Applicants from Hong Kong

We welcome applicants from Hong Kong who would like to apply for a place here at Christ's College.

• Qualification requirements
• English Language requirements
• Application process
• Interviews
• Student profiles
• Finance
• Where can I find out more?

Qualification requirements

• The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE)
• International Baccalaureate
• Additional requirements 
   

The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE)

Please see the subject requirements section on the relevant subject page and note the following points for HKDSE students:

• If the course you are applying for requires A-Levels in Mathematics and Further Mathematics, you must take Extended Module 2 (Algebra and Calculus) Mathematics as part of your core. 
• If you are applying for a course that requires Mathematics A Level only, we advise you to take either Extended Module 1 (Calculus and Statistics) or Extended Module 2 (Algebra and Calculus) Mathematics as part of your core. 
• For some courses, A-Level Further Mathematics and/or Mathematics is desirable but not a requirement. In this case you might want to consider taking the appropriate Mathematics Extended Module. 
• Applicants will normally be expected to achieve a pass mark in Citizenship and Social Development.
   

Notes: 

• When choosing electives, prospective applicants should consult the Christ's subject pages as well as the relevant university course page to identify close subject matches.
• Combined Science can provide appropriate preparation, but for many courses we will want you to take Biology, Chemistry and/or Physics as individual electives.
• ‘Applied’ Category A electives (such as Health Management and Social Care, Integrated Science Technology and Living, Tourism and Hospitality Studies) and Category B electives don’t provide an appropriate preparation for most Cambridge courses, where the emphasis is more academic than vocational.  However, if required/highly desirable subjects are covered by the Core and other Electives, applicants taking such electives as their seventh or eighth HKDSE subject would be considered.
• Category C electives can form part of a Cambridge offer, especially where there is a language element to the course. The typical offer level for these courses would be an ‘A’.

International Baccalaureate

Our typical entry requirement for students taking the International Baccalaureate is 42, with 776 at Higher Level. If you are applying for a course that requires Maths at Higher Level in the IB, make sure that you take the Maths: Analysis and Approaches option at Higher Level. Please see our IB page for further detail.

International A levels

Students taking International A levels will need to achieve at least A*AA or A*A*A, depending on the course applied for. See our page for International A levels.

Additional requirements

Offers for Mathematics include STEP II and III. Further information about STEP and preparation support is available on the Maths page. 

Some courses require an Admissions Test. The dates and registration details for these tests vary from subject to subject so please check this carefully in relation to the course you are planning to apply for. It is essential to read the relevant Christ's subject pages in full to ensure that you are aware of the requirements.

English Language requirements

If English is not your native language, in most cases students from Hong Kong will need to take an English Language qualification such as IELTS Academic or TOEFL and achieve scores as specified on the University website.

If you have already taken an English language qualification when you apply, please include this in your UCAS application, and include the certificate in your transcript. It is not a problem if you are not able to take an English Language qualification by the time you apply. In this case you may be asked to achieve the specified scores in one of these qualifications if we make you an offer, as part of the offer conditions . You would have from January (when you receive your offer) until August to take the test and send us the results.

Do bear in mind that for non-native English speakers who will need a visa to study in the UK, specific certificates are normally needed (e.g. IELTS Academic, TOEFL).

The application deadline

For applicants from Hong Kong applying in 2024 (for 2025 entry or deferred 2026 entry) the application deadline is 15 October 2024.

It is very, very important to check whether your course has a test that requires registration, as you will need to check the deadline for this. Depending on your subject you may need to register some time before the October UCAS application deadline. See the application process section below.
 

Application process

We recommend that you apply as soon as possible once UCAS opens for applications in September. Your course may require registration in September for an admissions test (depending on the subject) and then the UCAS application deadline for all courses is 15 October 2024.  Application is for entry the following October (or for deferred entry the year after). We encourage all applicants to read the information about applying on the relevant subject page, as well as the how to apply page well in advance of September, as there are a number of parts to the application procedure which may take time to organise and complete:

1. If you have a test that requires registration (needed for some of the courses), you will need to make sure you are registered for this by the relevant deadline. Details are updated on the Admissions Tests page by July each year for students applying the following October. You will be able to search for the test centres in Hong Kong.
2. There is more than one application form. You first make a UCAS application and then you complete an additional form called My Cambridge Application.
3. You will need a referee who can provide a reference and predicted grades for any exams that you have not yet taken.
4. You will also need to arrange for your school to provide a transcript, which you upload as part of My Cambridge Application.

Do also explore our additional support pages for international applicants, and note that on 20 September Christ's publishes the current applicants section, which will support you (in detail!) through the next steps once you have submitted a valid application and chosen Christ's College in your UCAS application.

Interviews (and College Registered Assessments, if relevant)

You will see if you read through our how to apply page, that we have interviews as part of our admissions process. We interview the majority of applicants, though not every applicant is selected for interview. You can find out more about what interviews involve in our international application support section (which includes a page on interviews)

Christ's applicants who are selected for interview are interviewed online in all cases - the arrangements are the same for both UK and international applicants. You can have your interviews either at home (most applicants do this) or at school (if easier or if you have a better internet connection at school). We will collect information about your time zone in December as part of one of one of the forms that applicants complete.

In some subjects there is a "College Registered" assessment, which means an assessment that is only taken by those invited for interview. As the name implies, there is no registration for these assessments - they will be organised by Christ's for you to sit online if you are selected for interview, and we will send you full details at the time. You can check to see if there is a College Registered assessment and (if relevant) details for this in your subject by reading the how to apply section on the relevant subject page.
 

Student profiles

Ari, Belinda and Oscar are all from Hong Kong and have written about studying at Christ's in their student profiles:

• Ari studying Archaeology
• Belinda studying Geography
• Oscar studying Psychological and Behavioural Sciences

Finance

Do have a look at our finance section for details of the costs and financial support available.

In addition to the university-wide awards from the Cambridge, Commonwealth, European and International Trusts and Prince Philip Scholarships for permanent residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, you'll see that at Christ's we have

• Christ’s College International Awards
• the Li Ka Shing Foundation Lord Sandberg Memorial Scholarship for offer holders resident in Hong Kong.
• Christ's Awards

Where can I find out more?

Do explore the international students section in particular, and make sure you read the relevant subject page. We encourage you to register interest for the Christ's International Webinar so that you get an email when we open booking, and you may like to also attend other online events.

Please also feel free to email Kristy, Fran and Ellie in Christ's Admissions Office (admissions@christs.cam.ac.uk) with any questions. We'll be pleased to hear from you!

We also encourage prospective students from Hong Kong to explore the support available from Access Abroad Hong Kong if your school cannot support you with a Cambridge application. This is an organisation run by Hong Kong students at Cambridge and Oxford to help less privileged students from Hong Kong to apply to Cambridge, Oxford or other top UK universities.

International Students / Should I apply? / How to apply / Subjects at Christ's / Application support