HKUST Information Day Announces Latest Admissions Information | The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) will roll out three favorable recruitment measures targeting Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) takers in the next academic year.  These measures include granting extra admissions scores to students who have taken three or more elective subjects, expanding the School Nominations Direct Admission Scheme (SNDAS) by including five more HKUST Business School programs, and increasing the amount of entrance scholarships available to HKDSE qualification holders.

The primary goal of these new measures is to attract a broader range of students, particularly those with exceptional proficiency in foreign languages or non-academic fields, diverse and interdisciplinary talents, and a global perspective.  Further details will be announced during the HKUST 2023 Information Day for Undergraduate Admissions scheduled for this Saturday.

Renowned for its science, engineering, and business programs, HKUST is equally committed to nurturing students' growth in the humanities and fostering their international perspectives. Starting from the 2024-25 academic year, in addition to considering students' best five HKDSE subject scores, the University will award extra scores for their best sixth subject.  That includes Category A elective subjects, Category C Other Languages elective subjects such as French, German, and Japanese languages, and some selected programs will also consider Category B Applied Learning subjects. The additional scores will be determined by student's HKDSE performance, with a maximum of 5% extra scores for level 5**.

With the Liberal Studies subject being replaced by the Citizenship and Social Development (CSD) subject in the HKDSE, HKUST will make adjustments to its minimum admissions requirements. Applicants should achieve "332A33" in four core subjects, with “A” denoting an “Attained” level in CSD, along with two elective subjects. The admissions scores for all programs will be calculated based on the best five subject scores, excluding the "Attained" score in CSD. Furthermore, certain programs may have specific subject requirements or offer additional points for students who have taken particular subjects.

Meanwhile, to attract more students excelling in non-academic fields, HKUST will add five more Business School programs, namely Business and Management, Economics, Operations Management, Management, and Professional Accounting, to SNDAS, bringing the total number of HKUST programs participating in the scheme to 19. SNDAS aims to provide secondary school students with special talents and interests in specific subjects and fields an opportunity to be directly admitted to universities. In the 2023 intake, nearly 80% of students who applied to HKUST through SNDAS were successfully admitted. Students admitted through the scheme will be awarded a SNDAS scholarship of HK$50,000 and will also be eligible for additional admissions scholarships based on the number of 5* and 5** grades achieved in their HKDSE examinations.

In addition, to reward HKDSE top-scorers and provide them with more resources to enrich their campus life, HKUST will increase the amount of entrance scholarships for HKDSE takers based on the number of 5* and 5** grades they achieve starting from the 2024-25 academic year. Together with full tuition waivers and living allowances, HKUST will award eligible students up to more than HK$100,000 in total per year, setting no limit on the number of scholarship recipients.

Regarding the latest measures, Prof. Emily NASON, Director of Undergraduate Recruitment & Admissions at HKUST, said, “HKUST hopes the new admissions measures will offer students greater flexibility in selecting our programs in accordance with their interests, and at the same time enable them to receive recognition for their performance in other language subjects and selected applied learning subjects of the HKDSE. We take a holistic approach to evaluating students' abilities and achievements by considering their HKDSE results and other non-academic performances including interviews. The new measures will allow us to assess students' abilities more comprehensively and attract outstanding students who have excelled in diverse areas to study at HKUST, an internationally renowned university with global perspectives that is dedicated to nurturing future talents.”

HKUST Information Day for Undergraduate Admissions will be held this Saturday (October 14). Students interested in applying to HKUST are welcome to visit our Clear Water Bay campus to learn about the latest admissions requirements, attend program talks, and experience campus life. For event details, please visit our website: https://join.hkust.edu.hk/infoday.

About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (https://hkust.edu.hk/) is a world-class research intensive university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. Over 80% of our research work were rated “Internationally excellent” or “world leading” in the Research Assessment Exercise 2020 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee. We were ranked 2nd in Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings 2023, and our graduates were ranked 30th worldwide and among the best from universities from Asia in Global Employability University Ranking and Survey 2022. As of September 2023, HKUST members have founded 1,747 active start-ups, including 9 Unicorns and 13 exits (IPO or M&A), generating economic impact worth over HK$ 400 billion. InvestHK cited QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021 to demonstrate the performance of five world’s top 100 local universities in several innovation-centric areas, among which HKUST ranked top in four engineering and materials science subjects.