HKDSE

Overview

The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination is Hong Kong's single secondary-school-leaving examination, run by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA). It is sat at the end of Secondary 6 (the final year of senior secondary school) and serves two purposes at once: it is the qualifying assessment for the secondary school leaving certificate, and its results are the main basis for admission to local undergraduate degree programmes through the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS).

Who can apply

• School candidates: bona fide Secondary 6 students at a Hong Kong school approved to take part in the HKDSE, or Secondary 6 (or equivalent) students at an approved school outside Hong Kong, registered for the exam by their school.

• Private candidates: a person who has already sat an earlier HKDSE, or who will have turned 19 by 1 January of the examination year, can register directly as a private candidate. People who do not meet either condition can apply for "special entry" if they have sat an equivalent public examination or hold/are pursuing a recognised qualification; HKEAA assesses these applications individually and charges a separate special entry application fee.

• For the 2026 HKDSE, school and private candidate registration ran from 11 September to 8 October 2025, with special entry applications open from 18 August to 8 October 2025.

Exam pattern

Every candidate sits four core subjects. Elective subjects are chosen on top of the core, from a bank of twenty offered across the sciences, humanities, business, technology and the arts.

Each subject other than CSD is reported on an eight-level scale, from 5** (the highest) down through 5*, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, with "Unclassified" (U) below Level 1. HKEAA sets Level 5** to the top-performing roughly 10% of candidates who reach Level 5, and 5* to the next roughly 30% of that group.

Written examinations for most subjects run over a dedicated window each spring; practical and oral components (such as English Language Speaking, and Music and Physical Education practicals) are held separately, earlier in the year.

Marking and results

Each subject is graded independently on the level scale described above. Results are released once a year, in mid-July, directly to candidates through the HKEAA's results-release arrangements.

University admission through JUPAS is based on a candidate's best levels across the core and elective subjects, converted to points (Level 5 carries 5 points, 5* carries 6, 5** carries 7, and so on down the scale). Institutions set a general minimum entrance requirement in the four core subjects — commonly written as "332A": Level 3 in Chinese Language, Level 3 in English Language, Level 2 in Mathematics, and "Attained" in Citizenship and Social Development. This replaced the earlier "3322" core requirement from 2024 entry onward. Meeting the minimum requirement does not guarantee a place: individual degree programmes set their own, often higher, subject-specific requirements and competition for places is on top of that minimum.

Important dates

For the 2026 HKDSE:

• Registration (school and private candidates): 11 September – 8 October 2025.

• Special entry applications (private candidates): 18 August – 8 October 2025.

• Practical and oral components (Physical Education, Music, English Language Speaking): mid February to late March 2026.

• Core written papers: Chinese Language on 9–11 April, Mathematics (Compulsory Part) on 13 April, Citizenship and Social Development on 14 April 2026.

• Full written examination period (all subjects): 8 April – 5 May 2026.

• Results released: 15 July 2026.

Exact dates move slightly year to year; candidates should check HKEAA's published timetable for the year they are sitting.

Fees

For the 2026 HKDSE:

• Private candidate registration (initial) fee: HK$595.

• Private candidate subject fee: HK$777 per language subject and HK$519 per other subject for holders of a Permanent Hong Kong Identity Card; HK$1,377 per language subject and HK$1,119 per other subject for private candidates without one.

• Special Entry Application Fee (for private candidates who need special entry): HK$2,000.

• School candidates' fees are collected by their school as part of registration; amounts are set by HKEAA each year and published in the relevant registration circular.

• Fees for sitting at an examination centre in mainland China are higher than the Hong Kong fee and are published separately each year.

How to apply

• School candidates are registered for the HKDSE by their own school, as part of the school's bulk registration during the published registration window; students do not apply individually.

• Private candidates apply online through HKEAA's Examination Online Services during the registration window, choosing their subjects and paying the registration and subject fees directly to HKEAA.

• Candidates who do not meet the standard private-candidate entry conditions apply for special entry through the Special Entry Application System in the same period, paying the separate special entry fee; HKEAA reviews each application before confirming registration.

After the exam

Results are released in mid-July. Most candidates use their results to apply for local undergraduate places through JUPAS, the centralised admissions system for Hong Kong's publicly funded universities and several other participating institutions. JUPAS applicants can modify their programme choices in a short window after results are released, before the Main Round offer results are announced in early August; registration for a confirmed place follows a few days after that. Candidates not seeking a JUPAS place can use their HKDSE certificate directly for employment, or apply to other local or overseas institutions that accept HKDSE results.

Preparation tips

• Decide on electives early, based on the subject requirements of the degree programmes being targeted, since elective choice directly affects which programmes a candidate can meet the minimum requirement for.

• Treat Citizenship and Social Development as Attained/Not Attained, not as a scored subject — the preparation and revision approach differs from the other core subjects.

• Work through HKEAA's past papers and official sample assessment materials for each subject, since question formats and marking schemes repeat from year to year.

• Track the separate dates for practical/oral components (Music, PE, English Speaking), which fall months before the main written papers, so preparation for them cannot be left until the April exam window.

• Keep the JUPAS calendar in view alongside the HKDSE calendar: programme choice deadlines and the results-release modification window are short and fixed.

FAQs