General Entrance Requirements for University/Institution Admissions
HKDSE Category A Requirements for UniversityInstitution Admissions Compiled by St Paul's College
HKDSE Category B Subjects:
Applied Learning Programmes
Students can choose to study applied learning courses offered by external providers in senior secondary years. The duration of each ApL course is 180 contact hours generally spanning two school years. The courses mainly take place at venues of course providers on Saturdays. Students can start the course in Form 4 or Form 5.
In each applied learning course, students are asked to complete 6 to 10 assessment tasks. Students’ performances are reported in three levels:
a) Attained;
b) Attained with Distinction (I), which is comparable to Level 3 of Category A subjects of the HKDSE
Examination; or
c) Attained with Distinction (II), which is comparable to Level 4 of Category A subjects of the HKDSE
Examination.
While some local universities recognise the performance of “Attained with Distinction (I)” or above as meeting general entrance requirements or recognise the course as a senior secondary elective subject for programme admissions, others consider the assessment results as additional supporting information or do not recognise the qualification at all.
Students should enrol at these exams through official cultural organisation recommended by the respective Consulate General.
The examination is linked to the national standard of the language proficiency level for recognition of the results.
Candidates’ results in the language examinations obtained from these organisations would be passed to the HKEAA for inclusion in the HKDSE results and released to the tertiary institutions.
Candidates should give consent to allow the Organisation to pass their results in the relevant language examination to the HKEAA for inclusion as the HKDSE Category C subject result.
The language examinations should be taken within 2 years prior to the HKDSE the candidate sits.
Students should take the OL exam by Oct/Nov/Dec (depending on the exam schedule of the OL subject) in the year before the HKDSE they sit.
Only the highest achieved level and result of the other language subjects will be taken into the HKDSE Category C result.