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Undergraduate and Post-secondary Programmes

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General Admission Requirements

General Admission Requirements (GAR)

The Academy selects applicants for admission on the basis of the General Admission Requirements (GAR) specified for the various academic programmes and applicants’ talents, attainments and relevant training, in the chosen disciplines. Applicants may be asked to attend an audition and/or an interview or to submit a portfolio or to sit an entry test, or a combination of these as deemed necessary by the Schools which offer the respective programmes.

Bachelor's Degree Programmes

(1) Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination

Applicants shall have obtained the following:

(a) Level 3 or above in English Language; and
(b) Level 3 or above in Chinese Language; and
(c) Level 2 or above in Mathematics; and
(d) Level 2 or above in Liberal Studies; and ;
(e) Level 2 or above in at least one of any other subject (or “attained” for Applied Learning Subject)

(2) Other Recognised Qualifications

Qualification	Grade/Score	English Language Qualifications
a) Bachelor's Degree from a local recognised post-secondary institution* * for those local higher education institutions published by the EDB on its webpage: https://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/postsecondary/local-higher-edu/institutions/index.html	Satisfactory completion of at least one year of a Bachelor's Degree programme	Attained
b) Associate Degree/Higher Diploma from a local recognised post-secondary institution^ ^ for those local higher education institutions awarding Associate Degree/Higher Diploma published on iPASS: https://www.cspe.edu.hk/en/iPassProgSearch.page#	Satisfactory completion of at least one year of an Associate Degree or Higher Diploma Programme with GPA 2.0 or above	Attained
c) Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE)	Grade E or above in three A-Level subjects; or Grade E or above in two A-Level subjects and Grade E or above in two AS Level subjects	Recognised English Language qualifications for admission to Bachelor's Degree Programme
d) General Certificate of Education Advanced Level Examination (GCE A-Level)	Grade E or above in three A-Level subjects; or Grade E or above in two A-Level subjects and Grade D and E or above in two AS Level subjects
e) International Advanced Level Examination (IAL)	Grade E or above in three A-Level subjects; or Grade E or above in two A-Level subjects and Grade E or above in two AS Level subjects
f) International Baccalaureate (IB)	24 points or above
g) American College Test (ACT)	A composite score of 24 or above
h) Advanced Placement (AP)	Score of 3 or above in two subjects
i) Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC)	BTEC Diploma (QCF)/BTEC Level 3 National Diploma at Grades MP or above; BTEC 90-Credit Diploma (QCF) at Grades MM or above; BTEC Subsidiary Diploma (QCF)/ BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate at Grade D or above; BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma at Grade M or above; BTEC Level 4 or above Diploma
j) Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT)	Total score of 1190 or above out of 1600 (from March 2016); or combined score of 1650 or above out of 2400 in SAT Reasoning Test (before March 2016)

(3) Recognised International Qualifications (By Country)

Country/Area	Qualification	English Language Qualification
Australia	A minimum score of 50 in Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)	Recognised English Language qualifications for admission to Bachelor's Degree Programme
Canada	A recognised high school diploma including British Columbia Certificate of Graduation (Dogwood Diploma), Ontario Secondary School Diploma, Quebec Diploma of College Studies
China	A satisfactory overall score in National Joint College Entrance Examination (JEE); or A Postsecondary Diploma (Zhuanke or Gaozhi Certificate of Graduation)
India	A minimum average score of 75% at Standard XII (Grade12) in India Senior School Certificate Examination (SSC)/Higher School Certificate (HSC)/Indian School Certificate (ISC)
Indonesia	Completion of SMA Ujian Sekolah and preferably completion of SMA Ujian Nasional
Macau	Senior Secondary School Graduate Diploma/Certificate
Malaysia	Obtaining one of the following: At least two subjects (other than language subjects) at Grade C or above in Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STMP); or At least four subjects passes and with aggregate score of 15 in Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) Senior Middle Level Completion of the Foundation Studies in Creative Arts offered by the Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (ASWARA)
New Zealand	The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 3
Philippines	Completion of Senior High School Grade 12; or Completion of the first two years of a bachelor's degree programme at a recognised university (for applicants who have not completed senior high school Grades 11 and 12)
Singapore	Diploma awarded by one of the following institutions: Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, LASALLE College of the Arts; or	Attained
Singapore	Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-level: passes in at least 2 H2 subjects and a pass in General Paper (H1) or Knowledge and Inquiry (H2); or IBCP Diploma awarded by The School of the Arts Singapore (SOTA)	Recognised English Language qualifications for admission to Bachelor's Degree Programme
Taiwan	A satisfactory score in General Scholastic Ability Test (GSAT) overall five subjects; or Completion of Year 3 (Pre-University) of the Taiwanese 7-year programmes
Thailand	Senior Secondary School Leaving Certificate (Mathayom Suksa 6 (M6))
UK (England, Wales, Northern Ireland)	Completion of secondary schooling; and Obatined one of the following: GCE A-level Examination: Grade E or above in three A-Level subjects; or GCE A-level Examination: Grade E or above in two A-Level subjects and Grade D and E or above in two AS Level subjects; or BTEC Diploma (QCF)/BTEC Level 3 National Diploma at Grades MP or above; BTEC 90-Credit Diploma (QCF) at Grades MM or above; BTEC Subsidiary Diploma (QCF)/ BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate at Grade D or above; BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma at Grade M or above; BTEC Level 4 or above Diploma
United States of America	A composite score of 24 or above in American College Test (ACT); or Grade 3 or above in two subjects in Advanced Placement (AP); or A total score of 1190 or above in Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) (from March 2016); or combined score of 1650 or above in SAT Reasoning Test (before March 2016)

Recognised English Language Qualifications for Admission to Bachelor's Degree Programmes

Examination	Grade/Score
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic Test Only	5.5 or above
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – from a testing centre recognised by the Academy*	72 or above in Internet-based Test (iBT)
Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination in English Language	Level 3 or above
Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (A-Level) in English Language	Grade E or above
Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) in English Language	Level 3 or above (taken after 2007)
National Joint College Entrance Examination (JEE /Gaokao) in English Language	A score of 100 or above in JEE English Language
International Baccalaureate (IB) in English Language	Grade 4 or above in Standard or Higher Level English Language (Syllabus A1 or A2); or Grade 4 or above in Higher Level English Language (Syllabus B); or Grade 5 or above in Standard Level English Language (Syllabus A)
General Certificate of Education Advanced Level Examination (GCE A-Level) in English Language	Grade E or above
General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (GCE O-Level) in English; or General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in English; or International General Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (IGCSE) in English	Grade C or above
Australian State or Tertiary High School Certificate Examination Grade 12 English	At least 70%
Canadian Grade 12 English	At least 70%
India Senior School Certificate Examination (SSC)/Higher School Certificate (HSC)/Indian School Certificate (ISC)	At least 70% of score in Standard XII (Grade 12) English Language
Philippine Grade 11 or 12 English	At least 70%
Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) English Language	Grade C/6C or above
Singapore Cambridge GCE O-level English Language	Grade C6 or above
Singapore IBCP Standard/Higher Level English Language	Grade 4 or above in IBCP Standard/Higher Level English Language (Syllabus A1 or A2); or Grade 4 or above in IBCP Higher Level English Language (Syllabus B); or Grade 5 or above in IBCP Standard Level English Language (Syllabus A)
Malaysia Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) Senior English Language	Grade B6 or above

The Academy reserves the right to accept language qualifications in conjunction with in-house proficiency tests.

* For details, please contact the Registry by email to aso.admission@hkapa.edu

Alternative recognised Chinese Language qualifications of HKDSE Chinese Language for admission to Bachelor's Degree Programmes (Only apply to HKDSE applicants)

Attained one of the following qualifications for HKDSE applicants who do not meet Level 3 or above in Chinese Language:

Examination

Grade/Score

General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (GCE O-Level) in Chinese Language; or
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in Chinese Language; or
International General Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (IGCSE) in Chinese First Language

Grade C or above

Applied Learning Chinese (for non-Chinese speaking students)
Not applicable to Cantonese Opera

Students have learnt Chinese Language for less than six years while receiving primary and secondary education; or
Students have learnt Chinese Language for six years or more in schools, but have been taught an adapted and simpler curriculum not normally applicable to the majority of students in local schools.

Attained

Advanced Diploma Programme

The applicant shall have obtained the following:

(1) A diploma awarded by the Academy, including the attainment of relevant GPA scores; or an equivalent qualification deemed acceptable by the Academy.

(2) Other acceptable qualifications

Attained one of the following qualifications:

Associate Degree/Higher Diploma from a recognised post-secondary institution or Bachelor's Degree level study; or
Zhuanke Diploma from Mainland China postsecondary institutions and relevant work and professional experience; or
Gaozhi Diploma from Mainland China postsecondary institutions and relevant work and professional experience; or
Full time career performer with 5 years or above of performing experience.

1-Year Diploma Programmes*

* Offer of the Diploma in Cantonese Opera Foundations in 2020/2021 is subject to approval by the Academic Board upon successful accreditation by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications.

The admission requirements comprise the General Admission Requirements (GAR) and School-based Requirements.

General Admission Requirements (GAR)

(1) Attained in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination

Level 2 or above in English Language^# and Chinese Language^#; and
Level 2 or above in any other three subjects (Attained in one Applied Learning subject can be counted towards fulfilling one HKDSE subject requirement)

(2) Other Acceptable Qualifications

Diploma Yijin

^# Attained one of the following qualifications for applicants who do not meet the English Language and/or Chinese Language requirements:

Alternative Recognised English Language Qualifications

Examination	Grade/Score
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic Test Only	5.0 or above
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – from a testing centre recognised by the Academy*	46 or above in Internet-based Test (iBT)
Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) in English Language	Level 2 or above (taken after 2007)
General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (GCE O-Level) in English; or General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in English; or International General Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (IGCSE) in English	Grade D or above

* For details, please contact the Registry by email to aso.admission@hkapa.edu

Alternative Recognised Chinese Language Qualifications

Examination	Grade/Score
General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (GCE O-Level) in Chinese Language; or General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in Chinese Language; or International General Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (IGCSE) in Chinese First Language	Grade C or above
Applied Learning Chinese (for non-Chinese speaking students) Students have learnt Chinese Language for less than six years while receiving primary and secondary education; or Students have learnt Chinese Language for six years or more in schools, but have been taught an adapted and simpler curriculum not normally applicable to the majority of students in local schools.	Attained

School-based Requirements

Each School specifies its admission requirements which are discipline specific. Nonetheless, the applicants all fall under a common admission framework as follows:

(1) All applicants applying to the programmes of respective Schools will be subject to the same admission selection process and assessment criteria for determination of the competency level.

(2) Admission selection comprises a process of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) with verification through Audition/Interview/Portfolio Presentation.

Certificate in Theatre and Entertainment Arts (Fast Track Vocational)

Applicants should have completed secondary school education and also show a genuine passion, interest and desire to work in theatre, the entertainment arts, preferably in one of the specialist areas offered. Acceptance is based on an interview and review of portfolio work where applicable.