Period 4: Post-HKDSE Exam Results Announcement (Jul – Aug 2027)

Admission to the 9 JUPAS participating-institutions and the SSSDP institutions (the Institutions) is competitive because the number of available places is generally fewer than the number of eligible applicants.

Meeting the minimum entrance requirements of an institution and the individual programme requirements does NOT guarantee admission.

Each programme assesses eligible applicants according to its own selection criteria.  In addition to HKDSE Examination results, the programme may consider other relevant factors, including:

• Performance in interviews and / or assessments;

• The banding of programme choices;

• The HKDSE Examination results of other applicants in the same admissions exercise;

• The number of applicants selecting the programme;

• Other information provided by applicants in their JUPAS application; and

• Information provided by schools for school applicants.

The assessment determines each applicant's position on the programme's Merit Order List.  As each programme applies its own selection criteria, an applicant's position may vary across different programmes.

Applicants should ensure that all information provided in their JUPAS applications is complete and accurate.  They should also read Disqualification and Other Penalties for Making False Statements / Omissions.

The Institutions are solely responsible for:

• Establishing the selection criteria for their programmes;

• Assessing eligible applicants according to those criteria;

• Determining applicants' suitability for admission; and

• Compiling the Merit Order Lists.

The JUPAS Office facilitates the administration of JUPAS applications and operates the Iteration Process.

Enquiries about programme selection criteria or admission decisions should be directed to the respective institutions.

The JUPAS Iteration Process uses two sets of information:

1. The programme choices saved under each applicant's "My CONFIRMED Programme Choices", arranged in order of preference; and

2. The Merit Order Lists compiled by the programmes offered by the Institutions.

Each Merit Order List shows eligible applicants' positions for that programme, as determined by the programme accordingly to its own selection criteria.

The JUPAS Iteration Process uses an Algorithm Matching Process (formerly referred to as the computer matching process) to match each applicant's order of preference with the applicant's position on the Merit Order List of each selected programme.  The process is automated, rule-based and operates without manual intervention.

Through the JUPAS Iteration Process, each applicant who is given an offer will receive ONE offer for the programme of the highest possible priority on the applicant's confirmed programme choice list for which the applicant has met the required rating.

For more information on selecting and submitting programme choices, please refer to Selection / Updating and Modification of Programme Choices.

The following videos explain the key principles of the Iteration Process and demonstrate how applicants' confirmed programme choices are matched with the Merit Order Lists compiled by the programmes.

Video 1: What is JUPAS, and How It Matches You?

Video 2: JUPAS Iteration Process in Action: Step-by-Step Example

Video 3: Why is the Programme Choice List Important?

Video 4: FAQs for the JUPAS Iteration Process 

The actual priority of programme choices submitted by each applicant is kept confidential from the Institutions until after the announcement of the Main Round offer results.

Before the announcement, the Institutions are informed only of the band in which each programme choice falls.  They are NOT informed of the applicant's actual order of preference within that band.

Programme choices are grouped into 5 bands:

Band	Priority of Programme Choice
A	1 - 3
B	4 - 6
C	7 - 10
D	11 - 15
E	16 - 20

For example, an applicant arranges the following programmes in Band A:

Priority	JUPAS Catalogue No.
1	JS6004
2	JS1001
3	JS4018

The Institutions will see the applicant's Band A choices in ascending numerical order of the JUPAS catalogue number:

Band	JUPAS Catalogue No. (in ascending numerical order only)
A	JS1001
A	JS4018
A	JS6004

The Institutions will know that all three programmes are in Band A.  They will NOT know that the applicant placed JS6004 first, JS1001 second and JS4018 third within that band.

The applicant's actual order of preference is used by the JUPAS computer system when performing the iteration process.