⚠️ The scoring data on this page is historical reference from past years — not an official real-time scoring method, and not indicative of this year's or future admission requirements. Actual requirements (best 5 vs best 6 subjects, subject weighting) vary by programme; always check JUPAS and each university's latest published criteria.
University placement reference (Best-5 score bands)
Rough score bands summarized from past JUPAS admission data (best-5 conversion points), matched live against your total above. Preliminary reference only — individual programmes have subject requirements and weighting; check the official links above.
| Best-5 band | Institution tier (QS 2026 world ranking ref.) | Typical placement |
|---|
HKDSE grade to standard score table
| Grade | JUPAS conversion points |
|---|
Official score lookups (which score gets into which university)
These link directly to universities' and JUPAS's own published historical admission scores — not reproduced figures, so they stay accurate and current at the source.
Individual programme examples (cited facts, with sources)
⚠️ Each university uses its own weighting formula (e.g. HKUST uses 'best 5 subjects + 6th-subject bonus', PolyU uses a separate 'Reference Average'), so these are not directly comparable to the generic JUPAS conversion score from the calculator above. Figures below are 2025-entry reference data only — not this year's or future requirements. Verify against the source links.
| University | Programme | Median | Lower Quartile | Source |
|---|
- Rough JUPAS score estimation before subject selection
- Comparing totals across subject combinations
- Teaching the grading system in schools or tutoring centres
How DSE grades become JUPAS points
The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education reports results as levels rather than marks. JUPAS converts those levels into a numeric score so that programmes can rank applicants:
| DSE level | JUPAS points |
|---|---|
| 5** | 7 |
| 5* | 6 |
| 5 | 5 |
| 4 | 4 |
| 3 | 3 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 1 | 1 |
| U | 0 |
The calculator above totals your best n subjects on this scale, defaulting to the best five — the most commonly quoted basis for comparison.
The best-five total is a comparison convention, not an admission formula. Individual programmes apply their own weightings: many weight a required subject at 2×, some count best six, some add bonus points for 5* and 5** beyond the linear scale, and several apply subject-specific minimums that a high total cannot compensate for. The number this page produces is for orientation. The programme's own published formula is what decides your application.
Minimum eligibility comes before any of this
Before scores matter at all, JUPAS degree programmes require the "332A33" pattern: level 3 in Chinese Language, level 3 in English Language, level 2 in Mathematics, attainment in Citizenship and Social Development, and level 3 in two elective subjects. Requirements are periodically revised, so confirm the current pattern on the JUPAS site.
This is a gate, not a score. An applicant with a high total who misses level 3 in English is not competing on points — they are ineligible for that programme regardless of the total.
Worked example
An applicant gets 5** in Mathematics, 5* in Physics, 5 in Chemistry, 4 in English and 4 in Chinese.
Best five: 7 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 4 = 26 points. That total is historically in the range where competitive programmes at HKU, CUHK and HKUST become realistic.
But if they are applying to a programme that double-weights Mathematics, their effective total is 7 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 4 computed on that programme's own rules — a different, higher figure. And if the programme requires level 4 in English, they meet it; if it requires level 5, they do not, and the 26 is irrelevant.
What the placement bands mean
The band table in the calculator gives approximate historical ranges: roughly 17+ for UGC-funded programmes to become reachable, 21+ for general PolyU and CityU programmes, 24+ for general HKU, CUHK and HKUST programmes, 28+ for their popular programmes, and 33+ for Medicine or Law.
These are synthesised from public sources and are not official. They shift every year with cohort size, paper difficulty and programme popularity. They are useful for answering "am I in roughly the right territory?" and useless for answering "will I get in?".
The per-programme examples are different
Separately from the bands, the calculator lists a small number of specific programmes with their published median and lower-quartile admission scores. These are individually verified against the university's own published statistics, and each row carries a link to the source document.
That list is deliberately short. Where two sources disagreed on a figure, the entry was dropped rather than guessed — a few verifiable rows are more useful than a long table of numbers you cannot check. The median is the more informative of the two figures: the lower quartile tells you where the bottom of the admitted cohort sat, which is not the same as the threshold for admission.
Common mistakes
- Comparing your total against last year's median and assuming you are safe. Medians move, and the median is the middle of the admitted group — half of those admitted scored below it, half above.
- Ignoring the weighting. A programme that double-weights two subjects can rank two applicants with identical best-five totals very differently.
- Treating Band A choices as free. JUPAS band placement affects how programmes consider you, and many explicitly favour Band A applicants. Ordering matters as much as the score.
- Forgetting non-JUPAS routes. Associate degree and higher diploma articulation, and direct application with international qualifications, follow different rules entirely.
Check the official sources
Nothing on this page substitutes for the primary sources. Before making decisions:
- JUPAS — minimum requirements, programme list, and the application timetable.
- Each university's admissions office publishes its own score formula and prior-year admission statistics; these are the figures programmes actually use.
- HKEAA — the examinations authority, for level descriptors and results statistics.
The underlying arithmetic on this page — turning a score into a percentile or a standardised position — is explained on the normal distribution page. This site is not affiliated with JUPAS, the HKEAA or any university.