The Education Bureau (EDB) today (October 8) welcomed the announcement by the Ministry of Education on the detailed arrangements of the Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions for 2019. The number of Mainland higher education institutions participating in the Admission Scheme will increase to 109 (listed in the Annex). The quota on the number of students nominated by each school under the School Principal Nomination Scheme (SPNS) will also increase to eight.
"There will continue to be enhancements to the Admission Scheme in 2019. Compared with 2018, there are seven more institutions participating in the scheme, namely the Central Conservatory of Music, the Central Academy of Drama, the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Hubei University, Guangdong Ocean University, Chang’an University and Lanzhou University. The EDB welcomes more renowned institutions in the Mainland to participate in the scheme, thus providing students with a wider choice," a spokesman for the EDB said.
"In addition, the quota on the number of students nominated by each school under the SPNS will increase from six to eight. The minimum entrance requirement adopted by the SPNS remains unchanged i.e. the attainment in the HKDSE Examination of a total score of 10 or above in the four core subjects i.e. Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and Liberal Studies, and among which none of them is below 2.”
As in previous years, the Admission Scheme will admit Hong Kong students based on their results in the HKDSE Examination and exempt them from taking the Joint Entrance Examination for Mainland Institutions, hence relieving their pressure and enabling them to concentrate on their preparation for the HKDSE Examination. Candidates sitting for the HKDSE Examination in 2019 are welcome to enroll in the scheme.
The enrolment process of the Admission Scheme in 2019 will follow the practice of previous years, which consists of both online application and subsequent on-site confirmation of application. According to the admission procedure for 2019, students can apply online from March 1 to 20, 2019 and perform on-site confirmation and pay the enrolment fee at the China Education Exchange (HK) Centre from March 11 to 29, 2019 (except Sundays and public holidays). Institutions may arrange interviews based on the application information submitted by candidates. School admission will start in late July, 2019. Institutions will announce admission results and arrange supplementary enrolment based on their admission results at the end of July.
Details of the Admission Scheme are available at the EDB's website (www.edb.gov.hk/expo18).
To help students and parents gain a better understanding of the scheme, the EDB and the Ministry of Education will jointly hold the 2018 Mainland Higher Education Expo on December 1 and 2 this year.
During the event, there will be talks by the Ministry of Education on details of the application procedure and admission arrangements under the scheme, as well as briefing sessions conducted by representatives of the institutions on the characteristics and career prospects of individual programmes.
The 109 Mainland higher education institutions participating in the Admission Scheme for 2019 will set up exhibition booths and organise talks to provide information on areas such as features of the faculties and subjects, admission criteria, the number of places and tuition fees. There will also be sharing sessions during which some Hong Kong students who have graduated from Mainland institutions will talk about their study life on the Mainland. In addition, senior management members of sizable corporations will give talks on the career prospects of students after graduation from Mainland higher education institutions.
The Expo will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 10am to 7pm on December 1 (Saturday), and from 10am to 6pm on December 2 (Sunday). Admission is free.
The EDB, the China Education Exchange (HK) Centre and Hok Yau Club have jointly compiled the "Handbook on the Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions". The handbook provides comprehensive information on the Admission Scheme and further studies on the Mainland, including information on all the institutions participating in the scheme, programmes offered, strategy on programme choices, and sharing by graduates of Mainland universities. The handbook will be distributed free of charge at the Expo. Its e-version will be uploaded on the website of the EDB (www.edb.gov.hk/expo18) after the Expo.
Eligible Hong Kong students enrolled in undergraduate programmes of designated Mainland institutions could apply for means-tested subsidy (a full-rate subsidy of HK$16,800 or a half-rate subsidy of HK$8,400 per annum) or non-means-tested subsidy (a subsidy of $5,600 per annum) under the Mainland University Study Subsidy Scheme (MUSSS). Application details of MUSSS for the 2019/20 academic year will be announced in mid-2019.
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