Non-local Admissions at City University of Hong Kong (Mainland Gaokao · International Students · 2026 Shift to Independent Admissions)

For the 2026 cohort of mainland China gaokao candidates, applying to City University of Hong Kong will look nothing like what their seniors went through. Rather than solemnly listing "City University of Hong Kong" as their first choice on the early-admission (提前批) section of the gaokao application form, they will now apply directly through CityU's own website. This is not a tweak at the margins — it is an institutional shift. This article focuses on City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK / CityU) admissions for non-local undergraduate students, covering two routes: mainland gaokao candidates and international students. Non-local students study the same programmes as local students, but effectively pay the full cost of tuition themselves (see tuition-and-scholarships.md).

CityU's non-local undergraduate admissions run along two separate tracks:

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# 1. Mainland Gaokao Admissions: The 2026 Shift from "Unified Admissions" to "Independent Admissions"

# 1.1 Route Change (Key)

CityU's mainland undergraduate admissions underwent an institutional change in the 2026 academic year. According to theCityU mainland admissions website^※:

"From the 2026 academic year onwards, City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) will independently recruit current-year mainland Chinese gaokao candidates through its 'independent admissions for mainland gaokao candidates' scheme, and will not participate in the 'National Unified Admissions Scheme for Institutions of Higher Education (统招)', nor occupy places under it." — Candidates apply directly via CityU's website, and no longer list CityU on the early-admission batch of their gaokao form (as is still the case, in part, for CUHK and HKU).

This differs from the practice in 2025 and earlier, when CityU admitted mainland students through the national unified scheme's "early-admission" (提前批) batch, with candidates filling in their preferences after receiving their gaokao scores. Several mainland study-abroad guides (2025 basis) still describe CityU as "running independent admissions that do not affect candidates' mainland university preferences" and state that "candidates do not need to submit a separate application form — they simply follow their province's requirements when filling in the gaokao application; in non-sequential-placement provinces, CityU must be listed as the first choice in the early-admission batch" (permainland study-guide 2025^※). Readers comparing materials from different years must first check whether a given source corresponds to the old "unified early-admission batch" or the "independent admissions from 2026" basis — the application procedures are entirely different.

The shift from "occupying an early-admission preference slot" to "independent admissions that do not occupy unified-admission preferences" means that mainland candidates applying to CityU no longer consume one of their early-admission preferences for mainland universities. For the precise application and admission procedures, defer to the CityU website and the announcements of each province's examination authority for the relevant year.

# 1.2 2026 Application Timeline

According to theCityU mainland admissions website^※ and theSunshine Gaokao Information Platform's 2026 admissions notice^※, the key milestones for the 2026 independent-admissions round are as follows:

Unlike 2025 and earlier, when the early-admission batch compressed everything into a single round of preference-filling and a single round of offers after scores were out, the 2026 independent-admissions scheme stretches "application—first-round interview—score release—main-round interview—offer release" into a much longer timeline, with the first-round interview starting months before gaokao scores are even released. Applicants must therefore prepare their application materials and English oral skills before sitting the gaokao, rather than waiting for their scores to decide whether to apply.

# 1.3 Admission Thresholds (2025 vs 2026 Basis)

The two bases are not a simple old-vs-new replacement: the 2026 target of "around 300" and the "no quota ceilings or floors" provision are not contradictory — the former is CityU's self-set annual intake reference, while the latter means quotas are no longer pre-allocated by province or subject stream as in the past. Actual admission outcomes still depend on the overall competitiveness of candidates nationally.

# 1.4 English Subject Requirement: From "Tiered by College" to a Uniform 110

This is the most direct threshold change for candidates in the 2026 restructuring. In 2025 and earlier, CityU imposed a hard minimum English score (out of 150) on mainland gaokao candidates, tiered by the college applied to (permainland study-guide 2025^※ and theCRI Online interview^※):

Since the 2026 independent admissions began, however, multiple independent sources (Sunshine Gaokao notice^※, CityU official FAQ^※, Beijing Gaokao Online compilation^※) consistently indicate that the English threshold has been unified across colleges: candidates must score 110 or above^※ out of 150. What this means:

• The highest tier (135 for law and veterinary medicine) has been cut markedly; the lowest tier (120 for general programmes) has also come down slightly to 110.
• The threshold no longer varies by college; the application portfolio and holistic review (including interviews) have replaced the old "tiered English score" screening device. In other words, clearing 110 is merely an "entry ticket" — it does not mean an applicant's admission odds match those of programmes that previously required 120, because the centre of gravity in merit-based competition has shifted to the application and the interview.
• Several mainland study guides advise candidates not to settle for scraping past the threshold but to "aim higher", since under holistic review the English score remains one meaningful indicator of competitiveness.

⚠ The two bases belong to different academic years and different admissions regimes (unified early-admission batch vs independent admissions). Do not mix them. Candidates applying for 2026 entry or later should take the unified 110 threshold and CityU's official FAQ as authoritative; the 120–135 tier table is for historical understanding only.

# 1.5 Interviews: From "Generally None" to "If Applicable"

Alongside the lowering of the English bar, the change to the interview mechanism deserves attention. When a CityU admissions-office representative gave a media interview in 2021, they said "most programmes do not arrange interviews" (veterinary medicine excepted). Yet according toBeijing Gaokao Online's March 2026 report^※, CityU has already sent first-round interview invitations to some high-performing applicants, in the form of a "fully English online group interview (Zoom)". The assessment covers:

1. Reasons for choosing the programme and career plans;
2. Interpreting a social issue through the lens of the chosen discipline (the report cites AI ethics and ESG investing as examples);
3. Logical thinking and English expression.

According to the report, the first-round interviews took place around 10 March, with the main round scheduled for late June to early July (after gaokao scores are released). CityU's official FAQ describes interviews as "if applicable" — "interview performance, if applicable" is factored into the holistic review. This diverges from the old "no interview for most programmes" line, and this article presents both alongside each other accordingly: readers should defer to the latest announcements on CityU's website for the year in question, rather than relying on the 2021 interview's formulation to decide whether interview preparation is needed. The Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) requires an interview under both the old and new bases; see the companion article A Complete Guide to CityU Veterinary Admissions for details.

# 1.6 2024 Offers by Province, for Reference (Secondary)

The following minimum admission scores for 2024 (early-admission basis) at CityU, compiled from study guides, are secondary compilations for rough-scale reference only — for exact figures, defer to each province's examination authority and CityU itself (per6617's compilation^※):

⚠ These are compilations from secondary study materials, not official per-province releases from CityU or the examination authorities. Moreover, after CityU's switch to "independent admissions" in 2026, the admission and ranking mechanisms may adjust, so historical scores should not be extrapolated directly. Please defer to CityU's mainland admissions website and the provincial examination authorities.

# 1.7 Gaokao Candidates Holding "Local Student" Status

Some candidates from mainland China who hold Hong Kong local-student status (for example, via one-way permits or as dependants under the Top Talent Pass / Admission of Talents schemes) may also apply with their gaokao scores; those admitted are charged tuition and accommodation at the local-student rate. According toCityU's official FAQ^※, the "application method is the same" for local and non-local students, but application fees, deposit, tuition and accommodation arrangements differ — policies such as the "entrance scholarship" and priority for on-campus accommodation in the first two years apply only to non-local students admitted via the gaokao route. The precise eligibility criteria are as CityU publishes. In recent years, the Top Talent Pass and Admission of Talents schemes have led many mainland families to plan their children's education via a "settle in Hong Kong first, then apply for university" route. However, the specific requirement that Top Talent Pass dependants must have physically resided in Hong Kong for a certain number of years to qualify for local-student tuition and places has not been verified by this library on a single official page → flagged as not found.

# 1.8 Entrance Scholarships for Mainland Students (In Brief)

CityU offers mainland gaokao candidates several tiers of entrance scholarship, no separate application required — they are assessed automatically on results. The top tier covers "full tuition waiver plus a living allowance of up to HK$60,000"; thresholds and amounts are set out in tuition-and-scholarships.md.

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# 2. International Students / Overseas and Other Qualifications

Non-local international students apply through CityU's international/non-JUPAS admissions system, with each application assessed individually (interviews may be arranged).

• Qualifications: CityU accepts the major pre-university qualifications from around the world — the IB Diploma, GCE / International A-Level, US high school diploma + SAT/ACT/AP, Canada's OSSD, Australia's ATAR, Malaysia's UEC/STPM — and more. Reference scores for individual programmes are as published on CityU's non-JUPAS website for the relevant year.
• Language: An acceptable level of English is required (IELTS / TOEFL, etc.); some programmes impose an additional Chinese requirement.
• Transfer / advanced standing: Holders of a 13-year secondary school leaving qualification, an IB Diploma, GCEAL/IAL, an associate degree, a higher diploma, or a bachelor's degree (or equivalent) may be eligible to apply directly for Year 1 or under the "Advanced Standing I" scheme. Those who have completed at least one year of a bachelor's degree at a recognised university, or at least one year of an associate degree, may also apply for advanced standing. Each case is assessed individually against the programme's credit-transfer table.
• Scholarships: International students do not need to apply separately; CityU's "International Student Entrance Scholarship Scheme" is assessed automatically on results (top tier: renewable full tuition waiver plus a living allowance of up to HK$60,000), with the outcome communicated with the offer. There is also a Diversity Grant of about HK$30,000/year for students from minority or under-represented nationalities (see tuition-and-scholarships.md).
• Tuition: For non-local undergraduates entering in 2025/26, tuition is HK$170,000 per year^※; for 2026/27 entry it rises to HK$190,000 per year^※ (a cumulative increase of roughly 31% over four years; see non-local-tuition-and-vet-premium.md for a cross-institution comparison among the eight UGC-funded universities). Non-local tuition for Veterinary Medicine (BVM) is far higher than for general programmes — around HK$392,000/year for 2026 entry^※, exceeding HK$2 million over the six-year programme. The four admission routes (including JUPAS, non-JUPAS and mainland unified admissions) and the non-academic assessment requirements are covered in the companion article A Complete Guide to CityU Veterinary Admissions.

International admissions and mainland gaokao admissions are two separate tracks: the former is for non-local students with overseas qualifications, assessed individually; the latter is for mainland gaokao candidates, selected on holistic review. Students of mainland household-registration background who study an international curriculum rather than sitting the gaokao, and hold qualifications such as IB/A-Level, would ordinarily apply through the international/non-JUPAS route, not the "mainland gaokao independent admissions" channel described in Section 1 above. The two routes differ entirely in admission criteria, timeline and application system — candidates must first work out which category they fall into before they can find the correct application portal.

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# 3. Intake Size and the Non-local Proportion

• Mainland undergraduate intake: a planned intake of around 300 per year — this target is confirmed byCityU's official FAQ^※ for the 2026 basis, which also states explicitly that there are "no quota ceilings by subject stream or province". This is consistent in magnitude with the earlier secondary figure of "around 300", but the admission logic has changed (places are no longer pre-allocated by province).
• CityU is known as one of "the world's most international universities" (perennially among the top in THE's international-outlook indicator). Non-local students (mainland plus international) form a substantial proportion of its undergraduate body; in 2025, the BVM cohort welcomed its "most international intake yet", with students hailing from Germany, Italy, South Africa, Jordan, Malaysia, South Korea, Indonesia, mainland China and Macau (see the companion article A Complete Guide to CityU Veterinary Admissions).
• This library was unable to locate, on any single official admissions-office page, a consolidated official summary of CityU's year-by-year local/non-local undergraduate admission numbers and exact percentages → flagged as not found (defer to CityU's annual reports and UGC statistics, and the overview module).

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# Data Reliability and Gaps

• Official hard data: the switch from 2026 to "independent admissions, not occupying unified-admission preferences"; the unified English threshold of 110; the planned intake of around 300 per year with no provincial sub-quotas; the change of admission principle to "holistic review"; the application and offer-release timeline (CityU mainland admissions website and official FAQ); veterinary medicine requiring an interview; non-local tuition (CityU fees page).
• Multi-source corroboration: the specific dates and formats of the 2026 first-round/main-round interviews (first round on 10 March as an all-English group interview; main round late June to early July) — CityU's official FAQ only summarises the interview mechanism as "if applicable" without publishing a day-by-day schedule, so this article compiles it from media reports, with the source types flagged. This is multi-source corroboration, not official item-by-item confirmation.
• Secondary/media compilations: 2024 provincial admission-score references; the 2025-and-earlier early-admission-batch application basis; historical compilations of the ~300-intake figure for 2025 — drawn from study guides and media interviews. Exact figures defer to the official sources and provincial examination authorities; each item is flagged by source type.
• Flagged "not found": year-by-year local/non-local admission numbers and ratios; programme-level reference-score tables for overseas qualifications; the specific number of years of physical residence in Hong Kong required for Top Talent Pass / Admission of Talents dependants to qualify for local-student status. These have not been confirmed on a single official page and have not been invented.
• Special reminder: pre-2025 (unified early-admission batch) and 2026-onward (independent admissions) are two separate bases, and the two biggest changes are the English threshold (tiered 120–135 → uniform 110) and the interview mechanism (generally none → "if applicable" for some applicants). This article sets the two alongside each other explicitly for the route change; it does not mix them.

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