How to Apply to Economics at Lingnan University: The Economics Major in the BSocSc (Hons) and the Self-financed Global Economics and Banking Degree, with Admission Routes and Prerequisites for Local Students, International and Mainland Chinese Applicants, and Transfer Students

Lingnan University is in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. Economics is taught by the Department of Economics in the Faculty of Social Sciences. Lingnan lists two economics undergraduate degrees: the Major in Economics within the UGC-funded Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons), and the self-financed Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons) in Global Economics and Banking (GEB). Below are the points for 2027 entry, for Hong Kong local students (JUPAS or direct application), international and Mainland China applicants (Gaokao and international curricula), and transfer and sub-degree students. Business and data science are run by other units and are mentioned only where they overlap.

1. The economics degrees

• BSocSc (Hons), Major in Economics (JUPAS code JS7301): UGC-funded. The Faculty’s major table shows Economics open for both first-year and senior-year (Year 3) entry; the standard duration is four years from Year 1 and two years from Year 3.
• BSocSc (Hons) in Global Economics and Banking: self-financed, run by the Department of Economics, described as a four-year full-time programme preparing people for banking and finance in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. The Faculty’s major table marks it as open for senior-year (Year 3) entry only, while the programme’s own site posts a 2026 Year 1 curriculum and an “Admission Open for application” notice for 2026/27. The two do not fully agree; ask the admissions office whether Year 1 places are offered for 2027.
• From 2025-26, Economics majors who complete five marked courses can declare a Concentration in Global Economics and Banking; the Department also offers minors in Economics and in Global Economics and Banking.
• The Faculty page says the BSocSc has “ten Majors”, while the 2025-intake programme structure PDF says “7 Majors”; the two pages differ.

2. How admission works and when you choose a major

• You apply to a specific programme: Economics has its own JUPAS code (JS7301); direct applicants pick programmes in the online application system. The BSocSc requires first-year and senior-year students to take up a major. When and under what conditions you can change major after entry is not given on the pages used for this guide; ask UGadm@LN.edu.hk.
• Interview or test: the Gaokao page says interview arrangements depend on the programme and applicants are emailed if one is required; the international route says some programmes interview or set oral/written tests. Whether Economics does is not stated.
• Applicants through the international route receive an offer for only one programme; JUPAS applicants cannot also apply directly.
• An honours degree needs at least 120 credits, normally over four years.

3. Prerequisites

• University-wide minimum (HKDSE, JUPAS 2027 entry): Chinese Level 3, English Level 3, Mathematics Compulsory Part Level 2, Citizenship and Social Development “Attained”, and two electives at Level 2 (“332A22”). Mathematics Extended Part M1 or M2 counts as an elective.
• Maths for economics: beyond that minimum, the pages used list no separate economics maths grade and do not require an economics subject. JUPAS weightings for JS7301 are English 2.0 and Mathematics Compulsory Part, Extended Part M1, M2 and Economics 1.5 each. Cut-off scores are not given on the pages used.
• Flexible arrangement: JS7301 is listed with flexibility in Chinese for 2026/27 (a Lingnan programme among your Band A choices, holistic review, Chinese one level lower); check the JUPAS page for 2027.
• Maths in the degree: in the 2025-intake structure PDF, the Economics major requires Tools for Economic Analysis, Introduction to Statistics and Econometrics, Intermediate Microeconomics and Intermediate Macroeconomics; Linear Algebra and Calculus are among the electives.

4. Curriculum (Economics major)

From the BSocSc programme structure PDF (labelled 2025 Year 1 and 2027 Year 3 intakes; check the programme structure page for any newer version):

• Year 1: university core courses (critical thinking, the making of Hong Kong, generative AI and others), Chinese and English courses; Economics majors take Introduction to Microeconomics in Term 1 and Introduction to Macroeconomics in Term 2, plus two of the three social-science foundation courses (political science, psychology, sociology), with the third in Year 2.
• Year 2: four required courses; Term 1 Tools for Economic Analysis and Introduction to Statistics and Econometrics, Term 2 Intermediate Microeconomics and Intermediate Macroeconomics.
• Electives listed include the Hong Kong housing market, the digital economy, public economics, labour, behavioural, development and applied econometrics, game theory, financial economics, money and banking, international trade, international finance and environmental economics. The same PDF gives the number of major electives both as “5” and as “choose 6, at least 3 at 4000-level”.
• Research: Junior Research Project in Year 3; Senior Thesis or one major elective in Year 4.
• Global Economics and Banking (2026-intake structure): foundation courses include Introduction to Banks and Financial Institutions, Financial Information and Management, micro and macro introductions, Tools for Economic Analysis, and Statistics and Econometrics; required courses include Intermediate Micro and Macro, Money and Banking, International Trade, International Finance, Financial Economics, International Political Economy and a fourth-year Capstone Project; plus 2 major electives.
• Internships and professional accreditation for the economics degrees are not stated on the pages used; the Department of Economics site has a student placements section.

5. Hong Kong local students

• JUPAS: applications open 7 October 2026 and close 2 December 2026; changes to programme choices close 26 May 2027; HKDSE results come out 14 July 2027; JUPAS main round results 4 August 2027.
• Local applicants with international qualifications: apply directly; open 8 October 2026; early round 30 November 2026, main round 28 February 2027, final round for local applicants 31 July 2027. The application fee is HKD 200 per programme choice.
• Tuition: UGC-funded programmes, local students HKD 49,500 a year for 2027-28.
• Scholarships: JUPAS applicants with 23 or more points in the best five HKDSE subjects receive a full-tuition scholarship by band; local students with IB, A-level, SAT and similar results have matching scholarships (see the fees page). The Department also lists entrance scholarships for JUPAS applicants from 2026-27 entry.

6. International and Mainland China applicants

(a) International curricula and other qualifications (“Overseas, Mainland and Transfer Applicants”)

• Up to 6 programme choices at HKD 200 each; rolling review.
• A-level: passes in three A-level subjects, or two A-levels plus two AS subjects (excluding Chinese and English language); IB: the IB Diploma; US curriculum: high school diploma plus SAT 1190, ACT 24 or grade 3 in two AP subjects; Australia: Senior Secondary Certificate plus ATAR 80.
• Canadian and other overseas high schools have their own thresholds, for example BC: 70% average in five Grade 12 courses; Ontario: 70% average in six Grade 12 U or M courses; 70% in a Grade 12 English course meets the English requirement.
• English (one of): IELTS Academic 6.0 (One Skill Retake accepted); TOEFL iBT 79 in one sitting; PTE Academic 62; SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 590; ACT 23 in English and Reading; AP English Language or Literature 4; Gaokao English 110; other curricula are listed in the international qualifications PDF.
• Dates: open 8 October 2026; early round 30 November 2026; main round 28 February 2027; final round for non-local applicants 30 June 2027.
• IB and A-level holders with seven years of secondary schooling receive a 15-credit block transfer towards free electives. Ask the IB, College Board or ACT to send your scores to Lingnan.

(b) Mainland China applicants: current Gaokao candidates (including repeaters)

• Independent admission: Lingnan recruits in the Mainland on its own and is not part of the national unified admission plan. Apply directly through Lingnan’s online system under “Current Mainland Gaokao Candidates”. Once you accept a Hong Kong autonomous-admission offer and confirm enrolment, Mainland universities in the unified plan will not admit you, and the decision cannot be reversed.
• Requirements: Gaokao total at or above your province’s first-tier line or special-type admission control line, and at least 110 out of 150 in Gaokao English; other English tests cannot replace it. No arts/science streams and no provincial quotas.
• Selection: Gaokao results, English, activities and achievements, overall quality, interview where required, and other programme requirements where applicable. Whether Economics sets a separate Gaokao maths or subject requirement is not stated; ask the admissions office.
• Choices and fee: up to 3 UGC-funded and 3 self-financed programmes, ranked, not changeable after submission; HKD 200 per application.
• Dates: applications for 2027 entry open on 8 October 2026; Lingnan’s 12 October 2026 press release gives the deadline for current Gaokao candidates as 10 June 2027. The PDF on offers and the deposit (HKD 10,000 last cycle) still shows the 2026-entry timeline (offers from late June to early July); check the Mainland page for 2027 updates.
• Non-current Gaokao candidates use the international qualifications route; its PDF lists Mainland China as “Gaokao, or the JEE for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan students with 600 or above out of 750”.

7. Transfer and sub-degree students

• Transfer: apply through the online system; rolling, case-by-case review; your year of entry depends on the credits transferred. Submit university transcripts, programme structure and syllabuses; references, awards and pre-university exam results may be added. Lingnan notes that UGC guidelines generally discourage repeating UGC-funded undergraduate study across institutions.
• Hong Kong associate degree and higher diploma graduates: senior-year places require a recognised local sub-degree with satisfactory results and the English requirement (IELTS 6.0 and others; HKDSE English and the Password Test also accepted). Students not yet in their final sub-degree year may apply for first-year places and be considered for Year 1 or Year 2 entry. Final round deadlines for 2027 entry: 30 June 2027 for non-local applicants and 31 July 2027 for local applicants.
• Global Economics and Banking senior-year entrance scholarship: for strong associate degree or higher diploma graduates, up to 8 students, HKD 6,000 to 10,000 each, one-off.
• University-wide senior-year admission award: HKD 8,000 one-off for completing a local sub-degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.4 (4.0 scale) or 3.6 (4.3 scale).

8. Fees and scholarships

• 2027-28 tuition: UGC-funded programmes (the Economics major) HKD 205,000 a year for non-local students and HKD 49,500 for local students; self-financed Global Economics and Banking HKD 175,000 for local and non-local students (the fees page says “Local and non-Local: HK$175,000” without saying per year or per programme; the programme’s own site still shows HKD 160,000, apparently the previous year’s figure).
• Other costs: student visa fee HKD 700 (paid when accepting an offer); 2027-28 hostel fees are under review and not yet published. The Global Economics and Banking FAQ (2026/27) estimates hostel at HKD 8,605 to 11,670 per residential term and living expenses of about HKD 4,500 to 5,500 a month, for reference only.
• Non-local scholarships: non-local applicants to UGC-funded first-year programmes are automatically considered for a Full Scholarship (tuition, hostel and part of academic and living expenses), a Full-tuition Scholarship or a Half-tuition Scholarship, renewed annually up to the normal study period.
• Economics entrance scholarship for non-local students (from 2026-27 entry): non-local applicants to the first-year UGC-funded Economics programme compete for up to 2 awards of up to HKD 205,000 a year (tuition, hostel and part of living expenses), renewable with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. Check the page for the 2027 quota and amount.
• The Economics Scholarships: for final-year Economics majors going on to a Master’s, MPhil or PhD in economics at a non-local university; up to 2 awards of up to HKD 50,000 each (the page showed an application date of 31 August 2026; dates change each year).

9. What the pages do not say

• Cut-off scores and intake sizes for Economics: not given on the pages used.
• Conditions for changing into Economics after entry, and whether there is a maths entrance test: not stated; ask the admissions office.
• Internships and professional accreditation: not stated.

Checklist

Hong Kong local students:

• HKDSE: apply to JS7301 through JUPAS by 2 December 2026; meet 332A22; note that English and the maths and economics subjects are weighted
• International qualifications (local): apply directly, final round 31 July 2027

International and Mainland China applicants:

• Gaokao candidates: from 8 October 2026 apply directly under “Current Mainland Gaokao Candidates”; submit your application and candidate number by 10 June 2027; total above your province’s first-tier line and 110+ in Gaokao English
• International curricula: three A-level passes or the IB Diploma, IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 79; early round 30 November, main round 28 February, final round 30 June 2027

Transfer and sub-degree students:

• Submit transcripts and syllabuses; entry year follows transferred credits; sub-degree graduates should look at Global Economics and Banking senior-year entry

Sources: Lingnan University, Faculty of Social Sciences; Department of Economics: BSocSc (Hons) in Economics; BSocSc programme structure (2025 Year 1 and 2027 Year 3 intakes, PDF); Economics entrance scholarships for non-local students; The Economics Scholarships; Global Economics and Banking; Global Economics and Banking admission information; Global Economics and Banking programme introduction; Global Economics and Banking FAQs; Global Economics and Banking senior-year entrance scholarships; Global Economics and Banking programme structure (2026 intake, PDF); Overseas, Mainland and transfer applicants holding international qualifications; Admission information for international qualifications (PDF); Local applicants holding international qualifications; JUPAS applicants; JUPAS admission requirements and subject weightings, 2027 entry (PDF); Applicants holding Hong Kong sub-degree qualifications; Current Mainland Gaokao applicants (Chinese); Admission of current Mainland Gaokao candidates (PDF, Chinese); Transfer applicants; Fees and scholarships; 2027/28 Mainland undergraduate admissions press release (12 October 2026). Information is for 2027 entry; where a page shows no year or still shows the previous cycle, the text says so. Check Lingnan University for the latest details.