Routes to Mainland universities for Hong Kong students — Peking University’s Hong Kong Boya Programme
Routes for Hong Kong students to study at Mainland universities
— Peking University’s Hong Kong Boya Talent Development Programme
Parent: My child is a Hong Kong resident. What routes lead to leading Mainland 985 universities? We hope for a strong university and lower tuition fees.
Sparrow: Options include HKDSE, the National Joint Entrance Examination and institution-specific admissions. Peking University’s Hong Kong Boya Talent Development Programme is worth considering.
If curriculum or other considerations mean your child hopes to apply to leading Mainland universities without HKDSE and/or the National Joint Entrance Examination, consider institution-specific admissions such as Peking University’s Hong Kong Boya Talent Development Programme. Its published 2026 prospectus uses principal recommendation, application review and interviews to select Hong Kong students graduating that year who studied at a Hong Kong secondary school during senior secondary education, or at the Hong Kong-curriculum secondary division of a Greater Bay Area Mainland school for children of Hong Kong residents that is an HKDSE participating school.
For Hong Kong students studying in the Mainland Greater Bay Area, the school must be a designated HKDSE participating school and the student must attend its qualifying Hong Kong-curriculum secondary division. For Hong Kong students studying in Hong Kong, the scope is broader: the published prospectus does not list designated Hong Kong secondary schools or explicitly restrict the curriculum to HKDSE.
Hong Kong offers schools with HKDSE, IBDP, A-Level and American high school diploma/AP pathways. Before choosing or transferring schools, confirm with the school’s university counselling office whether its curriculum, enrolment status and study history satisfy Peking University’s admissions requirements.
1. Main routes for Hong Kong students to Mainland universities
| Category | Route | Examination requirements | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Examination admissions | Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions based on HKDSE results | HKDSE required; National Joint Entrance Examination not required | Apply using HKDSE results and university regulations; 165 Mainland institutions participate in 2026/27. |
| Examination admissions | National Joint Entrance Examination for Overseas Chinese, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Students | National Joint Entrance Examination required; applications are not based on HKDSE results | Apply under Hong Kong identity and academic qualification requirements; admission follows examination results and preferences. |
| Institution-specific admissions | University selection programmes for Hong Kong students | Programme-specific requirements | Peking University’s 2026 Hong Kong Boya Programme uses principal recommendation, application review and interviews. |
| Institution-specific admissions | Other university admissions or the Jinan–Huaqiao joint admissions examination | Requirements vary by university | Huaqiao University offers an international-results route for some Hong Kong students studying senior secondary overseas; Jinan University and Huaqiao University also conduct their joint admissions examination. |
Please note: principal recommendation does not necessarily remove the HKDSE requirement. For example, students receiving conditional offers through Fudan University’s 2026 Hong Kong principal recommendation scheme must still take HKDSE and meet its minimum results requirements.
2. Peking University’s 2026 Hong Kong Boya Programme
This is an undergraduate selection programme at a leading Mainland university for outstanding Hong Kong students graduating that year. Applicants must meet all of the following:
Identity requirements: a valid Hong Kong permanent or non-permanent identity card, together with the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents or the Residence Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents required by the prospectus. The specified travel permit excludes the non-Chinese citizen category.
Senior secondary study requirements: study at a Hong Kong secondary school during senior secondary education, or at the Hong Kong-curriculum secondary division of a designated HKDSE participating school for children of Hong Kong residents in the Mainland Greater Bay Area.
Secondary school graduation in 2026 (a graduating student that year).
Recommendation from the principal of the student’s secondary school.
Selection process: online application → Application review → Interview → Selection based on interview results.
Curriculum interpretation differs by location:
Hong Kong secondary schools: the prospectus does not restrict the curriculum to HKDSE or explicitly exclude IBDP, A-Level or AP students. Interested secondary students studying in Hong Kong can seek confirmation of their eligibility.
Mainland Greater Bay Area schools: the student must attend the Hong Kong-curriculum secondary division of a designated HKDSE participating school. Hong Kong identity, an international curriculum or a school name alone does not establish eligibility.
Fees: tuition is CNY 5,000, 5,300 or 6,000 per academic year, depending on the faculty. Accommodation is approximately CNY 1,000 per academic year. Enrolled students may apply for university scholarships. Living, travel and other expenses are not included.
Which schools? Grouped by location and curriculum
Hong Kong schools offering HKDSE: reference list
| School | Curriculum |
|---|---|
| St. Paul’s Co-educational College | HKDSE and IBDP in parallel |
| Diocesan Boys’ School | HKDSE and IBDP |
| St. Stephen’s College | HKDSE and IBDP |
| Po Leung Kuk Ngan Po Ling College | HKDSE and IBDP |
| HKCCCU Logos Academy | HKDSE and IBDP |
| Diocesan Girls’ School | HKDSE and GCE A-Level |
| St. Paul’s Convent School | HKDSE and other international pathways, including IAL |
Hong Kong schools offering HKDSE include government, aided, Direct Subsidy Scheme and some private schools. A school may offer HKDSE alongside IBDP, A-Level or other curricula. Confirm the student’s actual pathway and eligibility for the relevant application year.
Mainland Greater Bay Area: four HKDSE participating schools for the 2026 graduating cohort
| City | School | Programme-relevant division |
|---|---|---|
| Shenzhen | Shenzhen Hong Kong Pui Kiu College Longhua Xinyi School | Hong Kong-curriculum secondary division |
| Guangzhou | Affiliated School of JNU for Hong Kong and Macao Students, Guangzhou | Hong Kong-curriculum secondary division |
| Guangzhou Nansha | Minxin Hong Kong School, Guangzhou Nansha | Hong Kong-curriculum secondary division |
| Dongguan | Affiliated School of JNU for Hong Kong and Macao Students, Dongguan | Hong Kong-curriculum secondary division |
C. Hong Kong: IBDP, A-Level and AP course reference lists (these are curriculum reference lists, not a recognised-school list published by Peking University; Hong Kong students taking international curricula must reconfirm the relevant year’s requirements with Peking University before applying to the Hong Kong Boya Programme).
Reference list of schools offering senior secondary IBDP
| Group | Schools |
|---|---|
| Local schools offering IBDP | St. Paul’s Co-educational College; Diocesan Boys’ School; St. Stephen’s College; Po Leung Kuk Ngan Po Ling College; HKCCCU Logos Academy |
| Private independent and other schools offering IBDP | Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau School; The ISF Academy; Victoria Shanghai Academy |
| ESF schools offering IBDP | Island School; King George V School; Sha Tin College; South Island School; West Island School; Renaissance College; Discovery College |
| Other schools offering IBDP | Chinese International School; Canadian International School of Hong Kong; Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong; Singapore International School (Hong Kong); Yew Chung International School of Hong Kong; Carmel School’s Elsa High School |
| English-curriculum pathway to IBDP | German Swiss International School, English International Stream: IGCSE followed by IBDP |
| American-curriculum background with IBDP | American School Hong Kong; Stamford American School Hong Kong |
Hong Kong schools offering A-Level/IAL courses
| School | Pathway |
|---|---|
| Harrow International School Hong Kong | GCSE/IGCSE → A-Level |
| Kellett School | GCSE/IGCSE → A-Level |
| Discovery Bay International School | English curriculum → Senior secondary A-Level; BTEC options also available |
| Diocesan Girls’ School | Senior secondary GCE A-Level; HKDSE also available |
| St. Paul’s Convent School | International A-Level (IAL) |
International schools offering an American high school diploma and AP courses: reference list
| School | High school pathway |
|---|---|
| Hong Kong International School (HKIS) | American high school credit system, school diploma and AP courses |
| American International School (AIS) | American curriculum, AIS high school diploma, AP and AP Capstone courses |
Note: American School Hong Kong (ASHK) and American International School (AIS) are different schools. ASHK offers IBDP in senior secondary; AIS’s pathway above is an American high school diploma with AP.
4. Points to check
Parents of Hong Kong students should confirm where their child studies senior secondary, which school and curriculum they attend, their expected graduation year and the Hong Kong and Mainland travel documents they hold. These jointly determine whether the Hong Kong Boya route can be considered, rather than Hong Kong identity alone. For example, a Hong Kong student whose entire senior secondary education is at an international school in Thailand does not meet the prospectus’s requirements for this programme.
Application timing: the 2026 cohort’s application period was 27 November–26 December 2025. Plan ahead and submit within the specified application window. Students graduating in 2027 or later may use the 2026 rules for planning, but must follow the prospectus for their target year. Obtain a clear response from Peking University before transferring schools or changing curriculum, and monitor changes in Ministry of Education policy.
Reference sources:
Peking University Undergraduate Admissions: 2026 prospectus
HKEAA: National Joint Entrance Examination information
Fudan University: 2026 Hong Kong admissions prospectus
Huaqiao University: 2026 Hong Kong student admissions prospectus
Shenzhen Hong Kong Pui Kiu College Longhua Xinyi School
Affiliated School of JNU for Hong Kong and Macao Students, Guangzhou
Minxin Hong Kong School, Guangzhou Nansha
Affiliated School of JNU for Hong Kong and Macao Students, Dongguan
Hong Kong Education Bureau: Mainland University Study Subsidy Scheme
Hong Kong Education Bureau: School Search
Peking University Admissions Office: bdzsb@pku.edu.cn; +86-10-62751407