Mainland Gaokao Students Entering PolyU: Independent Admission, Score Benchmarks, and Application Pathways

Bottom line: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) uses an "independent admission, non-JUPAS, and does not occupy mainland China's unified admissions (统招) slots" route for mainland gaokao students. For 2026 entry, the deadline is 22 June. Students from all 31 mainland provinces/regions apply directly to PolyU. The English language benchmark (scored out of 150) starts at approximately 120.

During the days when gaokao results are released, mainland students and their parents are usually juggling two things: the online voluntary-filling system of their provincial education examination authority (省考试院), and the online application backends of several Hong Kong universities. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) falls into the latter category—it does not enter the mainland's unified admissions submission sequence and does not occupy a student's voluntary-filling slots, yet it very tangibly considers the total gaokao score and individual English subject score. This mechanism of "non-occupying, independent admission" determines that the application path, timeline, and the logic behind "score lines" for mainland gaokao students entering PolyU are entirely different from filling in a choice for a mainland university.

This article focuses on the independent admission mechanism, application pathway, English and total-score thresholds, tiered scholarships, and fee payment for mainland fresh gaokao students entering PolyU. Admissions data is highly time-sensitive. The mechanisms described follow the 2026 entry intake, and the amounts and thresholds fluctuate annually; readers must verify the current year's details on PolyU's official website. Last updated: July 2026.

For a cross-sectional overview of PolyU's four undergraduate admission routes (JUPAS / Non-JUPAS International / Mainland Gaokao JEE / Joint Entrance Examination for Macao, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) and a full breakdown of the 8.5-point grading system and programme-specific admission scores, see the companion piece, PolyU Admission Scores: A Complete Breakdown of JUPAS DSE Scoring. This article only dissects the single route for "Mainland Gaokao Students".

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# Is PolyU's Admission for Mainland Gaokao Students 'Independent' or 'Unified'?

This is the first concept that mainland students most easily get wrong. PolyU implements independent admission (自主招生) for mainland fresh gaokao students, not unified admission (统一招生) conducted through provincial education examination authorities. According to PolyU's official "JEE Application Procedures and Important Points to Note" page PolyU's "JEE · Application Procedures and Important Points to Note" page^※, the official wording states that "PolyU has an independent admissions scheme and this will not affect applications to universities in the Chinese mainland"—that is, submitting a PolyU application and filling mainland university choices are mutually non-occupying and can proceed in parallel.

In practice, the difference boils down to three points. First, the entry point is different: students must apply directly through PolyU's online application system and submit their application and gaokao scores, rather than selecting PolyU's national standard code in their provincial examination authority's voluntary-filling system. Second, it does not occupy a voluntary-filling slot: according to information from an admissions portal, "PolyU is a Hong Kong higher education institution approved by the Ministry of Education to exercise independent admission in the mainland and does not occupy the slots of the mainland unified admissions system" (per repost from an admissions portal^※). Even if admitted by PolyU, as long as the student does not confirm registration, they can still be admitted by a mainland university through the unified admissions system. Third, the admissions timetable differs: PolyU conducts its own assessment and issues offers after gaokao results are out, typically earlier than the undergraduate batch submission process in the mainland.

This creates a contrast with some other Hong Kong institutions: according to PolyU's official website and public mainland admissions documents, some institutions (e.g., the undergraduate schemes for mainland students at CUHK and HKU) are incorporated into the mainland's unified admissions early-batch process, requiring voluntary-filling using a national standard code and submission by the examination authority. PolyU follows a "direct application + independent admission" model. These are two different systems; applicants must not mistake "PolyU admission" for using up a unified admissions quota.

In other words: one does not need to, and indeed cannot, find a submission column for PolyU in the provincial examination authority's voluntary-filling system. It is an "alternative use" for the gaokao score, not a cell in a voluntary-filling form.

Institutionally, this route is not an idiosyncratic side door opened by PolyU but has a clear policy basis. The education admissions portal repost clarifies that PolyU is a "Hong Kong higher education institution approved by the Ministry of Education to exercise independent admission in the mainland" (per repost from the admissions portal^※). The demarcation of roles for university admissions in Hong Kong and the mainland proceeds according to relevant arrangements between the Ministry of Education of the PRC and the HKSAR Government. PolyU belongs to the category of institutions that do not join the mainland unified system and conduct independent assessment and admission. For a mainland student, this means applying to PolyU is a "zero-opportunity-cost" parallel option: even if an application is submitted, or an offer is received, the mainland's unified admissions voluntary-filling slate remains completely untouched as long as the student does not confirm registration with PolyU. The real moment of "choosing one over the other" only arrives after gaokao results are out, a PolyU offer is received, and the outcome of the mainland undergraduate batch admissions is also clear—only then must the student decide which to accept.

Because of this, the timelines for applying to PolyU and filling mainland university choices overlap heavily yet do not interfere with each other: exams are taken in early-to-mid June, scores are supplemented to PolyU in late June, and offers are received around the end of the month, all while mainland provincial voluntary-filling and undergraduate batch admissions proceed simultaneously. Understanding this parallel rhythm is the first step in planning an application for mainland students.

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# Which Provinces Can Apply? Are There Provincial Quotas?

In terms of coverage, PolyU's admission for mainland gaokao students has nationwide scope. According to PolyU's JEE admissions page^※ and its application procedures page, under arrangements by the relevant Mainland and HKSAR authorities, fresh gaokao students from all 31 mainland provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions are eligible to apply.

The crucial point is the quota structure: according to the same official page, PolyU "does not set a fixed quota intake for each province or city" for mainland gaokao students. This logic is the polar opposite of the mainland's unified system where "University X allocates N places to Province Y"—PolyU does not pre-cut its degree offerings into provincial quotas but instead selects the best candidates from the entire national applicant pool. The implication for a student is: the number and score distribution of competitors from their own province will not be rigidly defined by a single "provincial submission score line," as PolyU assesses an applicant's competitiveness against the entire national pool.

Precisely because there are no provincial quotas, PolyU does not, and has not, published " submission lines/minimum admission scores" on a province-by-province basis. This leads to the question mainland students care about most and are most easily misled about—whether the so-called "PolyU score line" actually exists.

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# What Exactly Is the 'PolyU Score Line'? Why Can't It Be Found Officially?

The conclusion first: PolyU does not publish provincial submission lines or a unified minimum admission score for mainland gaokao students. The figures found online stating "how many points above the first-tier line (一本线) is needed for PolyU" almost all originate from estimates by study-abroad agencies or the experience of past cohorts—they are not officially demarcated score lines.

PolyU's official wording only states that applicants must have achieved "outstanding results" in the current year's gaokao, describing assessment as a holistic review rather than a cut made by a single score. According to second-hand paraphrases of the admissions leaflet, a repeatedly cited experiential range is: the total gaokao score should reach above the province's cut-off score for the first batch of undergraduate admissions (the 'first-tier line,' 一本线). Common approximations seen online are around "roughly 120 points above the first-tier line" for the science track and "roughly 100 points above the first-tier line" for the humanities track (per Kingsley Education's paraphrase of the admissions guide^※ and Jinhong Gaokao's repost of the admissions leaflet^※). These figures are experiential references, not official promises, and vary immensely across different provinces, subject specialties, and the fluctuating popularity of specific programmes; they cannot be treated as hard thresholds.

One layer needs to be made explicit: because PolyU does not set provincial quotas and does not participate in the unified admissions submission mechanism, the so-called "score line" is not, institutionally, a quantity that officially exists. A "submission line" in the unified system is a natural by-product of the submission process (cutting down from the top score by planned quota), whereas independent admissions lacks the act of "cutting by provincial plan," so there is naturally no provincial line to cut. What students should fixate on instead is their gaokao English subject score—this is the area where PolyU has set an explicit numerical threshold for mainland students.

It is worth recalling that the reason online "PolyU score lines" are so varied and change year by year is precisely that it was never an official figure in the first place: agencies extrapolate from the admissions samples they have handled, and different samples, programmes, and provinces naturally produce different numbers. The figures "120 points above the first-tier line for science" and "100 points above the first-tier line for humanities" are simply the most widely cited experiential values, not PolyU's promised admission lines. If students treat such figures as hard benchmarks, they risk misjudging their situation—the genuinely sound approach is to first ensure the gaokao English subject score meets the explicit threshold of the target programme, then maximise the total gaokao score to gain competitiveness in the national selection pool, rather than obsessing over a non-existent "provincial line."

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# What Gaokao English Score Is Required? This Is PolyU's Firmest Numerical Threshold.

For mainland gaokao students, PolyU treats the gaokao English subject score as the core language threshold, rather than defaulting to requiring IELTS or TOEFL. According to multiple paraphrases of the admissions leaflet, the English subject requirement is based on a total score of 150, tiered by Faculty/Programme (other scoring systems are prorated):

The English subject tier data in the table above is cross-verified from multiple secondary sources, including Jinhong Gaokao's repost of PolyU's 2025 admissions leaflet^※ and New Channel's collated application requirements^※. PolyU's official admissions leaflet PDF serves as the primary source but is published in image format, making sentence-by-sentence citation inconvenient. Reliability: cross-verified by multiple sources; precise tier breakdowns and proration methods are subject to the current year's official admissions leaflet.

Two points demand special attention. First, English plays a dual role of 'meeting the bar' and 'competitive edge': reaching ~120 merely clears the language bar for general programmes. For popular programmes (Accounting, Finance, Design, etc.), a high English score remains a plus factor during competitive selection, and experience-based advice often urges pushing toward 130 and above to enhance competitiveness. Second, non-English foreign language gaokao takers must supply supplementary proof: if the gaokao foreign language subject is not English, PolyU generally requires additional proof of English proficiency, with common criteria being an IELTS overall band score of 6.0 (with no sub-score below 5.5) or a TOEFL iBT score of 80, etc. (per Kingsley Education's paraphrase^※). This is broadly consistent with PolyU's English language threshold criteria for international and other qualifications applicants (see Section 2 of the companion piece, PolyU Admission Scores: A Complete Breakdown of JUPAS DSE Scoring).

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# What Else Is Considered Beyond Scores? The 3D Holistic Review, Interviews, and Portfolios

PolyU does not operate on a "scores-only" principle for mainland gaokao students. Alongside total gaokao and English subject scores, official and reposted materials mention several non-academic assessment and supplementary schemes:

• 3D Holistic Assessment Scheme (3D 综合评估): According to a repost of PolyU's arrangements on the admissions portal^※, PolyU has established the "3D Holistic Assessment," offering interview-based evaluation for applicants with excellent academic performance, divided into an early-bird round and a main round (for 2026 entry, the early-bird round is around February and the main round around May). It allows PolyU to assess an applicant's overall qualities before gaokao results are released.
• STARS Scheme: According to paraphrased admissions leaflets, this provides a priority interview channel for individuals with outstanding achievements in non-academic domains such as sports, arts, leadership, and STEM.
• Portfolios and Programme-specific Interviews: According to the application procedures page^※, some programmes require the submission of "portfolios, additional documents, or participation in interviews" as part of the selection reference—programmes in the School of Design require the submission of a portfolio, and some programmes, such as Applied Social Sciences, include additional interviews.

This means that mainland students aiming for programmes in Design, Architecture, Communication, etc., must prepare portfolios and for English-language interviews well in advance, in addition to their gaokao and English scores. Meanwhile, top academic performers might be "spotted" by the 3D Holistic Assessment even before their scores are out.

The division of labour among the three assessment tracks can be understood as follows. The 3D Holistic Assessment targets applicants whose gaokao scores are not yet out but whose academic foundation is widely seen as solid—it front-loads interview assessment before the gaokao (for 2026 entry, the early-bird round is around February and the main round around May), giving PolyU a chance to lock in desired talent before the scores land. The STARS Scheme operates through a non-academic talent channel; individuals with verifiable achievements in sports, arts, leadership, or STEM competitions can receive priority interviews, filling a blind spot in a "gaokao-scores-only" evaluation. Portfolios and programme-specific interviews are rigidly required steps for particular programmes: applying to School of Design programmes without a portfolio is essentially a non-starter, while programmes like Applied Social Sciences use interviews to assess communication skills and professional motivation. The practical takeaway for mainland students is this—those targeting design, creative, or social science directions must add two items to their preparation calendar: "portfolio + English interview," and these often kick off before the gaokao itself.

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# Application Strategy: The Dual Competition of Programme Popularity and English

The fact that PolyU does not set provincial submission lines does not mean "eligible means admitted." With merit-based selection from a national applicant pool, the real competition unfolds at two levels: the programme level and the English level.

Extreme disparities in programme popularity. According to agency paraphrases of the admissions leaflet, the selection benchmark for popular directions like Accounting, Finance, and Design is markedly higher than for general programmes, and both total gaokao score and English subject score requirements rise with the tide. This aligns with the structure of PolyU's local JUPAS admissions—healthcare programmes and some business/computing fields fall into the high-score zone, while humanities and social sciences have relatively lower thresholds (for local programme-specific admission scores, see Section 3 of the companion piece, PolyU Admission Scores: A Complete Breakdown of JUPAS DSE Scoring). If mainland students exclusively target the most popular programmes when applying, the competitive pressure may be no less intense than vying for a place at a top mainland university.

English constitutes a second watershed. Even if the total gaokao score is sufficient, a failure to reach an English subject score of roughly 120 (out of 150) makes it difficult to clear the bar for general programmes. Humanities/social science programmes require approximately 125, and Law/Veterinary Medicine require about 135 (according to the admissions leaflet reposted by Jinhong Gaokao^※). For a high-scoring student who is weak in English, this threshold can be more fatal than the total score. Experience-based advice therefore suggests: students targeting popular PolyU programmes would do well to push their English subject score to 130 or above, establishing a safety cushion for the merit-based selection phase.

Language of instruction and adaptation. PolyU's undergraduate instruction is primarily in English. Mainland students, upon enrolment, must immediately use English to take specialised courses and complete assignments. The substance of the English threshold is not merely "getting in" but "keeping up"—which is also why PolyU makes the gaokao English subject score a hard metric, not an optional reference. Reliability: cross-verified by multiple sources (programme popularity and English threshold mechanisms); uncertain (specific score ranges fluctuate year by year and province by province).

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# Is the Gaokao the Only Path for Mainland Students? Three Types of Mainland Students, Three Routes

A common point of confusion: for students of mainland household registration, whether they take the gaokao determines which route they follow, not their household registration per se.

In other words, PolyU's independent admission for mainland students only corresponds to the "taking the mainland gaokao" academic track. Mainland students studying international curricula take the international student pathway and are assessed against thresholds like 32 points in the IB or 3Bs in A-Levels; they do not go via the gaokao and do not occupy the route detailed in this article (for international student thresholds, see the companion piece PolyU Admission Scores: A Complete Breakdown of JUPAS DSE Scoring). Online discussions about whether studying an international curriculum constitutes "a shortcut that bypasses the gaokao" fall under value judgement and this article makes no factual ruling on them.

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# 2026 Entry: Complete Timeline from Application to Enrolment

The timetable for PolyU's independent admission of mainland gaokao students is offset from the rhythm of the mainland's unified system; students must follow PolyU's own calendar. According to the 2026 entry information published on PolyU's application procedures page^※:

The timeline is subject to PolyU's official website publication for that year's intake; the table above reflects the 2026 entry intake, where the deadline was extended from mid-June to 22 June. Readers must verify the latest dates on the official website before applying. Note that "supplementation of gaokao results" is a critical step in the independent admissions process—PolyU only receives your scores after they are released, and applicants must enter them into the system themselves within the deadline. Omission is equivalent to abandoning the application.

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# Tuition and Fee Payment: Mainland Gaokao Students Are Charged as Non-Local, Self-Financed Students

Mainland gaokao students entering PolyU pay fees under non-local (self-financed) status. This is not on the same scale as local students receiving UGC-funded (教资会) places. According to PolyU's "JEE · Tuition Fees for Government-Funded Programmes" page^※:

Tuition fees are quoted on a 'per academic year' basis and are adjusted upward annually: according to PolyU's published fees, the non-local tuition fee rose from HK$175,000 in 2025/26 to HK$200,000 for the 2026/27 intake. The placement deposit is paid upon offer acceptance and offsets the first tuition instalment; it is typically non-refundable if a student ultimately does not enrol. Accommodation, meals, and personal expenses are additional. See the companion piece PolyU Tuition and Scholarships: An Overview for the full financial picture for mainland students.

Over a four-year degree, tuition fees alone run into hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars—which explains why PolyU has established a system of tiered scholarships for mainland gaokao students, directly linking the financial burden of tuition to gaokao ranking.

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# Scholarships: The Higher the Gaokao Rank, the More Complete the Waiver

PolyU offers entry scholarships to mainland fresh gaokao students, automatically included in the assessment for all applicants without the need for a separate application. The scholarship level is directly linked to the student's gaokao score/provincial rank. Based on paraphrased admissions leaflets, they are mainly divided into several progressively tiered levels:

The tiering above is based on the PolyU admissions leaflet as reposted by Jinhong Gaokao^※ and paraphrased by Kingsley Education^※. PolyU's official website also carries the line that entry scholarships "could be as high as an amount equivalent to the tuition fees of the normal duration of study plus an annual living allowance." The specific allowance figures are adjusted annually—reposts from different years have mentioned living/accommodation allowance figures ranging from 65,000, 66,000, and even up to 70,000 Hong Kong dollars, precisely reflecting year-to-year fluctuations. Verification must be based on the current year's official admissions leaflet. Reliability: cross-verified by multiple sources (the mechanism); uncertain (specific annual allowance figures).

Two design logics of the scholarship system are worth making explicit. First, it is linked to 'provincial rank' rather than absolute score: The Full Scholarship / Full Tuition Waiver tiers are directly anchored to the provincial Top 10 and Top 50 gaokao ranks, respectively. This is a strategy of capturing "top talent" by province, rather than drawing a single national score line. This approach of "skimming the crème de la crème by province" does not contradict the "no provincial quotas" admission logic—admission sees national competitiveness, while scholarships use provincial rank to secure the very top performers from each province. Second, renewal typically involves a GPA requirement: According to paraphrased sources, most entry scholarships require maintaining a specified GPA to be renewed annually. They are not once-awarded-forever; a slide in grades can result in the loss of the fee remission for subsequent years. In addition, PolyU provides mainland students with exchange subsidies, research scholarships (roughly HK$30,000 for exchange subsidy and up to HK$50,000 for research scholarship according to paraphrases), and other special awards, as well as awards for non-academic domains like sports, arts, leadership, and STEM (often related to the STARS scheme). The names and amounts of these are subject to the Scholarship Office's annual announcements.

Comparing the scholarship and tuition tables side by side, the "actual cost" for a mainland student is highly dependent on gaokao performance: a provincial Top 10 student faces near-zero cost (four-year full tuition waiver plus living allowance annually); a Top 50 student has a four-year tuition waiver, only covering living and meal costs themselves; while a student without a scholarship must self-finance at approximately HK$200,000 per year. On the PolyU route, gaokao rank determines not just "Can I get in?" but directly decides "Will I pay, and how much?"

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# After the Offer: Deposit Payment, Visa, and Enrolment Formalities

Receiving a PolyU offer is only the starting point. There is a series of formalities between being "offered a place" and actual enrolment, many of which are time-sensitive; missing one could affect enrolment.

Step one is accepting the offer and paying the placement deposit. According to PolyU's JEE Tuition Fees page^※, new students must confirm acceptance of the offer online within the stated period and pay a HK$20,000 placement deposit to secure their place. This amount is credited to the first semester's tuition fee but is non-refundable and non-transferable. This step is also the critical juncture where a mainland student makes the "PolyU vs. mainland university" decision—once the payment is made to confirm, it generally means relinquishing the mainland's unified admissions offer.

Step two is applying for the Entry for Study visa in Hong Kong. Mainland residents going to Hong Kong to study must apply to the Public Security Bureau's Exit-Entry Administration for an Entry for Study endorsement (赴港就读签注). PolyU will issue an admission confirmation letter and other supporting documents to facilitate the application. This process has a processing cycle, and sufficient time must be allowed before the semester starts (31 August for the 2026 entry intake).

Step three involves post-arrival registration and settling-in arrangements.

Among the above procedures, the visa and hall place application are particularly crucial for mainland students: the visa determines the legality of entering Hong Kong for study, and the hall place relates to finding accommodation upon arrival. Both have deadlines; it is recommended to initiate them immediately upon receiving an offer. For a general checklist of registration and new student affairs, also see Section 8 of the companion piece PolyU Admission Scores: A Complete Breakdown of JUPAS DSE Scoring.

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# What Does This 'Independent Admission' Mechanism Mean for Mainland Students?

When the earlier fragments are assembled, the three institutional features of PolyU's mainland admissions—not occupying unified admissions voluntary-filling slots, setting no provincial quotas, and not publishing submission lines—all point to the same core logic: PolyU treats the mainland student pool as a source for nationwide independent selection, not a "distribute quotas by province, submit by line" unified-admissions exercise.

This mechanism carries different implications for students in different situations. For top-tier students: independent admissions plus tiered scholarships effectively offer "zero-cost or near-zero-cost" entry conditions to the provincial Top 10 and Top 50, allowing PolyU to snatch up a batch of high-flyers outside the unified early-batch process. For high-scoring students but with weaker English: however high the total score, a gaokao English subject score failing to cross roughly 120 (higher for popular programmes) will act as a barrier; this is the dimension where PolyU differs most sharply from the total-score-dominated unified admissions. For upper-middle-range students: the absence of provincial quotas and published submission lines means there is no clear-cut safety line of "reach this line and you're secure." Applying feels more like a holistic evaluation application than a submission process, and the certainty of the outcome is lower than in the unified system. For voluntary-filling strategy: because it involves zero occupancy and zero opportunity cost, PolyU can serve as a "parallel backup" for practically all qualified students—there is no loss in applying, and one decides only after an offer is in hand.

Understanding these four situational differences is more useful than memorising any online "score line." The core of PolyU's route is not a line but a combinatorial rule set: "nationwide competition + a hard English bar + rank-linked scholarships." For mainland students, the most practical sequence of preparation is this: first, lock down the explicit gaokao English threshold for the target programme; then, maximise the total score to boost competitiveness in the national pool; and all the while, treat PolyU as a voluntary-filling form that costs nothing to fill—applying doesn't take up a mainland slot, doesn't forfeit opportunity cost, and the final decision between PolyU and a mainland university can be made calmly after receiving the offer.

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# Frequently Asked Questions about Applying via PolyU's Independent Mainland Admission

Q: Will applying to PolyU as a mainland gaokao student affect my applications to mainland universities? A: No. Per PolyU officials, "PolyU has an independent admissions scheme and this will not affect applications to universities in the Chinese mainland"—PolyU's independent admission does not occupy mainland unified admissions voluntary-filling slots. Students can simultaneously apply to mainland universities; as long as registration is not confirmed with PolyU, one can still be admitted through the mainland's unified system.

Q: What is the score line for PolyU's mainland admissions? A: PolyU does not publish provincial submission lines or a unified minimum admission score. The online claim of "~120 points above the first-tier line" is an estimate by agencies/past cohorts, not an official threshold. The truly explicit numerical requirements are the gaokao English subject score (~120 and up out of 150; ~125 for Humanities/Social Sciences; ~135 for Law/Veterinary Medicine) and the requirement that the total gaokao score be "outstanding."

Q: Is IELTS or TOEFL absolutely required? A: If the gaokao foreign language subject was English, generally achieving the required gaokao English subject score (~120 and up, varying by programme) suffices. Only applicants whose gaokao foreign language was not English need to submit supplementary IELTS (~overall 6.0) or TOEFL (~80) scores. The precise requirements are subject to the current year's admissions leaflet.

Q: How are PolyU's mainland admissions quotas distributed by province? A: There are no fixed provincial quotas. Fresh gaokao students from all 31 provinces can apply; PolyU selects the best based on merit from the nationwide application pool.

Q: When should I apply, and when is the deadline? A: The 2026 entry online application opens on 3 October 2025, and the deadline is 22 June 2026. After gaokao results are out, you must self-report your scores within the designated period. Offer notifications are issued roughly from late June to 7 July, and the semester begins on 31 August. Specific dates are subject to that year's official website.

Q: Can high scores lead to a tuition waiver? A: Yes. Gaokao Top 1-10 students in a province are eligible for a full four-year tuition waiver plus a living allowance; Top 50 students are eligible for a four-year full tuition waiver. Other high-performing students have the chance for an entry scholarship (up to the equivalent of the normal duration tuition fee plus an annual living allowance). Allowance amounts are adjusted year by year.

Q: If admitted by PolyU, can I still go to a mainland university? A: Yes—as long as you haven't paid the placement deposit to confirm your registration with PolyU. PolyU's independent admission does not occupy a mainland unified slot, and you can retain your mainland admission eligibility simultaneously. The real "choose one" moment is when paying the HK$20,000 placement deposit to confirm the PolyU place; this fee is non-refundable and usually implies renouncing the mainland offer.

Q: What procedures must a mainland gaokao student complete to enter PolyU, and what are the deadlines? A: After accepting an offer and paying the deposit, you must apply for an Entry for Study endorsement (which has a processing cycle; must be completed before the 31 August semester start). Upon arrival in Hong Kong, you complete registration, collect your student ID card, apply for a hall place (non-locals typically have priority arrangements), pay the outstanding tuition fee balance, and open a bank account in Hong Kong. Both the visa and hall application have deadlines; initiate them immediately after receiving an offer.

Q: What else do I need to prepare, besides scores, for Design or Social Sciences programmes? A: Programmes in the School of Design generally require a portfolio submission. Some programmes like Applied Social Sciences include an interview. Instruction at PolyU is primarily in English; interviews are often conducted in English. Additionally, academic high-flyers should look out for the pre-gaokao 3D Holistic Assessment, and non-academic talents can look into the priority interview channel under the STARS Scheme.

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# See Also

• PolyU Admission Scores: A Complete Breakdown of JUPAS DSE Scoring — A cross-sectional overview of the four undergraduate admission routes, the 8.5-point grading system conversion, programme-specific weighted admission scores, and international/Non-JUPAS thresholds.
• School-based Admission and "Academy-style" Entry — Available majors, quotas, and application strategies for the six Broad Discipline clusters.
• PolyU Tuition and Scholarships: An Overview — Local and non-local tuition fee curves, accommodation and incidental costs, and scholarship systems including EGLS.