Currently, over 1000 non-local universities / post-secondary institutions (institutions) worldwide accept the HKDSE qualification. The general admission requirements for students with HKDSE qualification are listed on the websites of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) and / or institutions concerned. For details, please refer to the HKEAA website.

If students would like to pursue further studies on the Mainland, they can apply to their preferred institution(s) through the “Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions”. Selection by the institutions is merit-based according to students’ HKDSE Examination results.

Student admission in local universities / post-secondary institutions (institutions) has followed the principle of institutional autonomy. For further studies in undergraduate programmes, institutions value the learning experiences that students acquire in ApL. ApL subjects are recognised as elective subjects, or considered for award of extra bonus or additional information, varying by individual institutions, faculties or programmes. For details, please refer to the websites of individual institutions or the Education Bureau (EDB) website.

The minimum entrance requirements for Associate Degree (AD) or Higher Diploma (HD) programmes are Level 2 in five HKDSE subjects (including Chinese Language (Note 1) and English Language). Applicants are allowed to use ApL subjects (Note 2). For details, please refer to the websites of individual institutions or the EDB website.

Note 1: Institutions offering AD or HD programmes accept alternative Chinese Language qualifications for non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students who have met the specified circumstances: (a) students who have learned Chinese Language for less than six years while receiving primary and secondary education; or (b) students who have learned Chinese Language for six years or more in schools, but have been taught an adapted and simpler Chinese Language curriculum not normally applicable to the majority of students in local schools. Applied Learning Chinese (for NCS students) (ApL(C)) should, in general, be accepted as an alternative Chinese Language qualification, among other recognised Chinese Language qualifications.

Note 2: The ApL subjects do not include ApL(C) (for NCS students) as it is introduced to provide an additional channel exclusively for NCS students to obtain an alternative Chinese language qualification. The reporting of students’ performance of ApL subjects is refined to be “Attained”, “Attained with Distinction (I)” and “Attained with Distinction (II)”. Performance of “Attained with Distinction (I)” is comparable to Level 3 while “Attained with Distinction (II)” is comparable to Level 4 or above of Category A subjects of the HKDSE Examination.

If students successfully completed the ApL course(s) and achieved the result of “Attained” or “Attained with Distinction”, they can be exempted from taking up to two elective subjects related to the study category when studying the DAE programme. Institutions will examine in detail the ApL courses and relevant elective subjects of the DAE programme, and determine the exemption or the number of exemption. If the exemption is granted, students are required to take other supplementary subjects or elective subjects to make up for the exempted contact hours. All students must complete 600 contact hours under the DAE programme. For details, please refer to the DAE website .

ApL(C) provides NCS students meeting specified circumstances with an additional channel to obtain an alternative Chinese Language qualification. For the purpose of admission to post-secondary education programmes, ApL(C) is in general accepted as an alternative Chinese Language qualification, but it is not considered as an elective subject (for details, please refer to EDB Circular Memorandum No. 40/2017 ). Currently, University Grants Committee-funded universities and most post-secondary institutions accept ApL(C) as an alternative qualification in Chinese Language for the admission of NCS students, with “Attained” as the minimum grade required. In addition, the nine Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) participating-institutions and the Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions (SSSDP) institutions accept NCS students with Chinese Language exam results from the General Certificate of Education (GCE), General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Examinations, and the HKDSE Examination Category B: ApL(C) for the purpose of meeting the general entrance requirements in respect of Chinese Language. For details, please refer to relevant information posted on the EDB website. For information on the alternative qualifications in Chinese Language accepted and the minimum grade required by individual institutions, and specific requirements of individual programmes, please refer to the JUPAS website.

For employment, the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) accepts “Attained” and “Attained with Distinction” in ApL(C) as meeting the Chinese language proficiency requirements of relevant civil service ranks. For details, please refer to the CSB website or the EDB website.

Under the policy of promoting biliterate and trilingual proficiency, schools should provide all students with opportunities to learn Chinese and encourage them to sit for the HKDSE Chinese Language examination. For NCS students having met the specified circumstances (as stated in Q1.1.2), they may use the results of other Chinese examinations such as ApL(C), GCE, IGCSE or GCSE in lieu of the result of Chinese Language in the HKDSE Examination for the purpose of meeting the entrance requirements for JUPAS application. For details, please refer to the JUPAS website.

The GCSE (Chinese) Examination is offered to school candidates only. Students should submit their registrations through schools which have registered as GCSE (Chinese) sub-centres. Further information on the Examination is available on the HKEAA website.

If NCS students, having fulfilled the specified circumstances (as stated in Q1.1.2), would like to apply for JUPAS programs with GCSE (Chinese) results, they must sit for the GCSE (Chinese) Examination one year in advance of their JUPAS application to meet the submission deadline for information related to alternative Chinese results.

Institutions may consider the application case by case and handle the Chinese Language requirement flexibly for NCS students. For details, please refer to the websites of individual institutions.

The results (Note 3) obtained in the stipulated language examinations administered in Hong Kong by the official organisations will be accepted into the HKDSE Category C results and reported on the HKDSE certificate. For details, please refer to the HKEAA website .

According to the information on the websites of institutions, the HKDSE Category C OL subjects are recognised as unspecified/ additional elective subjects/ bonus score calculation when processing admission applications. For details, please refer to the websites of individual institutions.

Note 3: Stipulated examination grades/ language proficiency level of HKDSE Category C OL subjects:

• French/ German/ Spanish: A2 or above (i.e. A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2 (the highest));
• Japanese: N3 or above (i.e. N3, N2 and N1 (the highest)); and
• Korean: TOPIK II Grade 3 or above (i.e. TOPIK II Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5 and Grade 6 (the highest))

When processing admission applications, institutions may consider students’ achievements in different aspects, as well as their competencies and personal qualities. SLP would provide good reference to institutions.

Institutions accept the SLP as a reference for students’ whole-person development. Students can submit their SLPs (PDF file up to 3MB) to their JUPAS accounts. Besides, the Electronic Advance Application System for Post-secondary Programmes (E-APP) allows students the flexibility to attach their full SLPs (PDF file up to 3MB), or students can bring their learning portfolios when attending interviews of institutions.

In the process of preparing their SLPs, students may summarise and reflect on their past learning experiences, and plan for their future development. Employers can gain more comprehensive understanding of a job applicant’s personal qualities, strengths and holistic development from the SLP, which serves as reference during the recruitment process.

Holders of non-local education qualifications will generally seek assessment from the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ), and results of such assessment will often be taken into account by the relevant employer/ body/ institution. Notwithstanding, final decisions on whether particular qualifications are accepted for employment, registration and study purposes rest with the respective stakeholders.

For details of the application for assessment of academic qualifications, please refer to the HKCAAVQ website.

For civil service appointments, qualification requirements for civil service posts are normally set with reference to qualifications obtainable under the local education system or from local institutions. Candidates holding non-local qualifications may also apply for civil service posts, and their qualifications will be assessed to ensure they are comparable to the local qualifications required for the position. For details, please refer to the CSB website.

Persons holding non-local qualifications who wish to join the education profession can also apply for teacher registration in Hong Kong.

According to the Education Ordinance, any person who teaches in a school has to be either a registered teacher or a permitted teacher. Applicants for registered teacher or permitted teacher who possess non-local qualifications have to submit a qualifications assessment report issued by the HKCAAVQ or other relevant qualifications assessment document(s). For details, please visit the EDB website and the HKCAAVQ website.

The GER of University Grants Committee-funded bachelor’s degree programmes are set at the attainment of ”332A” in the four core subjects in the HKDSE Examination, which refers to Level 3 in Chinese Language and English Language, Level 2 in Mathematics and ”Attained” in Citizenship and Social Development, plus Level 2 or Level 3 in two elective subjects. For details, please refer to websites of individual institutions.

Regarding bachelor’s degree programmes offered by self-financing institutions, relevant entrance requirements include attainment of “332A” in the four core subjects in the HKDSE Examination, which refers to Level 3 in Chinese Language and English Language, Level 2 in Mathematics and “Attained” in Citizenship and Social Development, plus Level 2 or 3 in at least one elective subject. For details, please refer to the “Information Portal for Accredited Post-secondary Programmes” (iPASS) website.

The GER are just the minimum requirements that a student has to fulfill before being considered for admission. In addition to the GER, individual institutions/ programmes may set other admission requirements in consideration of the nature and needs of specific programmes such as designated/ priority subjects, total number of elective subjects, their required results, etc., or give different weighting to different elective subjects in selection process. For details, please visit the websites of individual institutions.

The prevailing mechanism allows institutions to exercise flexibility on individual cases in student admission. After comprehensive consideration of the applicant's overall performance and the relevant requirements of individual programmes, institutions might admit students at discretion with excellent performance in other subjects or academic aspect but fail to fulfill the minimum entrance requirements. For details, please visit the websites of individual institutions.

Regarding the “332A” requirement, only the Compulsory Part of Mathematics is required. For the general entrance requirements (GER) of the bachelor's degree programmes offered by the eight UGC-funded universities, the results of the Extended Part of Mathematics (Module 1 or Module 2) are considered equivalent to that of an elective subject. For Associate Degree and Higher Diploma programmes, Level 2 in the Extended Part of Mathematics (Module 1 or Module 2) is also accepted as one of the five subjects in the minimum entrance requirements. For details, please refer to the websites of individual institutions.

Acquiring broader mathematical literacy is an essential component for students to prepare their further studies and work. Students have to learn Mathematics at the senior secondary level for their preparation for future development. Mathematics is therefore listed as one of the core subjects.

Students may only take the Compulsory Part of Mathematics, which builds on the basic education for all students. For those students who would like to learn more about Mathematics or study engineering, science, business, or other subjects requiring more mathematical knowledge in post-secondary institutions, they can take either one of the modules of the Extended Part of Mathematics - Module 1 (Calculus and Statistics) or Module 2 (Algebra and Calculus).

In addition to the GER, institutions may set specific faculty/ programme requirements for the two modules of the Extended Part of Mathematics. For details, please refer to the websites of individual institutions.

With the multiple articulation pathways for further studies in Hong Kong, students can pursue their own paths regardless of their HKDSE Examination results. Under the existing academic structure, students can choose among multiple pathways available for further studies other than Degree programmes depending on their interests, needs and abilities, as well as the admission requirements of respective programmes. For instance, they may apply for sub-degree programmes (including Associate Degree and Higher Diploma programmes), the Diploma of Applied Education (DAE) Programme or Vocational and Professional Education and Training (VPET) Programmes. They may also participate in the Youth Employment and Training Programme (YETP) or study on the Mainland / overseas. For the latest information on multiple pathways, please refer to the “Designated Webpage for Secondary 6 Students”.

The DAE Programme (Note 4) provides an alternative pathway for Secondary 6 (S6) school leavers as well as adult learners aged 21 or above to obtain a formal qualification for the purposes of employment and further studies. For students who have successfully completed the DAE Programme, the qualification obtained is deemed comparable to the attainment of Level 2 standard in five subjects including Chinese Language and English Language in the HKDSE Examination. For students who have also successfully completed the Maths Plus complementary course, the qualification acquired under the programme is comparable to the attainment of Level 2 standard in five subjects including Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics in the HKDSE Examination. For latest information of DAE Programme, please refer to the DAE website .

Note 4: DAE programme requires students’ overall pass and achievement of 80% attendance or above for each of the eight subjects, and completion of over 10 hours of Life-wide Learning activities. Successful completion of a subject means attaining an overall pass and achieving 80% attendance or above for that subject.

The minimum entrance requirement of sub-degree programmes (including Associate Degree and Higher Diploma programmes) is the attainment of Level 2 in five subjects (including Chinese Language and English Language) in the HKDSE Examination, counting at most two Applied Learning subjects, if necessary. If one of the five HKDSE subjects is Citizenship and Social Development subject, the minimum entrance requirement would become “Attained” for Citizenship and Social Development subject and Level 2 in four other HKDSE subjects including Chinese Language and English Language.

For details, please refer to the “Common Descriptors for Associate Degree and Higher Diploma Programmes”.

The Vocational Training Council (VTC) continues to provide alternative educational pathways for early school leavers from S3 to S6 of mainstream education, providing them with various programmmes, including Diploma of Vocational Education/ Diploma of Vocational Baccalaureate, Certificate Programmes and Apprenticeship Training, so as to prepare them for further studies or employment. For details, please refer to the VTC website or the website of Apprenticeship Scheme.

The Construction Industry Council, the Clothing Industry Training Authority and the Employees Retraining Board also offer various diploma/ certificate programmes for students. Students can apply for programmes based on their interests. For details, please refer to related websites of these organisations.

In addition, the Labour Department has launched YETP and Youth Employment Start (YES) to provide more information on employment and training to students who have left the schools. For details, please refer to the respective websites.

Currently, the Government accepts the results in the HKDSE Examination for civil service appointment purposes. Details are available at the CSB website.

The Government also announced in September 2023 that the result of "Attained" for Citizenship and Social Development subject in the HKDSE Examination is accepted as meeting the entry requirements of relevant civil service grades. For details, please refer to the press release of EDB.

For the arrangement of accepting results in the HKDSE Examination as equivalent to the results in the Common Recruitment Examination, please refer to the CSB website.

The HKEAA has drawn up a set of level descriptors, with samples of student performance, to describe the performance standards of students. A set of generic descriptors of each level has also been published to enhance understanding of the public about the standards of the HKDSE.

For details, please refer to the HKEAA website.

Before deciding whether to repeat S6, students should consider:

• the reasons for the unsatisfactory results;
• the confidence of making improvement in the new attempt;
• the advice and suggestions of teachers and family; and
• whether there are other study pathways.

The arrangements on School-based Assessment (SBA) for repeaters are as follows:

School repeaters have to be re-assessed in S6 and meet the SBA requirements of the respective subjects entered. If the schools do not offer the elective subject(s) that the candidates wish to re-take in the examination, the candidates may apply for exemption from the SBA for the particular subject(s). For details, please visit the HKEAA website.

Private candidates are not required to complete the SBA component of the subjects entered (except Visual Arts). Their subject marks will be based entirely on their public examination results. For Visual Arts in which the SBA component carries a weighting of 50%, candidates will be required to submit a portfolio in lieu of the SBA.

Local applicants with JUPAS applications in the previous admissions exercise(s) can apply via JUPAS again in the current admissions exercise on the strength of their past and/or current HKDSE Examination results, provided that they are NOT enrolled in full-time bachelor's degree programmes offered under JUPAS at the time they submit their JUPAS applications.

Repeating S6 is definitely not the only option. Student can consider other pathways, including sub‐degree programmes, DAE, VPET, YETP of the Labour Department or employment. For details, please visit “Information on HKDSE Exam Results Release 2025” of the “Designated Webpage for Secondary 6 Students”.

The nine JUPAS participating-institutions and the SSSDP institutions may consider the HKDSE Examination results obtained by the applicants in different sittings when assessing their eligibility for admission. Applicants should read the individual programme requirements on the websites of the respective institutions for further information.

JUPAS applicants may submit information in relation to their disabilities via their JUPAS accounts for consideration by the nine JUPAS participating-institutions and the SSSDP institutions. Provision of such information is however on a voluntary basis. The arrangement aims at enabling such applicants to figure out the special assistance and facilities provided by institutions to them on their admissions as early as possible. It also helps the institutions to provide admission assistance at an early stage and give appropriate considerations to the applications concerned. For details, please refer to the JUPAS website.

In light of the vibrant development of the diversified articulation and multiple pathways in recent years, all students (including those with SEN) can opt for multiple pathways after completing the senior secondary education according to their personal interests, abilities and educational needs, including enrolling further studies at post-secondary institutions, pursuing vocational and professional education and training, studying other courses, continuing their education in other regions, entering the workforce, etc.

In order to enhance the effectiveness of transition and adaptation of secondary school leavers to post-secondary education, a SEN information transfer mechanism between secondary schools and post-secondary institutions has been established under “Special Education Management Information System” by EDB. With the consent of both parents and students, public sector ordinary secondary schools and Direct Subsidy Scheme secondary schools may directly transfer the SEN information of school leavers to their recipient post-secondary institutions/related organisations.

The EDB has also launched the Life Planning Information Website to provide all students (including students with SEN), teachers and parents with information and relevant reference materials on industries and multiple pathways, and the up-to-date information about pursuing further studies, so as to deepen their understanding on multiple pathways.

Under the existing academic structure, schools will make related arrangements for students before leaving schools. Considering students’ abilities and needs, schools will assist them to apply for vocational training or rehabilitation and support services, such as Shine Skills Centre under the VTC, sheltered workshop and integrated vocational training centres under the Social Welfare Department, etc.