Entry requirements for Hong Kong

Our entry requirements will vary depending on your level of study, the course you are interested in and your English language proficiency.

Undergraduate courses

Entrance requirements for undergraduate courses (ie BSc/BA) vary according to the course applied for and your background.

As a general rule, our admissions tutors will use the following guide:

Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE)

We welcome applications from students holding or studying for the HKDSE.

Entry requirements for individual programmes will vary, however, you will be expected to achieve 5554 (where Maths is required, Extended Maths should be present as an Elective), depending on the chosen course of study.

Alternatively, the successful completion of one or more years of undergraduate study at a recognised University in Hong Kong may also be considered as acceptable for entry on to our undergraduate degree courses.

Postgraduate taught courses

Entrance requirements for taught postgraduate course (i.e. master's courses) vary according to the course applied for, and your background.

As a general rule, our admissions tutors would ask that you have successfully completed a relevant bachelor's degree from a recognised institution, with a good GPA (typically 3.00 or above) or a 2:1 classification.

Postgraduate research courses

As a general rule, students applying for research course from Hong Kong should be able to provide evidence that they have already carried out research, usually via the successful completion of a relevant master's degree.

You should have successfully completed a relevant bachelor's degree from a recognised institution, with a good GPA – and possibly also successfully completed a relevant master's course from a recognised institution.

Please also read the additional advice on how to apply for a research course.

English language

You will need to have a relevant English language qualification to satisfy the English language requirements for your course. The minimum admissions requirement is usually IELTS 6.5 but for some courses we may ask for higher grades.

You can improve your level of English language to meet the entry requirements for your course through our in-house English for University Study programme, a full-time course for international students planning to study at a UK university. The minimum entry requirement is IELTS 4.0 for September entry, 4.5 for January and 5.0 for April. The Exit Test results from this course are accepted as IELTS equivalents for entry to all degree courses at Cardiff University.

We also offer summer pre-sessional courses for applicants with academic offers that are conditional on improving their level of English language proficiency.

If you are unsure of your qualifications or entry requirements please contact us.