How to Apply to Business at the Chinese University of Hong Kong: Gaokao, A-level/IB/AP, Canadian High School and Transfer Requirements and Timelines for the Integrated BBA, Global Business Studies, Professional Accountancy and Quantitative Finance

Undergraduate business degrees at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) are offered by the Faculty of Business Administration. There are more than ten programmes, most of them four years long. Here is what you need to know for 2027 entry, based on CUHK’s official information, for Gaokao students in mainland China, students taking A-level, IB or AP, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver students), and transfer students.

1. The programmes

• Integrated BBA Programme (IBBA, JS4202): described by CUHK as the business programme with the largest annual intake. Students can choose up to two of nine concentrations, each needing at least five courses: Business Analytics, Business Economics, Finance, Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Management, Management of International Business, Marketing, Big Data and Quantitative Marketing, and General Business. Double degrees with the School of Journalism and Communication and double majors with FinTech, Professional Accountancy, Quantitative Finance or Insurance, Financial and Actuarial Analysis are also possible.
• Global Business Studies (GBS, JS4214): launched in 2005, with an international curriculum and exchanges at partner universities in Europe and North America.
• Professional Accountancy (PACC, JS4240): described by CUHK as Hong Kong’s first accounting degree; all graduates are eligible for the HKICPA Qualification Programme. Streams include Global Accounting, Global Tax and Governance, Finance for Accountants, and Accounting Analytics.
• Quantitative Finance (QFIN, JS4252): established in 1998, covering finance, applied mathematics, statistics, artificial intelligence and IT, with a financial trading lab equipped with Bloomberg and Refinitiv terminals.
• Other programmes: Quantitative Finance and Risk Management Science (JS4276), Insurance, Financial and Actuarial Analysis (JS4238), Global Economics and Finance (JS4254), Hospitality and Real Estate (JS4226), Asian Business Studies, and International Business and Chinese Enterprise.
• Four-year and two-year routes: the IBBA and Professional Accountancy also have two-year Senior Year Entry, but that route is for local non-JUPAS applicants; see “Transfer students” below.

2. Gaokao students: the national early-admission batch

• No direct application: CUHK recruits Gaokao students through the National Colleges and Universities Enrolment System and is in the early-admission batch. You do not apply to CUHK directly; after results are released you list CUHK (institution code 81002) in the early batch through your provincial examination authority. There is no interview.
• Not via the international scheme: CUHK states that mainland students taking the 2027 Gaokao must use the national system, and applications through the International Students Admissions Scheme will not be accepted.
• Scores: you must reach your province’s first-tier (or equivalent) control line. Under the 2026 plan, the business category requires 120 out of 150 in English in each province. You can list mainland first-tier universities at the same time; not being admitted in the early batch does not affect later batches.
• Choosing a major: Gaokao students are admitted to one of four broad categories (humanities, science, engineering, business); the business category is the Business School. Under the 2026 programme list, the Integrated BBA, Professional Accountancy, and Hospitality and Real Estate can be chosen as a major in year one (an interview by the department may be required). Global Business Studies, Quantitative Finance, Insurance, Financial and Actuarial Analysis, Global Economics and Finance, Asian Business Studies, and International Business and Chinese Enterprise are not available in year one: you apply with your first-year results and, if selected, start them in year two.
• Scholarships (2026 rules): only for candidates who list CUHK as their first-choice institution. The threshold is a Gaokao score (excluding bonus points) of 630 or above in the physics track or 600 or above in the history track (out of 750), or the top 0.5% of your provincial cohort, plus at least 130 in English. There are three levels: the top 0.05% receive a full scholarship (four years of tuition plus HK$66,000 a year for accommodation and living costs), the top 0.1% receive full tuition, and the highest-scoring eligible candidates within each province’s quota receive half tuition. Renewal needs an annual GPA of 3.000. Students who won a first prize or gold award in a recognised national competition final during high school can also receive a HK$50,000 Diversified Excellence Talent Scholarship.
• Non-Gaokao students: mainland students on international curricula who are not taking the Gaokao apply with A-level, IB, SAT and similar qualifications through the international scheme below.

3. International qualifications: International Students Admissions Scheme

• University minimum requirements: three A-level passes or two A-levels plus two AS passes (programmes have different subject requirements); IB Diploma with 30 points; for the US system, a high school diploma, SAT 1190 or ACT 24, and two AP tests at 3 each. These are minimums only; admission is competitive.
• Admitted score reference: CUHK publishes university-wide ranges (25th–75th percentile) for international qualifications. For 2025 entry these were IB 37–43 (including TOK and EE points) and A-level UCAS Tariff points of 144–168 for three subjects. CUHK notes that programmes vary from year to year and the ranges are for reference only. Separate score ranges for the business programmes are not published.
• IB subject preferences (2027 entry): these are references, not requirements. Quantitative Finance prefers any Mathematics subject plus one of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics or Physics (SL/HL); Quantitative Finance and Risk Management Science is the same; Insurance, Financial and Actuarial Analysis prefers Mathematics (other than Mathematics: AI SL); Global Economics and Finance prefers English and Mathematics.
• Advanced standing: students with qualifying A-level, IB and other qualifications can apply for advanced standing, reducing graduation requirements by up to 24 units (up to one year of study). Indicate this on the application form.
• Selection: CUHK considers education background and academic and non-academic achievements; some programmes invite applicants to interview. You submit one personal statement of up to 6,000 characters explaining your programme choices, plus one recommendation. All choices are considered at the same time, but you can hold only one offer at a time.

4. Students at Canadian high schools (including BC)

• BC: Senior Secondary Graduation Diploma with an average of 80% in five Grade 12 or BC provincially examinable courses. Ontario needs an 80% average in six Grade 12 U/M courses; most other provinces need an 80% average in five Grade 12 courses.
• These are university minimums. CUHK does not publish business programme-specific scores or subject requirements for Canadian curricula; contact the admissions office.
• English: Canadian Grade 12 English at 70% meets the University’s English requirement.

5. English requirements

• IELTS Academic: overall 6.0; IELTS One Skill Retake, IELTS Indicator and IELTS Online are not accepted.
• TOEFL iBT: 80 for tests before 21 January 2026; 4.5 (out of 6) for tests from that date. Home Edition and TOEFL Best Scores are not accepted.
• Other ways: SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 590; ACT English Language Arts 23; GCSE/IGCSE English C or 4; A-level/AS English E; IB English 4.
• These are University minimums; individual programmes may ask for more.

6. Transfer students

• International students all start in Year 1: CUHK’s FAQ says current bachelor’s students are welcome to apply, but international students who are admitted all enter Year 1, whatever their highest qualification. Undergraduate courses already taken can be considered for credit exemption after registration, case by case, with no guarantee.
• Among the University’s minimum requirements, at least one year of undergraduate study at a recognised university, or one year of an associate degree or higher diploma, also qualifies you to apply.
• Two-year Senior Year Entry to the IBBA and Professional Accountancy is for local non-JUPAS applicants (such as Hong Kong sub-degree graduates), not for the international scheme.

7. Timeline (2027 entry, International Students Admissions Scheme)

• 2 October 2026: applications open; the undergraduate admissions Information Day is on 17 October.
• 12 November 2026: Advance Offer round deadline. Applicants not given an advance offer move automatically to the regular round and compete on equal terms. The important dates page says advance offers are sent from December 2026, while the application guide says by mid-January 2027.
• 7 January 2027: regular round deadline. Regular-round offers go out from February 2027, with a clearing round in July.
• You can apply before your exam results are out; update your results in the system and upload them within three days of release. Only one application is allowed; duplicate applications are disqualified.
• Successful applicants must pay a first instalment of HK$10,000 and complete acceptance by the stated date.
• Gaokao students follow their province’s early-batch application schedule.

8. Fees and scholarships

• Application fee: HK$500 online for the international scheme, non-refundable.
• Tuition: HK$230,000 for international students in 2027-28, with any yearly adjustment for the 2027 cohort capped at 3%. The mainland Gaokao pages currently show the 2026/27 first-year non-local fee of HK$214,000.
• Housing and living: hostel fees of about HK$17,000 for 2026-27; living and other expenses of about HK$48,500 a year.
• International scholarships: admitted full-time undergraduates are automatically considered for entrance scholarships, with no separate application; results come with the offer. Financial aid is not available to international students.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Gaokao route: no direct application; list CUHK (81002) in the early batch after results, with English usually at 120 or above; list CUHK as your first-choice institution to be considered for scholarships
• International curriculum: use the international scheme, apply by 12 November 2026 for an advance offer or by 7 January 2027; IELTS 6.0 or above, a personal statement and one recommendation

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

• A BC five-course Grade 12 average of 80% is the minimum; Grade 12 English at 70% meets the English requirement; apply by 12 November 2026 or 7 January 2027

Transfer students:

• International students are admitted to Year 1; apply for credit exemption after registration

Sources: The Chinese University of Hong Kong undergraduate admissions, Integrated BBA Programme; Global Business Studies; Professional Accountancy; Quantitative Finance; International admission requirements; Important dates; FAQ; Mainland recruitment plan (Chinese); Mainland programme list (Chinese); Mainland scholarship rules (Chinese); IB subject preferences (2027 entry); Admissions score reference; International application guide. International information is for 2027 entry; the mainland Gaokao plan, programme list and scholarship rules currently shown are the 2026 versions. Check CUHK for the latest details.