CityU admission scores / JUPAS admissions explained: JUPAS, Non-JUPAS and flexible admissions

Two DSE candidates, both scoring 27 points across five subjects. One applies for JS1201 Architecture and Civil Engineering, and the cut-off score of 43.5 looks comfortably within reach. The other applies for JS1204 Computer Science, and the same raw result, once converted, falls short of the 23 median. This is not a marking anomaly. It is the product of CityU's "weighting formulae" — a different hidden recipe behind every single programme. This article is about how those formulae work, and the two formal routes into the University for local students.

This article focuses on City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK / 城大; main campus on Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong — not "City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan)") and its local undergraduate admissions routes and entry requirements. Admissions data date quickly; all figures are subject to the latest official announcements. The primary reference year here is 2026 Entry, with admission scores drawn from 2025 Entry statistics. Last compiled: June 2026. Admissions via mainland China's unified gaokao route or individual application, and international-student admissions, are covered in nonlocal-mainland-international.md; tuition and scholarships in tuition-and-scholarships.md; the full programme catalogue with JS codes in programme-catalogue.md and its companion volume; and non-score-based routes (Principal's Nominations, SNDAS, athlete and OEA admissions) in school-principals-nominations-scheme.md.

CityU is one of the eight public universities funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC), and admits undergraduates on a "multi-channel" principle. Local undergraduates enter through two main routes:

CityU also runs special admissions routes covering "Other Experiences and Achievements", the Principal's Nomination Scheme, and athlete and disabled candidates (those admitted via these routes are excluded from JUPAS admission-score statistics, per a footnote in CityU's official score-conversion document^※); see school-principals-nominations-scheme.md. As a UGC-funded institution, CityU does not participate in the Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/Sectors (SSSDP), which covers self-financed programmes only — see Section 4.

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# 1. JUPAS Admissions (HKDSE)

JUPAS (Joint University Programmes Admissions System)^※ is the main route by which Hong Kong DSE candidates enter UGC-funded degree programmes, and CityU allocates the overwhelming majority of its local places through it. CityU's JUPAS programme codes now uniformly sit in the JS1xxx range (e.g. JS1061 Law, JS1201 Architecture and Civil Engineering, JS1801 Veterinary Medicine; see the full list in programme-catalogue.md and its companion volume).

# 1.1 Minimum University Entrance Requirements

CityU's minimum entrance requirements for JUPAS applicants (per CityU's JUPAS admissions page^※):

That is: English 3 / Chinese 3 / Mathematics 2 / Citizenship attained, plus Level 3 in each of two electives. For previous cohorts, a Level 2 or above in the old Liberal Studies subject satisfies the Citizenship requirement. CityU also states that the Extended Part of Mathematics (M1/M2), when taken alongside the compulsory part, counts as only one subject (per note 2 in CityU's score-conversion document^※).

Meeting the minimum requirements ≠ admission. Each programme sets its own programme-specific requirements (Veterinary Medicine requires Biology/Chemistry; Law weighs English heavily), and offers are made competitively by weighted score ranking and, where applicable, interview.

# 1.2 How Admission Scores Are Calculated: the 8.5-Point Scale + Subject Weightings

Since 2025 Entry, CityU (along with HKU, CUHK, HKUST and PolyU — the five universities that share the scale) has used a new grade-conversion table (per CityU's official score-conversion document^※):

So 5** is worth 8.5 points (not the old linear 7-point scale). On top of this, each programme applies weightings to designated subjects — commonly "English/Maths ×2.5, ×2, or ×1.5", "science subjects ×1.5", and so on. After weighting, the best 5 / best 4 / best 6 subjects (3 core + 2 electives in the latter case) are counted towards the admission score.

Citizenship and Social Development, and the old Liberal Studies, are not counted towards admission scores (per footnote ∆ in the score-conversion document). Other language subjects (Japanese, Korean, French, German, Spanish, Urdu) have their own conversion table (e.g. Japanese N1 = 7, N2 = 5.5). CityU also provides a "JUPAS Admission Score Calculator" for candidates to try their own combinations.

# 1.3 Admission Scores by Programme (2025 Entry)

Each year CityU publishes its Admission Score Formula and Admissions Scores, listing each programme's median and lower quartile. Below are representative programmes by faculty (the full set of some 50 programmes appears in programme-catalogue.md and its companion volume). Every figure carries its scoring basis; programmes with different scoring bases cannot be compared horizontally:

Figures are statistics for the 2025 Entry cohort. CityU has in recent years moved heavily towards broad-band / broad-based admissions: programmes such as JS1070 (ACT), JS1200 (GREAT), JS1040 (CREATE) and JS1300 (Bio3) admit under a single code, with students later streaming into majors after enrolment.

# 1.4 Flexible Admissions Arrangement

CityU operates flexible admissions for JUPAS applicants: those whose overall results are strong but who fall one grade short of the minimum requirement in a single subject may still be considered, provided their admission score is above the programme's weighted median for the previous year. No separate application is needed (per CityU's JUPAS admissions page^※). CityU states the arrangement will continue for 2026/27 Entry.

# 1.5 Interviews

• Most CityU programmes do not hold interviews, or arrange them only as needed; admission is decided primarily by weighted score ranking.
• The Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (JS1801), offered by the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, does require an interview — one of the few CityU undergraduate programmes that explicitly does. (Applicants via mainland China's unified gaokao route also face an interview for Veterinary Medicine; see nonlocal-mainland-international.md.)
• Some School of Creative Media (SCM) programmes may require a portfolio submission or a selection exercise; check the programme's own announcements.

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# 2. Non-JUPAS Admissions

For local and non-local students who do not apply with HKDSE results. CityU admits through its direct Non-JUPAS application system and accepts a range of qualifications, including: IB Diploma, GCE / International A-Level, US high school diploma + SAT/ACT/AP, Canada's OSSD, and associate degree / higher diploma.

# 2.1 Major International Qualifications (IB / A-Level / SAT)

Non-JUPAS applicants must meet each programme's reference scores and Chinese and English language requirements. CityU assesses international qualifications on overall performance rather than public-exam scores alone, and actual admission scores fluctuate year to year. For each programme's IB score ranges, A-Level grades and SAT scores, refer to CityU's Non-JUPAS website for the current admissions year. In practice, admitted students in "prestige programmes" (Veterinary Medicine, Global Business, Computational Finance) sit well above the bottom of the published ranges.

Note: this archive could not verify, from a single official page, the full text of CityU's programme-by-programme IB/A-Level/SAT "reference score table" → this specific item is marked not verifiable (check CityU's Non-JUPAS website, updated annually); this section states only the qualification types accepted and the language thresholds as facts.

# 2.2 Associate Degree Transfer and "Admission with Advanced Standing"

Applicants holding an associate degree / higher diploma (e.g. from HKCC, HKU SPACE, Caritas, CityU's own SCOPE or similar), or GCE-AL / IB qualifications, may be eligible for Admission with Advanced Standing if they meet the requirements: credit exemption is granted, which can shorten the duration of a four-year degree. Graduates of associate degrees (in local parlance, "Asso-to-U" students, 副学士升大学) form a significant local Non-JUPAS intake for CityU. The actual number of transfer credits is assessed subject-by-subject by the admitting faculty.

# 2.3 Language and Programme-Specific Requirements

Whatever their qualification, Non-JUPAS applicants must separately satisfy the Chinese and English language requirements (for local applicants these are usually met via DSE or equivalent qualifications; overseas applicants via IELTS / TOEFL, etc.). "Prestige programmes" impose additional prerequisite subjects (Veterinary Medicine requires Biology/Chemistry; Energy and Environment stresses Maths/science; Law requires a strong English profile).

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# 3. Scale of Local Admissions (Quick Facts)

• As a UGC-funded institution, CityU's annual number of local JUPAS-funded places is set by the government; the territory-wide figure for 2025 JUPAS-funded offers is per official announcements.
• CityU's undergraduate intake runs on three parallel tracks — JUPAS (main local channel) + Non-JUPAS (local non-DSE and non-local) + mainland/international (non-local). The non-local proportion and the local/non-local split are covered in nonlocal-mainland-international.md and the overview module.

This archive could not confirm, from a single page of the admissions office, an official consolidated figure for CityU's total local JUPAS admissions in the current year → marked not verifiable (refer to CityU's annual report or UGC statistics).

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# 4. SSSDP: CityU Does Not Participate (Verified)

The Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/Sectors (SSSDP) is a Hong Kong government scheme that subsidises study in designated self-financing bachelor's and sub-degree programmes, in operation since 2015. It aims to develop talent for sectors with "keen manpower demand", including nursing, construction engineering, testing and certification, creative industries, logistics and tourism (per JUPAS's official SSSDP page^※ — note: the original source URL uses jupas.edu.hk; preserved below).

Verified conclusion: City University of Hong Kong is not among the institutions participating in SSSDP. SSSDP funds only self-financing institutions offering self-financed programmes; participants number roughly a dozen self-financing/private institutions, including HKCT, Chu Hai College, HKCT Institute of Higher Education, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Saint Francis University, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, UOW College Hong Kong, Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, Tung Wah College, and VTC's THEi (per official JUPAS materials). CityU, by contrast, is a UGC-funded public university: its undergraduate programmes are already UGC-funded within its own funding system and therefore fall outside SSSDP's scope.

So, on the question "has CityU's participation in SSSDP for designated professions been verified?" — the verified answer is: CityU does not participate in SSSDP. CityU's funding comes from UGC recurrent grants, and local tuition fees are uniformly set by the government (see tuition-and-scholarships.md) — a mechanism entirely separate from SSSDP's subsidy of self-financing programmes.

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# Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is CityU JUPAS? How do I apply? A: JUPAS (the Joint University Programmes Admissions System) is the main route by which Hong Kong DSE candidates enter UGC-funded degree programmes at CityU and other institutions, and CityU allocates most of its local places through it. CityU's JUPAS codes all sit in the JS1xxx range (e.g. JS1061 Law, JS1801 Veterinary Medicine). Applicants must meet the minimum requirements — English 3 / Chinese 3 / Maths 2 / Citizenship attained, plus Level 3 in two electives — and are then admitted by programme-specific weighted score ranking.

Q: Are CityU JUPAS cut-offs high? Do programmes differ a lot? A: They differ enormously — and cannot be compared directly. On the 2025 Entry basis, the weighted programme Architecture and Civil Engineering (JS1201) had a median admission score of 43.5, while Computer Science (JS1204), equally popular, had a median of just 23 because it uses best-5 equal weighting. CityU states explicitly that, because weighting factors differ across programmes, scores are for reference only and cannot be compared across programmes.

Q: What is CityU Non-JUPAS? Who can apply? A: Non-JUPAS is for local and non-local students who do not apply with HKDSE results. Accepted qualifications include the IB Diploma, GCE/International A-Level, US high school diploma + SAT/ACT/AP, Canada's OSSD, and associate degree/higher diploma, via CityU's direct Non-JUPAS application system. Those with associate degrees or IB/A-Level qualifications may also apply for Admission with Advanced Standing, gaining credit exemption to shorten their studies.

Q: How are CityU admission scores calculated? A: Since 2025 Entry, CityU has used the 8.5-point conversion scale (5** = 8.5, 5* = 7, 5 = 5.5, and so on). On top of this, each programme applies weightings to designated subjects (e.g. English/Maths ×2.5, science ×1.5), and the best 5 / best 4 / best 6 weighted subjects are counted. Citizenship and Social Development and the old Liberal Studies are not counted.

Q: Does CityU Veterinary Medicine (JS1801) require an interview? Is the score requirement high? A: Yes. The Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (JS1801), offered by the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, is one of the few CityU undergraduate programmes that explicitly requires an interview. It uses best-5 equal weighting (must include English, Maths, Biology and Chemistry); the 2025 Entry median was 33.5 and the lower quartile 32. Applicants via mainland China's unified gaokao route must also sit an interview.

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# Data Reliability and Gaps

• Official hard data (sourced): the minimum entrance requirements (English 3 / Chinese 3 / Maths 2 / Citizenship attained + two electives at 3), the 8.5-point conversion scale, programme weightings and 2025 admission scores, flexible admissions, and the Veterinary Medicine interview requirement are all taken directly from CityU's Admissions Office JUPAS page and official score-conversion document (version dated 2026-01-07).
• Verified as "not applicable / not participating": CityU does not participate in SSSDP (as a UGC-funded institution, not self-financing); confirmed against JUPAS's official SSSDP page.
• Marked "not verifiable": the full programme-by-programme IB/A-Level/SAT reference score table, and the consolidated figure for local JUPAS admissions in the current year — neither could be confirmed from a single official page. No figures were fabricated; refer to CityU's website and annual reports.

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