissions system. Listed in the early admission batch; occupies an early-batch preference slot; no interview. Fill in the form after gaokao scores come out; national code 81002. See the Five-institution gaokao routes.
• Holistic Assessment / Early Selection — Early selection that weighs non-academic achievement alongside academics. The timeline is significantly earlier than standard gaokao-based applications; typically does not replace the gaokao score threshold. See the Gaokao article · holistic assessment section.
• International Qualifications (Non-JUPAS) — IB / A-Level / SAT / AP and transfer students all use this route. Rolling admissions, holistic review; standardised English is a firm threshold; interviews for some programmes. See International Qualifications (Non-JUPAS).
• Postgraduate (TPg / RPg) — Completely independent of the undergraduate system; apply through each university's Graduate School. Taught programmes are employment-oriented; research programmes involve matching with a supervisor and often come with stipends or financial support. See Postgraduate applications.

# Key differences at a glance: does it occupy a unified preference, is there an interview, how are decisions made?

The details most easily mixed up during application season are the differences across tracks in "whether it occupies a mainland unified admissions preference slot, whether there's an interview, the basis of admission, and the deadline month." The table below lines up these factors for the six strands, side by side for quick comparison (specifies and source links are in each detailed article).

Note: The table above is a structural quick-reference. The institution-by-institution specifics, direct links to official sources, and year-specific dates for every cell are in the corresponding detailed articles. CityU's move from the unified admissions system to independent admissions starting with the 2026/27 academic year is the most significant change in recent years; see the Five-institution gaokao routes for details.

# Which one should I pick in one sentence? Official entry points and detailed articles by background

To wrap up the page into something actionable: find your category below, then click through to the relevant detailed article and official link:

• You are a local HKDSE student in Hong Kong → Go through JUPAS; one application for eight institutions, automatic allocation by results → Local DSE / JUPAS full guide.
• You are a mainland China gaokao candidate → CUHK via the Unified Admissions early batch (national code 81002); HKU, HKUST, CityU, and PolyU via independent online application (does not occupy a unified admissions preference slot; deadlines May–June) → Five-institution gaokao routes.
• You have strong academics plus distinctive experience → Look at holistic assessment / early selection schemes; timeline runs well ahead of the standard gaokao route → Gaokao article · holistic assessment section.
• You hold IB / A-Level / SAT qualifications or are a transfer student → Go through Non-JUPAS; apply online via each university's international admissions page → International Qualifications (Non-JUPAS).
• You want to pursue postgraduate study → Apply via each university's Graduate School; entirely independent of the undergraduate admissions system → Postgraduate applications.