These notes are meant to provide some information for applicants that wish to study in the Medicine program of the Faculty of Medicine. The notes are based on the results of the admissions process in previous years, and only provide a guide to the expected results in 2008. The exact criteria for admission in 2008 cannot be finalized until all applicants have submitted their academic grades and the interviews have been completed.

There are several channels available for students to apply for admission to study medicine. The total intake target for first year Medicine in 2008 is 125 students. Whatever the channel of admission, students are initially selected for interview based on their academic results. Approximately three students are interviewed for every place available. The decision to offer an applicant a place in Medicine is based mainly on academic results and performance at the interview, but all information provided by the candidate will be considered.

Early Admission Scheme

            In addition to the requirements set by the JUPAS Office, the Faculty of Medicine for 2008 requires students to have Level 5 or above in English. Medicine must also be the first choice of the subjects selected at CUHK before re-prioritization, and Band A choice after re-prioritization.

            The University also accepts direct applications from secondary school Form Six students that are not studying in Hong Kong and thus are not eligible for the Early Admission Scheme. These students are usually those that have sat the HKCEE but are studying elsewhere, or students who have GCSE results. For those with HKCEE, the academic results required for interview are the same as that required for the EAS students. For those with GCSE, the requirement for 2008 is 8A*, not including Chinese. Direct Applicants are considered to be non-JUPAS applicants, but the University usually arranges the interviews to be held on the same date as the EAS interviews. For 2008, this is 01 March. If Direct Applicants are unable to attend this interview, they are given a choice of an interview on the remaining dates along with the other non-JUPAS applicants.

            The outcome of the EAS applications will be reported by the JUPAS Office. The number of EAS places is limited to one third of the total places available. In previous years, the Faculty has taken up the maximum number of EAS applicants permitted. Scholarships are available from the University for EAS applicants and information about these can be found on the main EAS web page of the University. Direct Applicants will be notified about the result of their application by the University.

JUPAS Applicants

            For the June interview, students are selected on the basis of their HKCEE results in seven stipulated subjects. (The HKCEE average is calculated by adding the grades for the best seven required subjects (where A = 5 points, B = 4 points, C = 3 points etc and dividing the total by 7). For 2007, the required HKCEE average for interview was 33/7 (~4.7) that was equivalent to at least 6A1C or 5A2B in the required subjects. In addition, various JUPAS schemes such as the School Principals Nomination Scheme and Disabled Scheme are conducted and the required HKCEE average for interview under these schemes may be slightly lower. Approximately 70 students are interviewed at this time.

            After the HKALE results are released, additional students are selected for interview based on the weighted grade point average (WGPA) of the required HKCEE and HKALE subjects. The WGPA is calculated with 25% weighting on the HKCEE average as specified earlier and 75% weighting on the HKALE average. The HKALE grade average can be calculated by assigning a single weight to the AS subjects (usually English and Chinese), a double weight to the three AL subjects and dividing the total by eight. (For example AC in English and Chinese, plus ABC in the 3 AL subjects would result in (5+3+10+8+6)/8 = (32)/8 = 4.0 for the ALE average.

            Normally, students are required to take three science subjects for ALE. The Faculty will however consider applications from those students with only two science subjects and another subject.

            Offers of admission depend on both the WGPA mark and the interview score. The distribution of WGPA marks do vary from year to year but  in 2007, no student with a WGPA of less than 4.0 was admitted, and the median WGPA admitted was near 4.3.

            Those students who have already been invited to an interview in June will not be asked to attend another interview. In total, approximately three students are selected for every place available.

            The outcome of the JUPAS applications will be reported by the JUPAS Office.

Non-JUPAS applicants

            In previous years, there have been over 400 applicants for approximately 30 to 35 places. Academic results are the main criteria used to select approximately 100 applicants for interview, although other information in the whole application will be reviewed before a decision is made. Some applications clearly do not meet the required academic standards, and these notes are intended to provide a guide particularly to those candidates unlikely to receive an interview. Non-JUPAS applicants come from a variety of backgrounds and the expected grades for some of the main categories are listed here.

            Please note that interviews may still be offered to students that nearly meet the listed academic standards if other information in the application is compelling.

            One reason that applicants do not receive an interview is that they have not submitted a copy of their latest academic transcript. Some applications will not be processed until the academic year has been completed and a transcript is available. This is the case with most high school student and undergraduates who may not have final transcripts available until May to July, or even August for GCE A-level students

            Graduate students and those completing degrees by September

Graduate students are encouraged to apply and are normally expected to have a GPA of at least 3.7 or an A- equivalent from a highly ranked University. These grades are normally consistent with a first class honors degree. Full academic transcripts must be provided. It would also be useful for applicants to provide the results of other medical entry examinations such as the MCAT or GMAT if applicable in their country of current study.

            Undergraduate students

Applicants should have a GPA of at least 3.7 or an A- equivalent. Full academic transcripts must be provided. Academic results from high school may also be taken into consideration.

            High school students

                        International Baccalaureate
The current requirement for interview is an expected mark of 40/42 in the six subjects. An offer of admission may be made before the IB exam results are released, but this would be conditional to obtaining the required mark.

                        GCE A-level examinations
As these results are not released until August, selection for interview is based on the GCSE and the AS results. Individual AS examination marks must be provided. Applications will not be processed if the raw marks are not provided for the AS and A level subjects. The usual requirement would be 8A* (not including Chinese) for GCSE, and/or 4 subjects (not including Chinese) at AS level, with average marks over 95%. Offers of admission are conditional to obtaining 4 subjects at A-level, with marks over 90%. It would also be useful for applicants to provide the results of other entry examinations such as the BMAT.

                        Australia and New Zealand
Students are expected to be in the top 1% and should provide their UMAT results

                        Canadian and US based schools
Many different examination results can be considered. In general, Canadian students should have scored over 95% in their final examinations. Students who are not currently studying in Hong Kong schools are not usually accepted unless they also have excellent HKCEE results. Students studying in Canada and the US are usually expected to enroll at University and apply in a subsequent year as an undergraduate or graduate student.

Transfer Students

            Internal transfer by CUHK students

The deadline for application is usually in June. Students are expected to have a GPA of 3.7 before interview.

            Applicants from undergraduates at other tertiary institutions in Hong Kong

These are considered to be non-JUPAS applications. However, transfer to Medicine is currently actively discouraged by the UGC, and such applications will not be considered.

            Transfer to Medicine at Year Two and above (Application for MDT)

This is an unusual route and on average less than one student per year has been successful with such an application. Students without previous medical studies applying for MDT will be automatically reassigned to apply for Medicine at Year One (MED). Medical students at other universities may consider applying for MDT. However differences in curricula between Universities may make it difficult to transfer and students may have to enroll in an earlier year than they expect. As with other undergraduates, an A grade standard is required before consideration for interview.