Macau Joint

Overview

The Joint Admission Examination for the Four Higher Education Institutions of Macao (澳門四高校聯合入學考試, often called the "four-school joint exam") is a set of standardised entrance tests in Chinese, Portuguese, English and Mathematics. It is jointly organised by Macao's four main higher-education institutions — the University of Macau (UM), Macao Polytechnic University (MPU), Macao University of Tourism (UTM) and Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST). Macao's Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) publishes the shared exam schedule and coordinates special sitting arrangements, while each institution runs its own registration and admission process. The exam does not work like a single national entrance exam with one nationwide cut-off score; instead, each institution uses a candidate's exam results as one input into its own, separate admission decision.

Who can apply

A candidate may register if they have already completed and graduated from secondary Form 6 (or an equivalent qualification), or are currently studying in Form 6 (or an equivalent level) in the year they apply. Registration is open to Macao residents and to non-Macao candidates, but the exam is not intended for students completing their secondary schooling in mainland China, who generally apply to Macao's institutions through other, mainland-specific routes. A candidate does not have to sit every subject — which papers to take depends on the admission requirements published by the specific institution and programme the candidate is targeting.

Exam pattern

Candidates sit only the papers their target institution and programme require. Chinese, English and the Mathematics standard paper are the papers most commonly asked for; the Portuguese papers and the Mathematics supplementary paper matter mainly for specific programmes. Students who win a First Class or Second Class award in the Individual Category of the DSEDJ-organised Inter-School Mathematics Competition may apply for exemption from both Mathematics papers.

Marking and results

Each paper is marked out of its own full score (100 marks, or 60 for the Mathematics supplementary paper), then converted onto a shared scale so results can be compared across candidates and across years. For 2026, overall converted scores on this scale range from 350 to 1000; this range excludes the University of Macau's own separate special-admission scheme, which is scored under different rules. The exam itself sets no pass mark or cut-off line — each institution reviews a candidate's paper results together with the candidate's secondary-school record and, where relevant, interviews or other criteria, and applies its own rules to decide admission offers.

Important dates

For the 2026 cycle, DSEDJ and the four institutions published the following schedule. Confirm the current year's dates directly with DSEDJ or the institution you are applying to, since the schedule is set afresh each year.

The exact date and time for the Portuguese Paper A sitting could not be confirmed from the sources checked for this file.

Fees

For 2026, each institution charges an application fee of MOP$250. A candidate applying to more than one of the four institutions must complete registration and pay the fee separately at each institution.

How to apply

A candidate registers online directly with each higher-education institution they wish to apply to, within that institution's own registration window, and pays the application fee at the same time. Applying to more than one institution means repeating registration and payment separately at each one. DSEDJ handles requests for special exam arrangements for candidates with disabilities separately, against its own, earlier deadline.

After the exam

Once marking is complete, each institution receives a candidate's paper results and reviews them alongside the candidate's secondary-school record and any other criteria it has set, to decide admission offers for its own programmes. For 2026, DSEDJ reported that exam results are also accepted as part of the application for Macao students seeking undergraduate places at around 20 mainland Chinese universities outside the exam's own four institutions, including Sun Yat-sen University, Jinan University and Xi'an Jiaotong University. Each mainland institution sets its own minimum score or ranking requirement for these results, and some add an interview or other steps.

Preparation tips

Check the specific subject requirements published by each institution and programme you are targeting before deciding which papers to register for, since not every candidate needs every paper. Because results are reported on a scale that compares all candidates sitting a paper in the same year, rather than against a fixed pass mark, a previous year's results are only a rough guide — focus preparation on the officially published paper formats and past papers for each subject instead of assuming a fixed "safe" score. If your target programme needs Portuguese or the Mathematics supplementary paper, confirm this early, since these call for separate study time alongside Chinese, English and the Mathematics standard paper.