Admission Information and Interview Arrangement for 2021 Intake
You are welcome to browse the website of our Department, as well as the website of Office of Admission of Financial Aids, CUHK (Website: http://admission.cuhk.edu.hk/) to know more information related to admission.
Furthermore, our Department prepared the "Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare" free online learning course for students who are interested in our social work studies to know more about social work's ideologies, values and working strategies. Students may use the QR code in the below poster, or the link below, to access the online teaching platform "KEEP" for registration and participate in the online course for free.
https://course.keep.edu.hk/course/236043
The JUPAS admission interview for 2021 will tentatively be scheduled in early June 2021 (First-round interview, before HKDSE result releases) and late July 2021 (Second-round interview, after HKDSE result releases). Invitation for the interview will be sent to students who selected our programme as one of their Band A choices in JUPAS, via mail or email.
Please feel free to call 3943-7490 (Attn: Ms. Ho) or 3943-8783 (Attn: Mr. Ip) if you have any enquiries.
We look forward to have you to join our big family!
Admission Requirements
Admission to the University's undergraduate programmes can be obtained through various channels. Students may apply for admission via the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS), Non-JUPAS (Local and International) Admission Scheme and Mainland Students Admission Scheme. For details, please visit the website of Office of Admissions and Financial Aids of the University: http://www5.cuhk.edu.hk/oafa/ or contact us.
CUHK Social Work JUPAS Programme Code: JS4874
Students who graduate from the Department are qualified to be Registered Social Worker (RSW) in Hong Kong. They can take up professional posts at the Social Welfare Department, the Hospital Authority or in non-governmental organisations. With the holistic curriculum, particularly its strong emphasis on relationship building and critical thinking, some of our graduates are able to develop careers in fields such as education, business administration, marketing and media.
Minimum Requirements for Admissions to the Programme
(Applicable to students with HKDSE results):
Applicant shall have:
- Applied for at least four core subjects and two elective subjects in Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education; and
- Obtained the following results:
- Chinese Language: Level 3
- English Language: Level 3
- Mathematics: Level 2
- Liberal Studies: Level 3
- Two electives: Level 3
(Applicable to students on the strength of qualifications other than HKDSE through Non-JUPAS Admission Scheme)
Applicants shall possess any of the following qualifications:
GCE-AL/International-AL/ IB/ Other high school qualifications
- GCE-AL/International-AL (passes 3AL/ 2AL+2AS in one sitting)
- International Baccalaureate Diploma
- A recognised non-local qualification which qualifies them for admission to a university in the country/region where such qualification is originated (e.g. high school diploma plus SAT in USA, UEC/ STPM in Malaysia, ATAR in Australia, OSSD in Canada, GSAT in Taiwan)
Post-secondary qualifications
- Completed at least one year of undergraduate study at a recognised university
- Completed at least one year of study leading to the qualification of associate degree/higher diploma or its equivalent
HKALE
- HKCEE, grade E or above in at least seven subjects; and
- HKALE, grade E or above in at least 2 AL and 2 AS subjects (one of the two AL subjects may be substituted by two additional AS subjects. AS subjects refer to all AS subjects under HKALE including Chinese Language & Culture and Use of English)
Apart from meeting the minimum requirements, students interested in social work are expected to have a fair degree of sensitivity towards and knowledge about current social issues, and some enthusiasm in serving the society and helping people. It matters little whether an applicant is a "science" or "arts" student, the most important thing is that he/she is willing to serve people.
Volunteer experiences are certainly valuable and helpful that can heighten your interest in serving others, enhance your understanding of the meaning of help and the professional spirit and ethics of a social worker. If you have rich experiences in volunteer services or school services, and have taken an active role in these services, you may apply for admission through the "School Principal's Nomination" scheme. Nevertheless, lack of volunteer experience will not jeopardise your chance of admission to the Department. In fact, many of our social work students actively engage in volunteer services after they have joined the University.
Q&A
Will this affect my chance of being admitted to the Programme?
A: Basically, a lack of volunteer experience will not affect students' chance of admission. In addition to the courses offered in the regular programme, the Department of Social Work also provides students with opportunities of understanding different social services. Volunteer work is useful both for personal growth and skill training.
A: Of course, it is suitable for you to do so. The Department of Social Work has set no restriction on the admission of students to the Programme with regard to their secondary school training background. The Social Work Programme has emphasised analytical ability. All students with different training backgrounds are welcome.
A: Yes, it is necessary for all students to participate in the interview and be admitted to the Programme. Only Band A JUPAS students (students who place CUHK's Social Work in their first three choices) will be invited to attend the interview. The interview is normally scheduled to be taken place after the release of HKDSE results and after the modification of JUPAS choices. For Non-JUPAS applicants, the interview is normally schedulded to be taken place from February to July.
A: The purpose of the interview is to provide a channel for both parties to know each other. Teachers will assess whether students are suitable to study social work at the time of interview. Also it is a good chance for the potential students to know more about our Social Work Programme.
A: The third and fourth years students will be asked to do their field work placement in different setting, such as the Social Welfare Department, non-governmental organisations, Hospital Authority, and schools, etc. At the moment, some students will have the chance to complete their overseas field work placement such as in Canada, Singapore, Mainland China.
A: The employment rates of our graduates have continued to be favourable. Most of our graduates work in the social work or related fields or pursue advanced education in the social work field.
A: The employment opportunity for social work students is good. All social work major graduates are qualified to become registered social workers. Of course, social work students have the option to choose the right kind of job. For example, they can become teachers, business managers, marketing representatives and reporters, etc.
A: The department of social work has launched a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) named “Introduction to Social Work” at https://course.keep.edu.hk/course/236043. You may enroll the free course to check with your understanding and expectation in social work.
Change of Major
Students who would like to change their major of studies to Social Work should fulfil the following requirements:
(1) Regulations set by Registration and Examinations Session (RES):
- the student has taken course(s) of at least 6 units with an average grade of not less than B- that would count towards the major requirements of the Programme; or
- the admission WGPA score (e.g. HKALE, HKDSE) of the student must be better than the student at the lowest decile who had been successfully admitted to the Programme concerned in the same year that s/he was first admitted to the University; or
- the student has attained a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above in the current academic year.
(subject to change, with the announcement by RES as final) AND;
(2) Additional Requirement by our Department: Completed SOWK1001 with an average grade of not lower than B-.
Interested students are encouraged to plan for their academic study in this academic year as soon as possible.
Application for transfer of major effective from academic year 2020-21 was closed. For students who would like to apply for transfer of major to social work in academic year 2021-22, please pay attention to the announcement from the website of our Department, as well as the website of the Registration and Examinations Section in May 2021. The application will tentatively be open in June 2021.