Joint University Programmes Admissions System
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The Joint University Programmes Admissions System (), or commonly known as JUPAS (), designed by Dr Gregory Chan Hin Fai, is a unified system for applying for full-time undergraduate programmes in
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. In 2017 admission, all government funded degrees and sub-degrees provided by University Grants Committee (UGC) member institutions, and most of other full-time degrees provided by institutions in Hong Kong are under the application system in JUPAS.


History

Prior to the introduction of JUPAS in 1990, the admission process of tertiary education institutes were independent of each other, and two separate entrance examinations, the
Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination The Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE, 香港高級程度會考), or more commonly known as the A-level, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), was taken by senior students at the end of their matricu ...
(HKALE) which was designed for a three years tertiary education curriculum (mainly used by University of Hong Kong), and
Hong Kong Higher Level Examination The Hong Kong Higher Level Examination ({{zh, c=香港高等程度會考) was a public examination taken by students in Hong Kong at the end of Form 6 (Lower Sixth), in preparation for entry to the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) which then ...
(HKHLE), which was designed for a four years tertiary education curriculum (mainly used by Chinese University of Hong Kong) were provided for students. To reduce the students' pressure of dealing with two examinations and admission processes, the University Grants Committee set up the JUPAS to unite the admission processes of five of the institutions ( City Polytechnic of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic Institute,
Hong Kong Baptist University Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) is a publicly funded tertiary liberal arts education, liberal arts institution with a Christian ethics, Christian education heritage. It was established as Hong Kong Baptist College with the support of Ame ...
,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university and ...
, and
The University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fir ...
). The UGC also selected the HKALE as the benchmark examination rather than HKHLE. The HKHLE came to its end in 1992, two years after the introduction of JUPAS.
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is a public university, public research university in Clear Water Bay Peninsula, New Territories, Hong Kong. Founded in 1991 by the British Hong Kong Government, it was the territory's ...
, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, and
Lingnan University Lingnan University (LN/LU), formerly called Lingnan College, is a public liberal arts university in Hong Kong. It aims to provide students with an education in the liberal arts tradition and has joined the Global Liberal Arts Alliance since ...
, institutions directly under the UGC which were established after the introduction of JUPAS, joined the scheme in 1991, 1996, and 1999, respectively. As being an alternative of students who want to pursue their undergraduate education with a lesser result due to the high competitiveness of JUPAS (see below). All government-funded sub-degree programmes provided by JUPAS member institutes and managed under JUPAS since academic year 2000. In academic year 2006,
Open University of Hong Kong Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) is a university in Ho Man Tin, Hong Kong. Established as the Open Learning Institute of Hong Kong by the Hong Kong government in 1989, HKMU now consists of five schools, namely the School of Arts and S ...
, which provided self-financed degrees, also participated in the scheme. The
Hong Kong Shue Yan University Hong Kong Shue Yan University (HKSYU or SYU) is a private liberal-arts university on Braemar Hill, North Point, Hong Kong. Founded in 1971 as Hong Kong Shue Yan College () by Henry Hu and Chung Chi-yung, it was unilaterally recognised as the ...
was also being offered to participate JUPAS, but they did not do so to maintain independency of admissions. As part of educational reform in Hong Kong, the HKALE came to its end in 2012 (though it accepted retakers in 2013), replaced by the
Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) is an examination organised by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA). The HKDSE examination is Hong Kong's university entrance examination, administer ...
(HKDSE). However, the UGC decided to keep JUPAS as their member institutions' admission procedure. In academic year 2011, they will start accepting applications for student who taking part in HKDSE.


Benchmark examinations

Since JUPAS itself is a system, not an admission examination nor process, JUPAS can collect academic results from student for the references of admissions-related personals in member institutions. Theoretically, all recognised international academic examinations involving in the world are considered in admission into JUPAS, but the
Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination The Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE, 香港高級程度會考), or more commonly known as the A-level, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), was taken by senior students at the end of their matricu ...
(HKALE), and/or the
Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) is an examination organised by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA). The HKDSE examination is Hong Kong's university entrance examination, administer ...
(HKDSE, launching in academic year 2011) is a must for every student. No applicant can participate in JUPAS without a valid HKALE or HKDSE result obtained in the same or previous years in which the applicant apply for JUPAS. The aforementioned examination results are considered the most important factor of admission in all programmes in almost all situations (other than the now-defunct Early Admissions Scheme). Even without being mentioned, before the introduction of HKDSE, the
Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination The Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE, 香港中學會考) was a standardised examination between 1974 and 2011 after most local students' five-year secondary education, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment ...
(HKCEE) was almost a must for every student since almost every student taking part in the HKALE took part in the HKCEE. HKCEE results were usually considered as an important factor in admissions, and usually were a requirement of admission in most cases. Apart from the above examinations, the two International English benchmark examinations, the
TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL ) is a standardized test to measure the English language ability of non-native speakers wishing to enroll in English-speaking universities. The test is accepted by more than 11,000 universities a ...
and the
IELTS The International English Language Testing System (IELTS ), is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. It is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia an ...
, play important roles in some situations (including being a minimum admission requirement), through most of the cases it is considered unessential.


Participating institutes and courses

In 2016/17 academic year, the following programmes are offered under JUPAS: #All government-funded full-time degrees/full-time degrees and sub-degree programmes (indicated with asterisk(*)) offered by University Grants Committee(UGC)-funded institutes: #*
City University of Hong Kong City University of Hong Kong (CityU) is a world-class public research university located in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1984 as City Polytechnic of Hong Kong and became a fully accredited university in 1994. Currently, CityU is ...
(*) #*
Hong Kong Baptist University Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) is a publicly funded tertiary liberal arts education, liberal arts institution with a Christian ethics, Christian education heritage. It was established as Hong Kong Baptist College with the support of Ame ...
#*
Lingnan University Lingnan University (LN/LU), formerly called Lingnan College, is a public liberal arts university in Hong Kong. It aims to provide students with an education in the liberal arts tradition and has joined the Global Liberal Arts Alliance since ...
#*
The Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university and ...
#*
The Education University of Hong Kong The Education University of Hong KongUniversity title ...
(*) #*
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is a public research university located in Hung Hom, Hong Kong near Hung Hom station. The University is one of the eight government-funded degree-granting tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. Founded ...
(*) #*
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is a public university, public research university in Clear Water Bay Peninsula, New Territories, Hong Kong. Founded in 1991 by the British Hong Kong Government, it was the territory's ...
#*
The University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fir ...
#Selected Self-financed full-time degrees offered by
The Open University of Hong Kong ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
#Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions (SSSDP) degrees offered by following institutes: #*
Caritas Institute of Higher Education Caritas Institute of Higher Education (formerly known as Caritas Francis Hsu College) is a post-secondary college in Hong Kong established by Caritas Hong Kong, with campuses located at Tseung Kwan O, New Territories. The institute is able to ...
#*
Chu Hai College of Higher Education Chu Hai College of Higher Education is a private degree-granting institute in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. At present, Chu Hai College is recognised as an Approved Post Secondary College under the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance (Cap 320).Chu Hai Coll ...
#*
Hang Seng University of Hong Kong The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK) is a self-financing university in Hong Kong located in Siu Lek Yuen, Sha Tin, New Territories. It was founded as Hang Seng Management College in 2010 by the Hang Seng School of Commerce and was g ...
#*
Tung Wah College Tung Wah College (TWC; ) is a self-financing degree granting tertiary institution of Hong Kong, established by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs) in 2010 and registered under the Post-Secondary Colleges Ordinance (Cap 320). With a mission ...
#*
The Open University of Hong Kong ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
#*
Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education The Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE) is one of the member institutions of the Vocational Training Council (VTC) offering vocational education to post-secondary students in Hong Kong through its nine campi located across the terr ...
(including Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong) JUPAS applicants do not need to and are not allowed to apply for any undergraduate programmes directly to the member institutions on their own as long as the programme is available by JUPAS. In such cases, JUPAS applications will always have the first priority and will void all other direct applications automatically. However, this restriction does not apply if programmes itself is not available in JUPAS. Applications of programmes provided by institutes with no association to JUPAS (e.g.
Hong Kong Shue Yan University Hong Kong Shue Yan University (HKSYU or SYU) is a private liberal-arts university on Braemar Hill, North Point, Hong Kong. Founded in 1971 as Hong Kong Shue Yan College () by Henry Hu and Chung Chi-yung, it was unilaterally recognised as the ...
or community colleges associated with UGC-funded institutes) are independent of the JUPAS system. Applicants of those programmes are required to apply directly to the institutes in question. Non-Form 6 students who are not currently studying degrees provided by JUPAS, including students studying JUPAS' non-degree programmes, may apply for JUPAS as long as they met the HKDSE requirement or will participate HKDSE in same academic year to meet the requirement. Students studying in secondary schools approved by EMB can only apply for the above programmes through JUPAS.


Application process

Applicants applying through JUPAS can select up to 25 choices of any programme offered by the 9 local institutes via the online portal, provided that they satisfied the prerequisites. The application form is sub-divided into different bandings, namely band A, B, C, D & E. Putting choices in different bands will affect the scoring of the applicants in the JUPAS process, therefore putting a programme higher in their priority list will increase the chance of getting into a programme in most cases. Theoretically, the actual choice order, other than bandings, are not available to the admission related-person before the release of the admission results are released. In 2011, the number of programme choices will be reduced from 25 to 20 for the students sitting for the HKDSE. However, students may replace up to 5 of their choices after their HKDSE results are released.


Selection process

Each and every programme offered under JUPAS will make a "Merit order list" for all its applicants based on their academic performances, interview performances and extracurricular activities. The "Merit order list" and the applicants rank list are then entered into a match-making process. The process uses eliminations so that all applicants will only get into a programme that they preferred most in their application form and which they qualify. Note that most of the programmes only look into the applicants' academic performance when they create their "Merit order list". In most of the cases both the results of the HKALE and HKCEE are taken into account. Although performance in the HKALE is still the most important admission factor, some particular universities do count 40% or 50% or CE results in calculating student's academic performance rather than the usual 0–20%. Because of the cancellation of fine grades in both the HKCEE and HKALE, the HKCEE becomes a very important factor in deciding whether a student is admitted or not when he/she is close to the cutoff line since it is more difficult to compare student's performance with only 5 (passing) rank per subject. In addition, some of the programmes weigh particular subjects more than others. For example, many commercial subjects double counts or even triple counts the results of HKALE Use of English and HKCEE English in calculating admission scores. The first round admission results are traditionally released on the Wednesday before the week that the HKCEE results are announced and the whole admission process proceeds until late August, which may be only one week before some member institutions commence their first semester in their academic year.


Difficulty

Because of the high degree of difficulty of the HKALE and the fixed quota of places in universities in recent years, JUPAS was considered one of the most competitive university application schemes in the world, which media and scholars claim to be only second to the
National Higher Education Entrance Examination The National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), commonly known as the gaokao (), is a standardized college entrance exam held annually in mainland China. It is required for entrance into almost all higher education institutions at the underg ...
of China. A significant large number (more than 30% since 2011) of applicants achieving the minimum Degree Programme requirement would end up not being offered by any Degree-level programmes, or even not receiving an offer, through JUPAS. The admission rate have a drastic drop in 2012's admission, as because under
334 Scheme {{Short description, Academic structure for senior secondary education and higher education in Hong Kong The 3-3-4 Scheme is the academic structure for senior secondary education and higher education in Hong Kong, referring to the structure of three ...
, most of the secondary school student can enter the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (thus eligible to apply JUPAS) make the number of admissions increase drastically. (Not every students can apply for HKALE due to HKCEE requirements for non-mature candidates.) In comparison, between the estimated entrance rate of JUPAS and direct entries from sub-degree programmes, JUPAS has a significantly higher entrance rate. Since JUPAS is open to students not already in full-time programmes under JUPAS, this has prompted some students studying for sub-degrees to retake certain subjects to improve their chances of getting into government-funded degree programmes. The table below shows the school candidates achieving minimum Degree Programme requirement compared with JUPAS Degree Programme intakes. The actual percentage differs slightly due to non-school HKALE/HKDSE candidates being admitted, candidates not entering their programme of Main Round Offer due to result of HKALE appeal (which made them receive a better offer), or candidates giving up their offer. Intakes from HKALE and HKCEE (2003–2012) Note: #Requirement and offer in above table stands for degree-level programme (including OUHK self-financed programme since 2006 intake)/requirement due to the difference of admission requirement in degree/sub-degree programmes. #The list does not include Early Admission Scheme intakes and Sub-degree Offers. Intakes from HKDSE (born 2012)


Sub-systems

Apart from the main selection scheme, JUPAS also offers a few sub-systems and schemes for candidates who may not do well academically, but have proved qualities/needs in other areas.


Sub-system for applicants with a disability

Applicants with the following disabilities may apply through this scheme: * Physical handicapped * Hearing impairment * Visual impairment * Visceral disability * Speech impairment *
Autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
* Mental illness The goal of this sub-system is to allow applicants to find out as early as possible the special assistance and facilities institutions could provide to them on their admission. Applicants may receive separate offers through this sub-system.


Sub-system for school principal's nominations

Each principal of a local secondary school may nominate up to three students from his/her own school. Those students must have outstanding achievements in non-academic areas such as sports, music, social services, other cultural activities, or have demonstrated leadership abilities. The goal of this scheme is to encourage students to go beyond academics during their secondary studies.


Self recommendation scheme

This scheme is for applicants with outstanding achievements in extracurricular activities. Applicants who apply for this scheme in addition to the main scheme will be able to provide a portfolio of extracurricular activities to the institutes they applies to, so the institutes may also consider the applicants' achievements in other areas, in addition to their academic achievements. The goal for this scheme is to encourage students to participate in more extracurricular activities during their secondary studies.


Early Admissions Scheme

Early Admissions Scheme, a subsystem of JUPAS, had been adopted between academic year of 2002/03 to 2010/11. It was tailor-made for the Secondary 6 students who achieved outstanding result in the previous
HKCEE The Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE, 香港中學會考) was a standardised examination between 1974 and 2011 after most local students' five-year secondary education, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment ...
. They could skip the
HKALE The Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE, 香港高級程度會考), or more commonly known as the A-level, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), was taken by senior students at the end of their matric ...
and get admitted to the
University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fi ...
, the
Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university an ...
or the
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is a public research university in Clear Water Bay Peninsula, New Territories, Hong Kong. Founded in 1991 by the British Hong Kong Government, it was the territory's third institution ...
after attaining certain levels in the HKCEE. Roughly about 3–5% of total JUPAS intakes had participated in this scheme until it was abolished in the academic year of 2011/12.


Footnotes


See also

* Early Admissions Scheme *
Education in Hong Kong Education in Hong Kong used to be largely modelled on that of the United Kingdom, particularly the English system. Since 2012, the overhaul of secondary school diploma has introduced changes to the number of school years as well as the two-t ...
*
Higher education in Hong Kong Higher education in Hong Kong means any education higher than secondary education, including professional, technical, and academic. It is the highest level of education in Hong Kong, regulated under the Hong Kong Law. Admission Joint Univers ...
*
Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination The Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE, 香港高級程度會考), or more commonly known as the A-level, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), was taken by senior students at the end of their matricu ...
*
Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination The Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE, 香港中學會考) was a standardised examination between 1974 and 2011 after most local students' five-year secondary education, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment ...
*
UCAS The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS ) is a UK-based organisation whose main role is to operate the application process for British universities. It operates as an independent charity, funded by fees charged to applicants an ...
*
Matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now ...


External links

* {{Universities and Colleges in Hong Kong Education in Hong Kong