How to Apply to HSUHK for Art and Design: A BA (Hons) in Art and Design Combining Studio Work, Art and Design History, Technology and Business Management, with a Possible Portfolio and Interview: Portfolio Requirements and Timeline for Students in China, at Canadian High Schools and Transfer Students

The undergraduate art and design degree at The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK) is the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Art and Design (BA-AD), offered by the Department of Art and Design in the School of Humanities and Social Science. Here is how to apply, based on HSUHK’s official information, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver students), and transfer students. Note that HSUHK’s published fees, scholarships and dates are still for 2026/27; watch for updates for 2027 entry.

1. What the BA in Art and Design covers

• Basics: four years full time, 36 modules and 120 credits; JUPAS code JSSH06; a programme under the government’s Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/Sectors (SSSDP).
• Approach: HSUHK describes it as an integrated art and design degree focused on the “business of art and design”, built on four pillars: creativity (studio teaching), history and theory, technology, and business professional practice.
• Structure: 16 Art and Design Specialty modules, 16 Common Core modules, 2 Business Education modules and 2 free electives. Studios build year by year: fundamental concepts and skills in Year 1; objects, products and machines in Year 2; interior, architecture and urban design in Year 3; a thesis studio in Year 4. There are also history and theory courses, pre-digital and digital technology courses, an internship in Year 3, and Year 4 courses on contemporary issues in art and design and on art and design organisation and governance.
• Careers: HSUHK lists art and design project management, venue and event management, and art assistant and service designer roles.
• The department also offers a BA (Hons) in Cultural and Creative Industries (BA-CCI), not covered here.

2. Portfolio and interview

• The JSSH06 admission policy says that where necessary, interviews are arranged for selected applicants, and applicants should submit a portfolio of relevant art and design work. Invited applicants must attend at the scheduled time; those who do not get lower priority.
• HKDSE applicants: interviews run from June to July each year; the admission score uses the best five subjects plus interview performance.
• Non-local applicants: shortlisted applicants are normally invited by email and SMS to a written test and/or interview, which may be online; if you are invited to Hong Kong, HSUHK does not arrange visas or accommodation.
• The number of pieces, format and submission method are not published; ask the programme (baad@hsu.edu.hk) or the Registry.

3. Students at high schools in China

(a) Current Mainland Gaokao candidates (including repeat candidates)

• Independent admission: HSUHK recruits independently and is not part of the national unified admission system; apply directly in HSUHK’s online system. Under Ministry of Education rules, once you accept an HSUHK place, Mainland universities in the unified system will not admit you. From 2025-26 HSUHK can recruit in all 31 Mainland provinces, regions and municipalities.
• Minimum requirements:
  • A total score at least at your province’s second-batch undergraduate line / undergraduate batch line;
  • English as the foreign language, with 100 or above in Gaokao English (out of 150); if not met, IELTS Academic 5.5 or TOEFL iBT 70 (paper 525) may be considered; at-home tests are not accepted.
• Selection: school results, Gaokao total, programme choices, English, interview performance and programme-specific requirements. The 2026-27 Mainland quota was 750 places in total, with no provincial limits.
• Dates (2026 entry): applications opened 15 November 2025; interviews from December, with conditional offers for suitable applicants; non-local applications closed 25 June 2026, with results in late June. 2027 dates are not yet published.

(b) Students taking international curricula

• At least two A-Level subjects at E (excluding Chinese); IB Diploma 24; SAT 1190; ACT 24; or two AP subjects at 3. Equivalent qualifications are considered case by case.
• Applicants with overseas qualifications must provide IELTS Academic 5.5 or TOEFL iBT 70 (paper 525), taken at a test centre.
• Non-local applicants should obtain these results before late July to be considered for September entry that year.

4. Students at Canadian high schools

• The international qualifications table does not list Canadian or BC high school diplomas; HSUHK says other equivalent qualifications are considered case by case. No BC score requirement is published; ask the Registry (ugadmission@hsu.edu.hk).
• HSUHK says applicants with overseas qualifications should submit IELTS 5.5 or TOEFL 70 and does not mention an exemption for students taught in English in Canada.
• Apply as a non-local applicant through the international qualifications route; two AP subjects at 3 are one of the accepted entry qualifications.

5. Application fee and dates (international qualifications route)

• Application fee: HKD 200 per programme for non-local applicants.
• Dates for 2026 entry: applications opened 15 November 2025 and closed 10 June 2026 for non-local applicants; teaching starts in September. 2027 dates are not yet published.
• Accepting an offer: non-local students pay a HKD 30,000 deposit, counted towards tuition and non-refundable.

6. Transfer and senior-year entry

• HSUHK’s senior-year entry requires a completed Associate Degree or Higher Diploma in a related discipline and the programme’s minimum cumulative GPA.
• Senior-year applications to the BA in Art and Design were suspended for 2026-27 because the quota was full; HSUHK has not said whether they reopen for 2027.
• Applicants whose sub-degree or higher study was not taught in English must provide IELTS 5.5, TOEFL or similar.

7. Fees and scholarships (2026/27)

• Tuition: BA-AD is an SSSDP (Art and Design) programme; the non-local first-year fee is HKD 193,240, and the local fee after government subsidy is HKD 35,670 (the subsidy is for local students only). Fees for Years 2 to 4 are adjusted by the Composite Consumer Price Index. Non-local students on a student visa cannot apply for Hong Kong government loans or subsidies.
• Other estimated costs (Mainland student page): living expenses about HKD 50,000–60,000 a year; on-campus accommodation about HKD 31,572–38,092 for two semesters.
• Gaokao entrance scholarships: candidates scoring 70 points above the first-tier or special-category line may be considered for a four-year full scholarship, 50 points above for a half scholarship, and 1–49 points above with academic or non-academic strengths for a merit scholarship; renewal needs a yearly GPA of 3.3 or above.
• International qualification entrance scholarships: limited in number and competitive. Mainland students with non-Gaokao qualifications can receive four-year full or half tuition scholarships; international students from countries and regions other than China can receive four-year full or half tuition plus accommodation. Examples: IB 35 (full) or 30 (half); A-Level at least 2A* and 2A (full) or 3A (half). No Canadian standard is listed.
• Entrance scholarships do not apply to January intake students.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Gaokao candidates: apply directly through the Mainland admission scheme; at least the undergraduate batch line and 100+ in English (or IELTS 5.5); prepare an art and design portfolio and watch for interview invitations
• International curriculum students: two A-Levels at E or IB 24, plus IELTS 5.5 or TOEFL 70; results by late July
• Check HSUHK for 2027 deadlines (for 2026 entry: 10 June for non-local applicants, 25 June for Gaokao candidates)

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• No BC requirement is published, so ask the Registry first; prepare IELTS 5.5 or TOEFL 70
• Apply as a non-local applicant through the international route; prepare a portfolio and an online interview

Transfer students:

• BA-AD senior-year entry was suspended for 2026-27; ask the Registry whether it opens for 2027

Sources: The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK), BA (Hons) in Art and Design; BA-AD programme pamphlet (PDF); JSSH06 admission policy; Programmes by school; Entrance requirements (international qualifications); Important dates (international qualifications); Fees and bursaries; Entrance scholarships (international qualifications); How non-local applicants apply; Mainland student admission (in Chinese); Gaokao entrance requirements (in Chinese); Gaokao important dates (in Chinese); Gaokao entrance scholarships (in Chinese); Gaokao fee estimate (in Chinese); Senior-year entrance requirements. Fees, scholarships and dates are the 2026/27 information currently published; check HSUHK for 2027/28 details.