Move comes after similar measures by Chinese University and HKUST amid long-standing criticism of system said to shut out those not strong in language skills
Another Hong Kong university on Saturday joined two other institutions in the city in relaxing entry requirements for students with outstanding examination results but who scored just slightly under the qualifying mark in certain subjects.
The move by City University in Kowloon Tong came after Chinese University and the University of Science and Technology revised their admission schemes on the same premise. For Chinese University in particular, the aim was to provide more chances for students who excelled in science and mathematics – in line with the city’s push for innovation and technology – but scored below the mark in other subjects.
CityU announced students who failed to meet its so-called benchmark of 332233 – the levels required for six subjects respectively: Chinese, English, maths, liberal studies and two electives – in the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exams, could still be considered for a spot if they fulfilled other conditions.
DSE exam results span a seven-level system: 1,2,3,4,5,5* and 5**.
In CityU’s case, students with one subject result falling a level below the minimum mark, but with an average score of 5* in the other five subjects, can still qualify for a place if they have opted for the university as one of their top three choices in the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS).
JUPAS is the platform through which students who have taken the DSE examinations apply for admission to local universities.
“We will let the department concerned consider [the application], and after an evaluation by the Admission Committee, students may be offered a place under JUPAS,” said Emily Cheng Kwong Kit-ching, CityU’s admission office director, adding that the revised policy would apply to all courses on campus.
