1   What are the HKU minimum entrance requirements?

For students applying on the strength of Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination, they have to satisfy both the AL/AS and HKCEE entrance requirements:

AL/AS requirements
a	Grade E or above in either 2 AL subjects or 1 AL subject + 2 AS subjects (other than Use of English and Chinese Language and Culture ) or 4 AS subjects (other than Use of English and Chinese Language and Culture);
b	Grade D or above in AS Use of English#; and
c	Grade E or above in AS Chinese Language & Culture
( #Special waivers are given to those with Grade E or above in AS Use of English applying for admission to the 6901 BSc programme from 2007.)

HKCEE requirements Grade E or above in at least 7 subjects at the 1st and/or 2nd attempt which must include:
a	6 subjects in one sitting;
b	Chinese Language (or a language other than Chinese and English);
c	Mathematics; and
d	either Grade E or above in English Language (Syllabus B) or Grade C or above in English Language (Syllabus A)

For students not applying on the strength of HKALE, should refer to the list of recognized qualifications for admission which is available on-line at http://www.hku.hk/admission/ug.

2   Does your Faculty have any additional programme requirements?

6729 Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science

Grade D or above in AS English language

+

Grade E or above in AS Chinese Language & Culture

+

Grade E or above in AL Pure Mathematics

Students who are not applying on the strength of HKALE, should refer to the list of recognized qualifications for admission which is available at http://www.hku.hk/admission/ug.

3   Will you give exemptions for any of these requirements?

No exemptions will be given to English and Chinese language but exemption to subject requirements may be granted on individual basis. Students should check with the Faculty Office before applying for admission.

4   What is the formula used for selection in your programme? Do you consider HKCEE performance at all? If you do, what is the weighting?

For JUPAS applicants, HKALE and HKCEE performance are considered at a weighting of about 70% and 25% respectively and interview performance and other attributes count 5%.

It is important to note that the Faculty does not only consider academic achievement, other achievements such as extra-curricular activities, motivation, leadership skill, principal's recommendations are also taken into account for admissions.

5   Will you accept applicants who put your programme down in Band B (or lower)? Will there be any penalties (in terms of the selection formula) for applicants putting the programme down in Band B (or lower)?

The Faculty will consider all applicants in all bands. However, the higher the choice you put HKU Science programmes, the greater chance you will be admitted. Over 98% of students admitted during the past 5 years placed Science programmes amongst their Band A choices.

6   How do you treat HKALE repeaters?

The same with non-repeaters and we take the best grades of the subjects you have attempted.

7   How many places are available for the BSc programmes in 2010? How many are for non-JUPAS?

There are about 400 places for the 6901 BSc programme and BSc (Actuarial Science) programme for the September 2010 admission.

About 15% - 20% of the places will be reserved for non-JUPAS applicants, depending on the number of applications received and their qualifications.

A small number of places are also taken up by students admitted through the "Early Admission Scheme for Secondary Six Students" and students recruited from Mainland China.

An additional 30 places are available for students admitted directly to second year.

8   How many freshmen were admitted in 2009?

497.

BSc programme	386
BSc (Actuarial Science)	82
Direct Admission to second year	29

The 2009 admission numbers for different programmes are for reference only

9   What are the grades of students admitted last year?

JUPAS applicants
Admission grades of JUPAS students for the past years can be obtained from http://www.hku.hk/admission/jupas-grades.htm. Students should take the admission grades as a reference only and should not regard them as strict scores for admission. Besides, other non-academic achievements, such as extra-curricular activities, leadership skills, motivation, and principal's recommendations are all considered for admissions.

Non-JUPAS applicants
For applicants applying for admission on the strength of qualifications other than local examination results, they may come from different backgrounds (e.g. IB, GCE, SAT, OAC, etc), so each application is assessed on a case by case basis and the admissions grades will not be specified. We will take into consideration all the academic record you have submitted for your application. In addition to academic performance, other non-academic achievements such as extra curricular activities, leadership skills, motivation and principal’s recommendations are all considered for admissions.

10   I have applied for admission through the non-JUPAS Admissions scheme. When will I know I have been admitted or not?

The Faculty will start to issue offer/conditional offer in April. However, if you are placed on a waiting list, you may not know the result of your application until later. If you receive your examination results after you have submitted your application, you should submit the results to the University as soon as possible.

11   Can undergraduates engage in research activities?

The Faculty offers undergraduate research opportunities to selected students who are interested to conduct research in their second and third years under individual supervision by teaching staff. Some students also work in the departments' research laboratories as student research assistants during summer. Opportunities are also offered to students to engage in research in overseas university such as Overseas Research Fellowship (ORF).

12   If I have studied courses similar to those courses offered in the BSc programme before, can I ask for advanced credits?

Advanced credits may be granted to students with prior qualification (normally at post A-level standard) in their programme of study. Some students may also be given advanced credits equivalent to the 1st year of study and admitted directly to the 2nd year of BSc degree. This may free-up students' time to study other courses of interest. Some students may elect to graduate in less than 3 years. Successful cases of granting advanced credits in the past include: students completing year one in another Bachelor degree programme of this University or another recognized local or overseas tertiary institution; students completing Associate Degree offered by the Community College.

13   Are there any exchange opportunities for undergraduates to spend one year or one semester abroad?

Exchange opportunities are available for undergraduates to study at overseas universities through the HKU Worldwide Undergraduate Exchange Programme. The University has signed agreements to undertake exchange studies with more than 100 leading universities worldwide. Past exchanges have been located at universities in North America, UK, Australia, Sweden, New Zealand, etc. Credits for courses taken at the exchange universities are recognized and scholarships are granted.

14   How much is the tuition fee?

Tuition fees are $42,100 (local students) and $100,000 (international students) per annum for 2010-11.

15   Where can I obtain further information (programme structure and description, career prospects, etc) on individual programmes?

Students may visit the following websites for further information:

BSc Admission
http://www.hku.hk/science/ug
http://www.hku.hk/science

6901 BSc programme
http://www.hku.hk/science/ug/intro.html

HKU undergraduate prospectus
http://www.hku.hk/acad/ugp/

HKU Worldwide Undergraduate Exchange Programme:
http://www.hku.hk/liaison/oise