Spain opens university doors to DSE candidates

Kelly Kong

Candidates obtaining level 2 in five subjects in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education can apply to study in over 90 universities in Spain without needing to take a separate admission examination, the exam authority said yesterday.

DSE candidates, who are getting their exam results on July 17, can apply directly to study in Spanish universities for the coming school year starting September, according to the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. The Ministry of Education and Vocational Training in Spain recognized the DSE qualifications in May.

Ng Po-shing, student guidance consultant of Hok Yau Club, said students who chose to study abroad in Spain usually will have an interest in Spanish or its culture, or want to work and get experience there after graduating. "Most students studying abroad choose business management or business-related subjects as their majors," Ng added.

Earlier this year, the Netherlands also recognized the DSE qualification - candidates who scored at least a level 2 in five subjects can directly apply to 78 institutes in the country.

Over 300 German public universities also recognize the DSE exam results.

"The number of relevant institutions has steadily increased since the first HKDSE in 2012, covering many countries or regions, such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the Asia-Pacific region and Europe" said the authority, adding nearly 140 mainland higher education institutions and about 130 such institutions in Taiwan directly admit Hong Kong students based on their DSE results.

Chu Cheuk-hei, who sat in the DSE exams last year and is studying at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the USA, said if students are interested in applying to American universities, they need to highlight their interests and ambitions during applications and interviews, as well as their past experiences and achievements in the relevant fields.