Flexible HKUST admission opens window for candidates

Diploma of Secondary Education takers who fail to meet the "3-3-2-2" minimum entry requirement of the University of Science and Technology may still be admitted.

But the total score of candidates has to be above the median of last year and they have to place an HKUST program as one of their top three aspirations under the Joint University Programmes Admissions System.

Ahead of the release of the HKDSE examination results on July 20, HKUST announced its flexible admission policy, which is meant give candidates who fail in a particular subject but have excellent overall results a second chance.

Among seven grades from 5** down to 1, a candidate has to obtain at least level 3 in Chinese and English, and at least level 2 in maths and Liberal Studies - or 3-3-2-2 - in order to meet the minimum requirement.

Emily Nason, director of undergraduate recruitment and admissions at HKUST, said the situation has been challenging for candidates the past two years because of the pandemic.

"I do not want to see students miss the opportunity to continue their studies even if they do not perform well in the DSE exams," Nason said.

She sought to allay concerns regarding the ability of students who do not attain the minimum entrance score.

"If a candidate received a score similar to or higher than the median, it means that the candidate is better than half of the students enrolled last year, and these students have sufficient ability to take relevant university courses," Nason said.

This makes HKUST the fourth university making changes to its requirements for student enrollment - after the University of Hong Kong, Chinese University and Polytechnic University.

Last month, universities completed the selection process of the inaugural cohort of the School Nominations Direct Admission Scheme.

According to the Education Bureau, some 766 valid nominations from 403 secondary schools were all interviewed by the eight University Grants Committee-funded universities for the first cohort. Some 195 nominees received an offer successfully and 186 of them were admitted to UGC-funded undergraduate programs.

Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin was pleased with the results.

"The scheme can create space for students to cater for their diversity, so as to allow them to reach their full potential," Choi said. "Hong Kong needs diversified talents to meet the development needs of society and enhance its competitiveness."