Admissions

Admission Requirements

A. General admission requirements

Applicants should have:

• A master’s degree from a recognised university; or
• Graduated from a recognised university and obtained a bachelor’s degree, normally with honours not lower than Second Class; or
• Graduated from an honours programme of a recognised university with a bachelor’s degree, normally achieving an average grade not lower than “B”; or
• Completed a course of study in a tertiary educational institution and obtained professional or similar qualifications equivalent to an honours degree.

What to Submit
Hardcopy

• An official transcript (with a complete record of courses attended and examination results) and an official grading scheme, in a sealed envelope with an official university stamp that is sent by the issuing university’s academic office.
• A Transcript Submission Covering Sheet should be attached with your official transcript and the grading scheme.

Softcopy

• Certificates of graduation and/or professional qualifications.
• A copy of the Online Verification Report of Qualification Certificate (教育部學歷證書電子註冊備案表) (in Chinese) issued by the CHESICC (學信網)(Sample) (only for applicants who obtained degrees from universities in mainland China).

FAQs

• I did not attach the Transcript Submission Covering Sheet with my official transcript, what should I do?

  Applicants are advised to first download the Transcript Submission Covering Sheet, then attach it to your official transcript or to send it to the issuing university/institution when making an official transcript request.

• My university will not mail my official transcript to another university/institution, can I mail it myself?

  Yes. You can mail your official transcript on their behalf. However, please ensure that your official transcript is sent in a sealed envelope with an official university stamp issued by the university’s academic office. It must also reach our office on or before the said application deadline.

• My university/institution only provides electronic official transcripts, what should I do?

  Please contact your university’s academic office and make a request to send the electronic official transcript directly to our office email address (mphilphd@cuhk.edu.hk) on or before the said application deadline.

• When submitting my transcript(s), do I have to provide the grading scheme?

  Applicants MUST provide the official grading scheme(s) when submitting your official transcript(s), as well as a complete record of the courses attended and examination results.

B. English language requirements

To fulfil CUHK’s minimum English language requirements for admission to postgraduate programmes, applicants should have:

Obtained a degree from a university in Hong Kong* or taken a degree programme of which the medium of instruction was English; or

Achieved scores in the following English Language tests as indicated:

• HKPFS applicants only accept IELTS (Academic) or TOEFL score reports
• IELTS^# (Academic): 6.5;
• TOEFL^#: 550 (Paper-based)/79 (Internet-based);
• GMAT^{^}(Verbal): Band 21; or

Obtained a pass grade in English in one of the following examinations:

• Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (AS Level);
• Hong Kong Higher Level Examination;
• CUHK Matriculation Examination;
• General Certificate of Education Examination (GCE) Advanced Level (A-Level)/Advanced Subsidiary Level (AS-Level); or

Achieved Level 4 or above in the English Language subject of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination; or

Obtained a recognised professional qualification, provided that the examination was conducted in English.

For HKPFS applicants, the GMAT(Verbal) does not fulfil the English language proficiency requirement.  

What to Submit
Hardcopy

• An official and valid IELTS (Academic) test report or GMAT(Verbal); or
• A certified true copy of the certificate of a recognised professional qualification for which the examination was conducted in English; or
• A certified true copy of Statement of Results/report of the English Language subject in General Certificate of Education (GCE) A-level or AS-level/CUHK Matriculation Examination.

Softcopy

• A certificate of graduation issued by a Hong Kong university; or
• A certifying letter issued by the university’s academic office, to confirm the medium of instruction of your degree programme was English; or
• Certification of results of the English Language subject in (i) Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (AS Level), (ii) Hong Kong Higher Level Examination, or (iii) Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination provided by Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority.

FAQs

• If English is the medium of instruction for my obtained degree, do I still need to submit an IELTS/TOEFL test report to fulfil the university’s minimum English language proficiency requirement for admission?

  Please submit a certifying letter issued by the university’s academic office as a supporting document for your English language proficiency requirement.

  If you wish to submit your test result(s), please make a request to the organisation concerned and send an official IELTS/TOEFL test report directly to our office.

• I took an IELTS/TOEFL two years ago, can I still submit the test report?

  Please make a request to the organisation concerned to send an official test report directly to our office.

  Applicants are advised to save a copy of the receipt/confirmation email of your test report request for tracking. If you wish to know whether or not the test report has been delivered to our office, please provide your (i) application number, (ii) ID/passport number, and (iii) date of birth.

• I already sent my GMAT/GRE/IELTS/TOEFL test report to the office, have you received it?

  Please make sure that all of the information (i.e., institution code and/or address) is correct when making the request to the organisation concerned.

  Please refer to Admissions for the organisations’ institution codes and our office address. An incorrect institution code/address may result in a delivery delay. If that happens, please send it again.

  If your information is correct but our office did not receive anything, please send an email to mphilphd@cuhk.edu.hk and provide your (i) application number, (ii) ID/passport number, (iii) date of birth, and (iv) a copy of your receipt/confirmation email of your test report request.

C. Programme-specific admission requirements/documents to be submitted

The applicants should:

• Take GMAT^{^}, GMAT Online Exam^{^}, GRE^{^} or GRE Test at Home^{^};
• Submit/upload two reference letters;
• Submit/upload (i) CV, (ii) research proposal/plan, (iii) personal statement/statement of purpose, (iv) written publication(s) and/or work(s) and (v) copies of awards and qualifications;
• Commit and engage in research and/or tertiary education.

What to Submit
Hardcopy

• An official GMAT, GMAT Online Exam, GRE or GRE Test at Home test report to be sent to the office.
• Submit a confidential recommendation form which is available at the Online Application System for Postgraduate Programmes, in a sealed envelope with the referee’s signature (only for referees to submit his/her recommendation form/letter by post).

Softcopy

• Submit a confidential recommendation form which is available at the Online Application System for Postgraduate Programmes (only for referees to submit his/her recommendation form/letter online).
• A research proposal/plan to demonstrate your research interests/topics.
• A personal statement/statement of purpose to state (i) your reasons for pursuing either MPhil or PhD degree programme and (ii) your career goals and aspirations.
• A copy of your previous written work(s) (i.e., thesis, research project/report or publication) to demonstrate your research capabilities and achievements.
• Copies of awards and qualifications, if applicable.
• A copy of passport/HKID card or other identity documents as filled in the application form.

FAQs

• I have submitted my IELTS/TOEFL test report to the office. Do I still need to submit a GMAT/GRE test report?

  A GMAT/GRE is a required item for our MPhil-PhD programmes, in addition to the English language proficiency requirement. Please make a request to the organisation concerned and send your official test report directly to our office on or before the said application deadline.

  Please refer to Admissions for the organisations’ institution codes.

• What is the minimum test score requirements for a GMAT/GRE?

  There is NO minimum test score requirements for a GMAT/GRE. Our selection panel will carefully review and consider each applicant on a case-by-case basis. As such, please be sure to submit all the required documents on or before the said application deadline.

• How do I submit/upload my (i) CV, (ii) research proposal/plan, (iii) personal statement/statement of purpose, (iv) previously written work(s), and (v) copies of awards and qualifications? Are they absolutely necessary?

  Please submit/upload all of the above to the Online Application System for Postgraduate Programmes. Please select “Certificate” in the “Document Type” field.

  We highly recommend applicants provide the above as part of your application package, as this will allow our selection panel to know you better.

  When writing a research proposal/plan and a personal statement/statement of purpose, there is no specific requirements regarding word limit, point size, or format. However, when submitting any of the above, please focus on providing additional information to demonstrate your (i) research interests, (ii) academic achievements, and (iii) reasons for pursuing MPhil or PhD.

⁺ Applicants who are not selected for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme will be considered as regular applicants.

^* This is based on the understanding that English is the medium of instruction of degree programmes offered by universities in Hong Kong. Moreover, graduates from universities in Hong Kong should have fulfilled the English language requirements of the institution concerned when they were admitted to the degree programmes. CUHK Graduate School may request applicants to provide additional supporting documents to prove their English proficiency.

^# Tests of IELTS and TOEFL are considered valid for two years from the test date. 

^{^} Test of GMAT and GRE are considered valid for five years from the test date.   

Last updated: August 2021