CityU Admission Scores & JUPAS Overview: A Complete Breakdown of JUPAS, Non-JUPAS, and Flexible Admissions

Two HKDSE candidates walk away with identical raw scores of 27 across their best five subjects. One applies to JS1201 Architecture and Civil Engineering: their converted admission score glides comfortably past the median threshold of 43.5. The other applies to JS1204 Computer Science, and the same raw result, once converted, still falls short of a median of 23. This isn't a marking anomaly — it's the "weighting recipe" unique to each CityU programme at work. What this article unpacks is precisely how that recipe is calculated, and the two formal pathways local students take to enter the University.

This article focuses on local undergraduate admission pathways and entry requirements for the City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK / CityU; the main campus on Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong — not City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan)).
Admissions data is highly time-sensitive; all figures cited are based on the latest official releases. The primary reporting period is 2026 Entry, with admission scores drawn from 2025 entry statistics. Last updated: June 2026.
For mainland China unified admissions/independent recruitment and international admissions, see nonlocal-mainland-international.md. For tuition fees and scholarships, see tuition-and-scholarships.md. For the programme catalogue and complete JS code list, see programme-catalogue.md and its sequel. For non-score-based admission pathways — Principal's Nominations, SNDAS, Sports Talents, and OEA — see school-principals-nominations-scheme.md.

CityU is one of eight publicly funded universities under the University Grants Committee (UGC). At the undergraduate level, it operates on a "multiple admissions" principle. For local students, there are two principal entry routes:

CityU also operates special admission routes, including "Other Experiences and Achievements", the "Principal's Nominations Scheme", and arrangements for athletes and candidates with disabilities. (Admissions through these routes are excluded from the JUPAS admission score statistics, as noted in a footnote to CityU's official scoring document^※). For details, 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 applies to self-financing programmes — see Section 4.

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# 1. JUPAS Admissions (Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education, HKDSE)

JUPAS (the Joint University Programmes Admissions System)^※ is the principal channel for Hong Kong DSE candidates seeking entry to UGC-funded degree programmes, through which CityU allocates the vast majority of its local places. CityU's JUPAS programme codes are now uniformly in the JS1xxx range (e.g., JS1061 Bachelor of Laws, JS1201 Architecture and Civil Engineering, JS1801 Veterinary Medicine; for a full list, see programme-catalogue.md and its sequel).

# 1. Minimum University Entrance Requirements

CityU's minimum university entrance requirements for JUPAS applicants are as follows (per the CityU JUPAS admissions page^※):

In short: English 3 / Chinese 3 / Mathematics 2 / Citizenship Attained + two electives at Level 3 each. A past result of Level 2 or above in the former Liberal Studies subject can satisfy the Citizenship requirement. CityU also officially notes that the Mathematics Extended Part (M1/M2), when taken alongside the Compulsory Part, is counted as only one subject (per note 2 of CityU's scoring document^※).

Meeting the minimum requirements ≠ securing an offer: each programme has additional "Programme-Specific Requirements" (e.g., Veterinary Medicine requires Biology or Chemistry; Law places strong emphasis on English), and admission is competitive, based on weighted score rankings and, where applicable, interview performance.

# 2. Admission Score Calculation: 8.5-Point Scale + Subject Weighting

From the 2025 entry cohort onwards, CityU (alongside HKU, CUHK, HKUST, and PolyU) has adopted a new grade conversion scale (per CityU's official scoring document^※):

That is, 5** scores 8.5 points (rather than 7 under the previous linear scale). On top of this, each programme applies weightings to specified subjects — common multipliers are "English/Mathematics ×2.5, ×2, or ×1.5" or "Science subjects ×1.5". After weighting, the best 5 / best 4 / best 6 (3 core + 2 electives) subjects are tallied to produce the admission score.

Citizenship and Social Development, as well as the former Liberal Studies, are not counted in the admission score (per footnote ∆ in the scoring document). Other language subjects (Japanese, Korean, French, German, Spanish, Urdu) have their own dedicated conversion tables (e.g., Japanese N1 = 7, N2 = 5.5). CityU also provides an "JUPAS Admission Score Calculator" for candidates to estimate their own scores.

# 3. Programme Admission Scores (2025 Entry Cohort)

Each year, CityU publishes its "Admission Score Formula and Admissions Scores", listing the Median and Lower Quartile for every programme. Below is a representative selection of programmes by college/school (the complete set of ~50 programmes can be found in programme-catalogue.md and its sequel). All figures are accompanied by their scoring basis; cross-comparison between programmes with different scoring methods is not valid:

Data reflects statistics for the 2025 entry cohort. In recent years, CityU has significantly adopted a broad-based/departmental-entry model: programmes such as JS1070 (ACT), JS1200 (GREAT), JS1040 (CREATE), and JS1300 (Bio3) admit students under a single code, with specialisation and major allocation occurring after entry.

# 4. Flexible Admissions Arrangement

CityU operates a "Flexible Admissions Arrangement" for JUPAS applicants. Candidates with strong overall results who fall short of the minimum requirement in one individual subject by no more than one grade may still be considered for admission if their admission score exceeds the previous year's weighted median score for that programme. No separate application is required (per the CityU JUPAS admissions page^※). CityU has confirmed this flexible arrangement will continue for the 2026/27 intake.

# 5. Interviews

• The majority of CityU programmes do not require an interview, or only arrange one on a selective basis. Admissions are primarily based on the weighted admission score ranking.
• The Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (JS1801) at the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences requires an interview; it is one of the few CityU undergraduate programmes where an interview is explicitly mandatory. (The mainland China unified admissions route for Veterinary Medicine also requires an interview; see nonlocal-mainland-international.md).
• Certain School of Creative Media (SCM) programmes may require a portfolio submission or undergo a selection process, as specified in the programme particulars.

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# 2. Non-JUPAS (Direct) Admissions

This pathway serves local and non-local students who do not apply using HKDSE results. CityU admits these applicants through its Non-JUPAS Direct Application System, accepting qualifications including: IB Diploma, GCE/International A-Levels, US High School Diploma + SAT/ACT/AP, Canadian OSSD, Associate Degree / Higher Diploma, and others.

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

Non-JUPAS applicants must meet the programme's reference scores and the Chinese and English language requirements. For international qualifications, CityU's admissions decisions are based on a holistic assessment of overall performance, not solely on public examination scores. The actual admission scores for each programme fluctuate from year to year. Specific IB score ranges, A-Level grades, and SAT scores for individual programmes are published on CityU's Non-JUPAS admissions website each year. The actual intake scores for "god-tier" programmes (Veterinary Medicine, Global Business, Computational Finance) are generally above the lower end of the published reference intervals.

Note: This repository could not independently verify the full table of "reference scores" for IB/A-Level/SAT for each CityU programme from a single official page → this sub-item is marked as Unverified (subject to annual updates on the CityU Non-JUPAS website). This section provides only an objective statement on accepted qualification types and language thresholds.

# 2. Associate Degree Transfer and "Admission with Advanced Standing"

Holders of an associate degree or higher diploma (e.g., from HKCC, HKU SPACE, Caritas, CityU's Community College, etc.) — as well as those with GCE-A Level or IB qualifications — may, if they meet the conditions, apply for "Admission with Advanced Standing". This involves credit transfer, potentially shortening the period of study within the four-year degree structure. Associate degree graduates (colloquially referred to as "Asso to U" students) form a significant part of CityU's local Non-JUPAS intake. The actual number of credits to be transferred is assessed on a case-by-case basis by the relevant academic unit, based on the subjects already completed.

# 3. Language and Programme-Specific Requirements

Regardless of their qualifications, all Non-JUPAS applicants must separately satisfy the Chinese and English language requirements (local programmes generally verify this via DSE or equivalent qualifications; overseas students use IELTS/TOEFL, etc.). "God-tier" programmes also impose specific prerequisite subjects (e.g., Veterinary Medicine requires Biology/Chemistry; Energy and Environment places emphasis on Mathematics/Science subjects; Law places heavy emphasis on English).

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# 3. Local Admission Quotas (At a Glance)

• As a UGC-funded institution, CityU's annual number of locally-funded JUPAS places is determined by the government. The official total of funded places allocated through JUPAS territory-wide for 2025 is subject to official announcement.
• CityU's undergraduate admissions operate on three parallel tracks: JUPAS (primary route for local students) + Non-JUPAS (local non-DSE and non-local students) + Mainland China/International (non-local). For information on the proportion of non-local students and the separation of local and non-local quotas, see nonlocal-mainland-international.md and the overview module.

This repository could not confirm the official aggregate figure for CityU's total annual local JUPAS intake from a single page on the Admissions Office website → marked as Unverified (subject to CityU's annual reports and UGC statistics).

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# 4. SSSDP (Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/Sectors): Verification that CityU Does Not Participate

The Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/Sectors (SSSDP) is a Hong Kong Government scheme that subsidises students enrolled in designated self-financing undergraduate and sub-degree programmes. Implemented from 2015, it aims to nurture talent in sectors with "keen demand for human resources," such as nursing, architecture and engineering, testing and certification, creative industries, logistics, and tourism (per the official JUPAS SSSDP page^※).

Verification Conclusion: City University of Hong Kong is not among the institutions participating in SSSDP. The SSSDP subsidises only self-financing programmes offered by self-financing institutions. Participants include around a dozen such institutions, including HKCT, Hong Kong Chu Hai College, Hong Kong College of Technology, 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 information). CityU, by contrast, is a publicly-funded university under the UGC. Its undergraduate programmes already receive UGC funding and have their own funding framework, and thus fall outside the scope of the SSSDP.

Therefore, the item "verify the SSSDP-designated programmes in which CityU participates" resolves to "CityU does not participate in SSSDP." CityU's funding comes from the UGC's recurrent grant, and local tuition fees are standardised by the government (see tuition-and-scholarships.md). This is a wholly separate mechanism from the SSSDP's subsidy for 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 principal channel for Hong Kong DSE candidates entering CityU and other UGC-funded degree programmes, through which CityU allocates the vast majority of its local places. CityU's JUPAS programme codes are uniformly in the JS1xxx range (e.g., JS1061 Bachelor of Laws, JS1801 Veterinary Medicine). Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of English 3 / Chinese 3 / Mathematics 2 / Citizenship Attained + two electives at Level 3, and are then ranked for admission according to each programme's weighted admission score.

Q: Are CityU's JUPAS admission scores high? Is there a big difference between programmes?
A: The differences are very large, and a direct cross-comparison is impossible. In the 2025 entry cohort, a weighted programme like Architecture and Civil Engineering (JS1201) had a median admission score of 43.5, while the equally popular Computer Science programme (JS1204), which uses a best-5, equal-weight scoring method, had a median of only 23. CityU officially states that because the weighting multipliers vary by programme, the scores serve as a reference only and cannot be compared across programmes.

Q: What is CityU Non-JUPAS (Direct) Admissions? Who can apply?
A: Non-JUPAS admissions cater to local and non-local students who do not apply using HKDSE results. It accepts qualifications including the IB Diploma, GCE/International A-Levels, US High School Diploma + SAT/ACT/AP, Canadian OSSD, and Associate Degree/Higher Diploma. Applications are processed through CityU's Non-JUPAS Direct Application System. Holders of an associate degree or IB/A-Level qualifications may also apply for "Admission with Advanced Standing" (senior-year entry), receiving credit transfer that shortens the period of study.

Q: How is the CityU admission score calculated?
A: From the 2025 entry cohort onwards, CityU has adopted an 8.5-point conversion scale (5** = 8.5 points, 5* = 7 points, 5 = 5.5 points, and so on). Based on this scale, each programme then applies weightings to specified subjects (e.g., English/Mathematics ×2.5, Science subjects ×1.5), and the admission score is calculated by taking the best 5 / best 4 / best 6 weighted subjects. Citizenship and Social Development, as well as the former Liberal Studies, are not counted in the admission score.

Q: Does CityU's Veterinary Medicine programme (JS1801) require an interview? Are the score requirements high?
A: Yes, the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (JS1801) at the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences is one of the few CityU undergraduate programmes that explicitly require an interview. It uses a best-5, equal-weight scoring method (which must include English, Mathematics, Biology, and Chemistry). The 2025 entry median admission score was 33.5, with a lower quartile of 32. The mainland China unified admissions route for Veterinary Medicine also requires an interview.

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# Data Reliability and Gap Statement

• Verified hard data (sourced): Minimum entrance requirements (English 3 / Chinese 3 / Maths 2 / Citizenship Attained + two electives at Level 3), the 8.5-point conversion scale, individual programme weightings and 2025 admission scores, the Flexible Admissions Arrangement, and the interview requirement for Veterinary Medicine have all been taken directly from the CityU Admissions Office's JUPAS admissions page and the official scoring document (version dated 2026-01-07).
• Verified as "Not Applicable / Does Not Participate": CityU does not participate in SSSDP (as a UGC-funded institution, not a self-financing one); this has been confirmed from the official JUPAS SSSDP page.
• Marked as "Unverified": The full table of reference IB/A-Level/SAT scores per programme, and the aggregate total annual local JUPAS intake figure for CityU — could not be independently verified from a single official page; these are subject to the CityU website/annual report, and no figures were fabricated.

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