About JUPAS

Alternative Qualifications in Chinese Language (ACL)

Submission of ACL is applicable to NCS applicants only. NCS applicants must meet one of the following specified circumstances:

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

2 Are NCS applicants eligible to submit ACL if they have obtained / will obtain HKDSE Examination results in Chinese Language?

NCS applicants, regardless of whether they have obtained / will obtain HKDSE Examination Chinese Language results, must meet one of the following specified circumstances to be eligible to submit ACL:

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

3 How will the 9 JUPAS participating-institutions and the SSSDP institutions consider applicants who have submitted ACL and who at the same time have also obtained HKDSE Examination results in Chinese Language?

It is entirely the discretion of each institution to determine how such qualifications will be considered for admission purposes since the determination of applicants' suitability for admission is solely the decisions of the 9 JUPAS participating-institutions and the SSSDP institutions, and is independent of the JUPAS Office. Therefore, applicants are strongly advised to carefully review the general entrance requirements and individual programme requirements and the websites of the respective institutions to ensure that they understand and will be able to meet all the specified requirements of respective institutions.

4 Will the HKDSE Examination Category B: Applied Learning Chinese (ApL(C)) results, which is not being recorded on the HKDSE Examination certificate, be obtained by the JUPAS Office from the HKEAA and eventually be submitted as ACL at applicants' JUPAS accounts?

NO. Without submitting applications to the HKEAA for recording the ApL(C) results on the HKDSE Examination certificates, the respective ApL(C) results will not be obtained from the HKEAA nor will they be submitted as ACL at applicants' JUPAS accounts by the JUPAS Office. For information in relation to recording the ApL(C) results on the HKDSE Examination certificates, please contact the HKEAA.

5 Can all applicants input their GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination results in Chinese Language as ACL in lieu of the HKDSE Examination in Chinese Language?

NO. Only NCS applicants who meet one of the following specified circumstances are eligible to submit ACL:

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

6 How can the eligible NCS non-school applicants be certain that the completed "School Principal's Certification of Specified Circumstances" and the copies of the certificates of the GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination results have been received by the JUPAS Office?

Eligible NCS non-school applicants who have submitted the completed "School Principal's Certification of Specified Circumstances" and the copies of their certificates of the GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination results to the JUPAS Office by email will first receive an automatic acknowledgement email^#^ from the JUPAS Office. A follow-up / confirmation email^#^ will be sent in 2 working days. Applicants may then log in to their JUPAS accounts to check the status of ACL verification and certification of specified circumstances.

The submission of "School Principal's Certification of Specified Circumstances" is not required for applicants with ApL(C) results.

Please refer to the section on Alternative Qualifications in Chinese Language (ACL) for more information.

7 How can the eligible NCS school applicants be certain that their GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination results and the specified circumstances have been verified and certified respectively by their schools?

Eligible NCS school applicants, who have presented their certificates of GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination results to their schools for verification, 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. Submission of supporting documents to the JUPAS Office is NOT required.

Please refer to the section on Alternative Qualifications in Chinese Language (ACL) for more information.

8 Why can't the information under ACL be updated even before the deadline for submission of ACL (22 April 2026 (5:00 pm))?

If the certification of specified circumstances has already been completed by schools / the JUPAS Office, applicants will not be able to update their ACL even if it is before the deadline for submission of ACL (22 April 2026 (5:00 pm)). As such, the applicants have to request their schools (for school applicants) / the JUPAS Office (for non-school applicants) to "undo" the certification so as to allow them to update their ACL again. After updating the ACL, applicants should request their schools / the JUPAS Office to complete the verification of ACL and certification of specified circumstances again before the deadline for verification and certification of ACL (29 April 2026 (5:00 pm)).

9 If the original certificates with subject grades of GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examinations have been lost / have not been provided by the examination authorities, could screenshots showing results from webpages / emails or provisional results of relevant qualifications be submitted as substitutes in such case?

NO. Screenshots showing results from webpages / emails and provisional results will not be accepted as substitutes under any circumstances.

Applicants who still wish to submit the relevant qualifications as ACL should contact the examination authorities concerned to obtain the replacement of the certificates with subject grades.

Applicants should pay attention to the turnaround time for obtaining the replacement and start the process in advance. The copies of the certificates of the GCE / GCSE / IGCSE Examination results should be received by the JUPAS Office on or before 29 April 2026 (5:00 pm) for verification.

10 Will the 9 JUPAS participating-institutions and the SSSDP institutions consider ACL as a core subject?

The 9 JUPAS participating-institutions and the SSSDP institutions will accept and consider, for the purpose of satisfying their entrance requirements, ACL (HKDSE Examination Category B: Applied Learning Chinese (ApL(C)), GCE, GCSE, and IGCSE Examination results) in lieu of the general Chinese Language requirement in the HKDSE Examination, for eligible NCS applicants.

For information on the ACL accepted by the 9 JUPAS participating-institutions and the SSSDP institutions, the minimum grade required, and any specific requirements of individual programmes are listed below:

Please refer to the section on Alternative Qualifications in Chinese Language (ACL) for more information.

11 If NCS applicants only have HKDSE Examination Category C: Other Language Subjects results instead of HKDSE Examination results in Chinese Language or ACL, how will the 9 JUPAS participating-institutions and the SSSDP institutions consider their applications?

It is entirely the discretion of each institution to determine how such qualifications will be considered for admission purposes since the determination of applicants' suitability for admission is solely the decisions of the 9 JUPAS participating-institutions and the SSSDP institutions, and is independent of the JUPAS Office. Thereofre, applicants are strongly advised to carefully review the general entrance requirements and individual programme requirements and the websites of the respective institutions to ensure that they understand and will be able to meet all the specified requirements of respective institutions.

12 If applicants have undergone name changes but the names contained in the certificates are the previous ones, what should they do?

Applicants must inform the JUPAS Office immediately and submit copies of Deed Poll and / or identity documents containing the previous names for its necessary actions.

Please refer to the section on Personal Profile for more information.

^#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.