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Alternative Qualifications in Chinese Language (ACL) for Non-Chinese Speaking (NCS) Applicants

Applicants' User Guide

FAQ

Introduction

 

For Non-Chinese Speaking (NCS) JUPAS applicants, the 9 JUPAS participating-institutions and the SSSDP institutions (the Institutions) will accept and consider, for the purpose of satisfying their entrance requirements, the following alternative qualifications in Chinese Language (ACL) in lieu of the general Chinese Language requirement in the HKDSE Examination:

  1. HKDSE Examination Category B: Applied Learning Chinese (ApL(C));

  2. General Certificate of Education (GCE) Examination;

  3. General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) Examination; and

  4. International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Examination.

Information on the ACL accepted by the Institutions, the minimum grade required, and any specific requirements of individual programmes are listed below:

Eligibility

 

NCS applicants (both school and non-school) who are pursuing the local curriculum and applying through JUPAS must meet one of the following specified circumstances (i.e. be eligible NCS applicants) for their ACL being considered:

  1. the applicants have learnt Chinese Language for less than 6 years while receiving primary and secondary education; or

  2. the applicants have learnt Chinese Language for 6 years or more in schools, but have been taught an adapted and simpler curriculum not normally applicable to the majority of students in local schools.

Applicants who have ApL(C) results are regarded as fulfilling one of the above specified circumstances.

Eligible NCS applicants, regardless of whether they have obtained / will obtain HKDSE Examination Chinese Language results, may submit one or more of the listed ACL for consideration.

Further information on the procedures for certifying the specified circumstances is available on the Education Bureau (EDB) website.  Applicants may also contact the EDB at (852) 3540 7447.

Submission of Relevant Documents and Certification of Specified Circumstances

Eligible NCS School Applicants with ApL(C) Results Only

Submission

Eligible NCS school applicants with ApL(C) results registered at the HKEAA:

  1. NEED NOT enter their ApL(C) results under "Other Academic Results (Language Subjects)" or indicate such results as ACL under "Alternative Qualification(s) in Chinese Language (ACL)" in their JUPAS accounts; and

  2. NEED NOT submit these results to the JUPAS Office.

To enable the JUPAS Office and the Institutions to obtain their ApL(C) results from the HKEAA, applicants must ensure that they have used the same HKID card number to register for both their JUPAS accounts and their HKDSE Examination at the HKEAA.

Verification and Certification

Eligible NCS school applicants with ApL(C) results registered at the HKEAA:

  1. NEED NOT submit copies of their ApL(C) results to the JUPAS Office or their current schools for verification; and

  2. NEED NOT apply to their current schools for certification of their specified circumstances.

However, school principals or teachers who are authorised by school principals are required to confirm and submit such applicants' ACL via the JUPAS online application system by 29 April 2026 (5:00 pm).

Eligible NCS School Applicants with GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination Results Only

Submission

Eligible NCS school applicants who wish to submit their GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination Chinese Language results as ACL, must complete the following steps via their JUPAS accounts by 22 April 2026 (5:00 pm):

  1. enter the highest subject level / score for their Chinese Language subjects in GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examinations under "Other Academic Results (Language Subjects)"; AND

  2. indicate the relevant qualifications as ACL under "Alternative Qualification(s) in Chinese Language (ACL)".

Applicants are reminded that the following will NOT be accepted for consideration as ACL:

  1. "equivalent" qualifications;

  2. qualifications not listed in the List of ACL;

  3. screenshots showing results from webpages / emails; and

  4. provisional results / statement of results.

Late submission of ACL is NOT accepted after 22 April 2026 (5:00 pm).

Verification and Certification

Eligible NCS school applicants who have indicated GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination Chinese Language results as their ACL should submit the following to their current schools for verification of such results and certification of their specified circumstances:

  1. a completed "Application for Certification of the Specified Circumstances" (Annex A) (available on the EDB website).  Submission to the JUPAS Office is NOT required; and

  2. original certificates showing subject grades.

Thereafter, school principals or teachers who are authorised by school principals are required to:

  1. verify the Chinese Language results under GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examinations of the applicants;

  2. certify the specified circumstances of the applicants;

  3. upload copies of certificates of GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination results, which MUST clearly show the subject grades the applicants have attained; and

  4. confirm and submit their ACL

via the JUPAS online application system by 29 April 2026 (5:00 pm).

Applicants may log in to their JUPAS accounts to check the updated status of ACL verification and certification of specified circumstances once these have been completed by their schools.

Please note that ACL without verification and certification of specified circumstances will NOT be considered by the Institutions.

Eligible NCS School Applicants with GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination AND ApL(C) Results

Submission

Eligible NCS school applicants who wish to submit their GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination Chinese Language results as ACL must complete the following steps via their JUPAS accounts by 22 April 2026 (5:00 pm):

  1. enter the highest subject level / score for their Chinese Language subjects in GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examinations under "Other Academic Results (Language Subjects)"; AND

  2. indicate the relevant qualifications as ACL under "Alternative Qualification(s) in Chinese Language (ACL)".

Applicants are reminded that the following will NOT be accepted for consideration as ACL:

  1. "equivalent" qualifications;

  2. qualifications not listed in the List of ACL;

  3. screenshots showing results from webpages / emails; and

  4. provisional results / statement of results.

Late submission of ACL is NOT accepted after 22 April 2026 (5:00 pm).

Eligible NCS school applicants with ApL(C) results registered at the HKEAA:

  1. NEED NOT enter their ApL(C) results under "Other Academic Results (Language Subjects)" or indicate such results as ACL under "Alternative Qualification(s) in Chinese Language (ACL)" in their JUPAS accounts; and

  2. NEED NOT submit these results to the JUPAS Office.

To enable the JUPAS Office and the Institutions to obtain their ApL(C) results from the HKEAA, applicants must ensure that they have used the same HKID card number to register for both their JUPAS accounts and their HKDSE Examination at the HKEAA.

Verification and Certification

Eligible NCS school applicants who have indicated GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination Chinese Language results as their ACL should apply to their current schools for verification of such results.  They should:

  1. present original certificates showing subject grades to their schools.

School principals or teachers who are authorised by school principals are required to:

  1. verify the Chinese Language results under GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examinations of the applicants;

  2. upload copies of certificates of GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination results, which MUST clearly show the subject grades the applicants have attained; and

  3. confirm and submit the ACL (including both GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination and ApL(C) results)

via the JUPAS online application system by 29 April 2026 (5:00 pm).

Applicants may log in to their JUPAS accounts to check the updated status of ACL verification once the qualifications have been verified by their schools.

Please note that ACL without verification will NOT be considered by the Institutions.

Eligible NCS school applicants with ApL(C) results registered at the HKEAA:

1. NEED NOT submit copies of their ApL(C) results to the JUPAS Office or their current schools for verification; and

2. NEED NOT apply to their current schools for certification of their specified circumstances.

Eligible NCS Non-school Applicants with ApL(C) Results Only

Submission

Eligible NCS non-school applicants with ApL(C) results registered at the HKEAA

  1. NEED NOT enter their ApL(C) results under "Other Academic Results (Language Subjects)" or indicate such results as ACL under "Alternative Qualification(s) in Chinese Language (ACL)" in their JUPAS accounts; and

  2. NEED NOT submit these results to the JUPAS Office.

To enable the JUPAS Office and the Institutions to obtain their ApL(C) results from the HKEAA, applicants must ensure that they have used the same HKID card number to register for both their JUPAS accounts and their HKDSE Examination at the HKEAA.

Verification and Certification

Eligible NCS non-school applicants with ApL(C) results registered at the HKEAA:

  1. NEED NOT submit copies of their ApL(C) results to the JUPAS Office for verification;

  2. NEED NOT apply to their last schools attended for certification of their specified circumstances; and

  3. NEED NOT complete nor submit "Proforma on School Principal's Certification of Specified Circumstances" (Annex C) (available on the EDB website) to the JUPAS Office.

Eligible NCS Non-school Applicants with GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination Results Only

Submission

Eligible NCS non-school applicants who wish to submit their GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination Chinese Language results as ACL must complete the following steps via their JUPAS accounts by 22 April 2026 (5:00 pm):

  1. enter the highest subject level / score for their Chinese Language subjects in GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examinations under "Other Academic Results (Language Subjects)"; AND

  2. indicate the relevant qualifications as ACL under "Alternative Qualification(s) in Chinese Language (ACL)".

Applicants are reminded that the following will NOT be accepted for consideration as ACL:

  1. "equivalent" qualifications;

  2. qualifications not listed in the List of ACL;

  3. screenshots showing results from webpages / emails; and

  4. provisional results / statement of results.

Late submission of ACL is NOT accepted after 22 April 2026 (5:00 pm).

Verification and Certification

Eligible NCS non-school applicants who have indicated GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination Chinese Language results as their ACL should approach their last schools attended for certification of their specified circumstances.  They should:

  1. submit the completed "Application for Certification of the Specified Circumstances" (Annex A) (available on the EDB website) to their last schools attended.  Submission to the JUPAS Office is NOT required; and

  2. obtain "School Reference Letter" (Annex B) (available on the EDB website).  Submission to the JUPAS Office is NOT required.  School principals may request the applicants to provide additional documents, such as student report cards, to support the certification process.

School principals are required to:

  1. certify the specified circumstances of the non-school applicants by completing "Proforma on School Principal's Certification of Specified Circumstances" (Annex C) (available on the EDB website); and

  2. return the completed Annex C to the applicants for submission to the JUPAS Office.

Applicants must then submit the following to the JUPAS Office BY EMAIL:

  1. the completed Annex C; AND

  2. the copies of certificates of GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination results, which MUST clearly show the subject grades they have attained.

These docuements must be submitted in PDF, JPG, JPEG or PNG format only as direct attachment to info@jupas.edu.hk, using their email addresses registered in the JUPAS accounts by 29 April 2026 (5:00 pm).  The JUPAS Office will NOT view and / or download any files via external drives or online file transfer platforms.

To facilitate the verification process, applicants must mark their JUPAS application numbers in the email subject line and on the top right corner of each document submitted.  

The email receipt timestamp will be regarded as the official date of submission.  Late submission is NOT accepted after 29 April 2026 (5:00 pm). 

Applicants who have submitted supporting documents to the JUPAS Office will first receive an automatic acknowledgement email#^ from the JUPAS Office.  A follow-up / confirmation email#^ will be sent in 2 working days once the verification and certification have been processed.  Applicants may then log in to their JUPAS accounts to check the status of ACL verification and certification of specified circumstances.

Applicants are reminded NOT to send original documents by post to the JUPAS Office to avoid them being lost in the mail.  The JUPAS Office will not be responsible for any loss or damage of any postal items.

Please note that ACL without verification and certification of specified circumstances will NOT be considered by the Institutions.

Eligible NCS Non-school Applicants with GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination AND ApL(C) Results

Submission

Eligible NCS non-school applicants who wish to submit their GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination Chinese Language results as ACL must complete the following steps via their JUPAS accounts by 22 April 2026 (5:00 pm):

  1. enter the highest subject level / score for their Chinese Language subjects in GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examinations under "Other Academic Results (Language Subjects)"; AND

  2. indicate the relevant qualifications as ACL under "Alternative Qualification(s) in Chinese Language (ACL)".

Applicants are reminded that the following will NOT be accepted for consideration as ACL:

  1. "equivalent" qualifications;

  2. qualifications not listed in the List of ACL;

  3. screenshots showing results from webpages / emails; and

  4. provisional results / statement of results.

Late submission of ACL is NOT accepted after 22 April 2026 (5:00 pm).

Eligible NCS non-school applicants with ApL(C) results registered at the HKEAA

  1. NEED NOT enter their ApL(C) results under "Other Academic Results (Language Subjects)" or indicate such results as ACL under "Alternative Qualification(s) in Chinese Language (ACL)" in their JUPAS accounts; and

  2. NEED NOT submit these results to the JUPAS Office.

To enable the JUPAS Office and the Institutions to obtain their ApL(C) results from the HKEAA, applicants must ensure that they have used the same HKID card number to register for both their JUPAS accounts and their HKDSE Examination at the HKEAA.

Verification and Certification

Eligible NCS non-school applicants who have indicated GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examinations Chinese Language results as their ACL must submit the copies of the certificates, which MUST clearly show the subject grades they have attained, to the JUPAS Office BY EMAIL in PDF, JPG, JPEG or PNG format only as direct attachment to info@jupas.edu.hk, using their email addresses registered in the JUPAS accounts by 29 April 2026 (5:00 pm).  The JUPAS Office will NOT view and / or download any files via external drives or online file transfer platforms.

To facilitate the verification process, applicants must mark their JUPAS application numbers in the email subject line and on the top right corner of each document submitted.

The email receipt timestamp will be regarded as the official date of submission.  Late submission is NOT accepted after 29 April 2026 (5:00 pm). 

Applicants who have submitted the copies of the certificates to the JUPAS Office will first receive an automatic acknowledgement email#^ from the JUPAS Office.  A follow-up / confirmation email#^ will be sent in 2 working days once the verification has been processed.  Applicants may then log in to their JUPAS accounts to check the status of ACL verification.

Applicants are reminded NOT to send original documents by post to the JUPAS Office to avoid them being lost in the mail.  The JUPAS Office will not be responsible for any loss or damage of any postal items.

Please note that ACL without verification will NOT be considered by the Institutions.

Eligible NCS non-school applicants with ApL(C) results registered at the HKEAA:

  1. NEED NOT submit copies of their ApL(C) results to the JUPAS Office for verification;

  2. NEED NOT apply to their last schools attended for certification of their specified circumstances; and

  3. NEED NOT complete nor submit "Proforma on School Principal's Certification of Specified Circumstances" (Annex C) (available on the EDB website) to the JUPAS Office.

Points to Note

 

The JUPAS Office strongly recommends that eligible NCS applicants who have already obtained their ACL results to submit their information via their JUPAS accounts as early as possible.  This allows sufficient time for verification and certification by their schools (for school applicants) / by the JUPAS Office (for non-school applicants).   

Applicants who intend to take the GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination Summer Series (May / June 2026) and wish to submit those results as ACL for consideration in 2026 Admissions Exercise are reminded that they will NOT be able to meet the submission deadline of 22 April 2026 (5:00 pm).

In case of discrepancies between the information entered by the applicants and the information stated in the copies of the certificates, the latter (i.e. information stated in the copies of the certificates) shall prevail.  The JUPAS Office will amend the applicants' records accordingly without further notice.  Applicants may log in to their JUPAS accounts to check any amended information once verification is completed.

If an applicant's specified circumstance is not certified (if applicable) and / or copies of the certificates of GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination results are not received by the JUPAS Office by 29 April 2026 (5:00 pm), the ACL will NOT be considered by the Institutions.  In such cases, the records under "Alternative Qualification(s) in Chinese Language (ACL)" will be deleted from the applicant's JUPAS account after 29 April 2026.

The final admission decision is subject to the authenticity of the qualifications listed in the applicants' submission.  Applicants may be requested by the Institutions to present the original copies of the supporting documents.  Failure to do so may result in disqualification of the JUPAS applications, withdrawal or amendment of offers, cancellation of registration / enrolment, or termination of studies by the Institutions.

List of ACL

Download PDF

# As email is one of the channels that the JUPAS Office, the 9 JUPAS participating-institutions and the SSSDP institutions will use to contact applicants, applicants must ensure that the setting of their personal email accounts will not filter out or place such correspondence in the trash / junk / spam folders.

^ Emails and SMS are delivered via third party network providers and therefore the JUPAS Office is not responsible for any delay, loss, transfer, amendment or damage arising from the transmission process via third party network providers.

Should there be any discrepancies between information contained in emails and SMS and applicants' JUPAS accounts, the information contained in the latter (i.e. the JUPAS accounts) shall prevail.

Applicants are strongly advised to log in to their JUPAS accounts to double-check the related information.

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