Why Hong Kong
 

• Centre of the World's Action, Financially and Economically
• Great Graduate Prospects, and Gateway to China
• World Class Connectivity and Safety
• A Balance of Metropolitan and Nature
• Asia's Education Hub with English as Medium of Instruction

Why HKBU
 

• One of Asia's leading liberal arts universities
• World class sport science research and education institution
• Student-athletes friendly university 

Scheme Background
 

With the trend on more educational opportunities for Olympians, HKBU as a world class sport science research and education institution, is happy to partner with World Olympians Association, in launching the HKBU Admission Scheme for Olympians (ASO). This acts as the first-ever scheme of this kind in Hong Kong. The new scheme for Olympians targets admission of International/China Mainland Olympians to all academic undergraduate programmes offered by the University.

To align with the fundamental principles of Talented Athletes Direct Admission Scheme (TADAS), and to align with the financial support of existing scholarship programmes, ASO will uphold similar principles in that the suitability of an applicant will be assessed based on the talents and achievement of the applicant in sports, supplemented by considerations of the academic background, interests, future plans and commitment to academic studies by the applicant.

Building on the solid foundation of Elite Athletes Admission Scheme (EAAS) and TADAS, the Department of Sport, Physical Education and Health (SPEH) proposes to launch the “Admission Scheme for Olympians (ASO)” specifically for athletes who have competed at the Olympic Games, in order to recognise their sporting achievements and support their transition from elite sport to career development. ASO has the following objectives:

• To recognise the sports achievements of Olympians
• To attract world class Olympians to study in HKBU
• To support the transition of Olympians
• To promote the whole-person education of HKBU and Olympism
• To promote HKBU as a world class sport science research and education institution

This is a university-wide admission scheme in which eligible applicants, as listed below, could apply for their interested programmes through the Scheme. 

• International and China Mainland Olympians or equivalent level, both current and retired are eligible, or 
• Nominated by World Olympians Association, Champion Foundation (China) or other Olympian related organisations

• Evidence of world ranking and achievements in Olympic sport
• Academic background
• Personal statement regarding their academic interests, attitude, and future career plan
• Interview performance
• Proof of English proficiency is needed for all applicants
• Other experience

Application Deadline: 9 January 2026

Application form: https://admissions.hkbu.edu.hk/uploads/en/download/pdf/ASO_Application_Form.pdf

Please submit the completed application form to hkbu_aso@hkbu.edu.hk.

Admission Scholarship
 

Admitted Olympians will be considered for scholarships including the below benefits:

• Type or Scholarships:

a. Full Scholarship (100% tuition fee HKD190,000 + living subsidies HKD52,500)

b. Half Scholarship (50% of Full Scholarship)

• Recipients may also receive other scholarships or awards from HKBU or other donors/organisations that subsidise their academic or living expenses.
• Scholarship is renewable depends on Olympian's academic performance.

Conditions for Scholarship Renewal
 

• cGPA requirement (2.3 or above out of 4)
• Contribution to HKBU (such as U-team competition/coaching/sport promotion events)
• Act as sport ambassadors giving talks, public speeches, and sport demonstrations on campus, in schools, and community

Tailor-made Study Schedule & Learning Support

• Individualised mentoring support, academic advice, psychological counselling, and career planning
• Flexibility in study arrangement to support student-athletes' training and competition schedules
• Provision of extension of normal study period

For enquiry on the ASO, please contact Mr. Timothy CHUNG:

Email: hkbu_aso@hkbu.edu.hk 

Telephone: 3411 7764

Background
 

Over the years, it is encouraging to witness that there is an increasing number of talented athletes in the community who choose to pursue their aspirations in higher education while continuing to strive for excellence in sports achievements.

To offer our due commitment in supporting the talented athletes in the community, Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) launched the Elite Athletes Admission Scheme (EAAS) in 2016 and has since admitted more than 100 student-athletes to study programmes at undergraduate level across a wide spectrum of disciplines in Arts, Social Sciences, Business, Science, and Communication. Some shining examples are the Olympic fencing champion Mr. Cheung Ka-long, Olympic medalist Ms. Sarah Lee, the Paralympic medalist Mr. Daniel Chan, and the Asian Games medalist Ms. Joey Chan and Mr. Max Lee.

Building on the solid foundation of the EAAS, HKBU has enhanced EAAS and launched the “Talented Athletes Direct Admission Scheme” (TADAS)* (i.e. the UGC SALSA*) specifically for local talented athletes who wish to study at our University to achieve their full potentials in both sports and academic pursuit. 

* Student-Athlete Learning Support and Admission Scheme (SALSA) introduced by the University Grants Council (UGC). 
 

Objective
 

• To recognise the outstanding achievements of elite athletes in the community;
• To promote the Whole‐person Education of HKBU;
• To raise the University sport teams’ performance level;
• To provide scholarship support to Hong Kong elite athletes for studying in HKBU;
• To respond to the Government's appeal on providing opportunities and supports to elite athletes in tertiary education

This is a university‐wide admission programme in which eligible applicants, as listed below, could apply for their interested programmes (not limited to sport related programmes) through the TADAS. Local talented athletes who are applying to full-time UGC-funded undergraduate degree programmes offered by the University via JUPAS or non-JUPAS.

• Any local athletes who are eligible to officially represent Hong Kong in regional and international competitions; and
• Recognised sports ranking and achievements; and
• Nominated by sports institutions such as the Hong Kong Sports Institute or other sports associations (ideally with Elite Vote Level 3 or above in their respective sport); or
• Retired athletes of the HKSAR sport teams who have achieved outstanding results in regional and international sport competitions such as Olympic Games or Asian Games.
• Students nominated under the School Principal's Nominations Scheme (SPN) under JUPAS or the School Nominations Direct Admission Scheme (SNDAS) will not be eligible for TADAS (i.e. UGC SALSA), and vice versa. Students please apply through only one of these routes and do not make concurrent applications.

• Evidence of sports ranking and achievements
• Interview performance
• Reference / Recommendation letters of coaches and other referees such as former teachers as appropriate
• Self-statement stating applicants' interests, future plans, and the commitment to complete the academic studies
• Applicants will be individually evaluated through a holistic assessment, where academic merits may not be the major consideration. All shortlisted applicants will be interviewed and their individual suitability will be discussed by relevant staff of the university including TADAS scheme coordinators and relevant academic programme staff

Application form:  https://admissions.hkbu.edu.hk/pdf/TADAS_application_form_2026.pdf

Please submit the completed application form to butadas@hkbu.edu.hk.

Admission Scholarship for Student-athletes
 

• Student-athletes admitted via TADAS may be considered to receive scholarships of up to full or half tuition fees upon their admission.
• The Scholarship, which covers tuition fees only, is tenable for one to four years, subject to attainment of renewal requirements.
• One year of hostel accommodation will be provided during the first year of study, with accommodation for the second-year subject to availability.
• Recipients may concurrently receive other scholarships or awards from HKBU or other donors/organisations that subsidise their tuition fee provided that the total amount of "tuition‐waiver" scholarships received does not exceed the actual tuition fee paid, i.e. HKBU may adjust the amount of scholarship awarded accordingly.

Scholarship Renewal
 

Annual renewal of scholarship, if applicable, is subject to:

• Annual average GPA of 2.30 or above
• Good progress in sport training and performance
• Contributions to the Sport Leadership Programme

Tailor-made Learning Support
 

• Individualized mentoring support, academic advice, psychological counselling and career planning.
• Flexibility in study arrangement to take care of student-athletes’ training and competition schedules.
• Provision of extension of normal study period.

Sport Leadership Program (SLP)
 

• Preparing the elite athletes to promote “Teamwork” and “Healthy Living”, which are two of the seven graduate attributes of HKBU under the whole‐person education development.
• Acting as sport ambassadors, the elite athletes will be trained to give talks, public speeches, and sport demonstrations on campus, in schools, and community.

For enquiry on the TADAS, please contact Ms. Kanny Lee:

Email: kannylee@hkbu.edu.hk

Telephone: 3411 8034

The objective of HKBU Students with Exceptional Talent Direct Admission Scheme (SETDAS) is to embrace diversity in admissions and to give due recognition to applicants who are with exceptional talents which may not be fully reflected in their academic performance. In essence, SETDAS is a “programme-student matching exercise” in recognition of applicants with special talents.

The general and programme entrance requirements will be exempted for students with exceptional talents/ achievements who have been rigorously assessed and considered eligible for admissions by respective programmes.

Areas of non-academic talents recognised for SETDAS:

1)  Sports;

2)  Music;

3)  Cultural Activities (other than music, including performing arts);

4)  Creativity (including visual arts);

5)  Leadership; and

6)  Others (depends on individual programme, if any)

The following candidates are eligible to apply for Year One admission through SETDAS:

• Local Non-JUPAS applicants seeking for admission with non-DSE qualifications; or 
• Non-local Non-Mainland applicants who hold nationality* from any country participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. 

*This Scheme is intended exclusively for Non-local Non-Mainland applicants who hold nationality from any country participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. If an applicant changes their nationality after submitting their application or receiving an offer through this scheme, their application will be deemed invalid, and the offer will be withdrawn accordingly.

For 2026 entry, the following UGC-funded programmes offered by HKBU will participate in SETDAS:

# Non-local Non-Mainland applicants who hold nationality from any country participating in the Belt and Road Initiative

• Please read carefully the application and admissions requirements specified by respective programmes.
• Applicants eligible for the Scheme should express their interest in joining through the Online Application System (https://iss.hkbu.edu.hk/amsappl_nj/) and upload the necessary supporting documents (e.g. award certificate) issued or verified by high school or the respective awarding body.
• Application period for 2025 entry: 2 October 2025 - 31 May 2026

• Applicants can indicate their interest to apply for admissions via SETDAS scheme next to their programme choices. Change of programme choices after submission will not be accommodated.
• Shortlisted applicants will be invited to admission interviews/ tests/ auditions and other assessments as determined by the relevant participating programmes.
• Firm offers under SETDAS will normally be issued before the release of public examination results.

For enquiry on the SETDAS, please contact the Admissions Office of Academic Registry:

Email: ardirect@hkbu.edu.hk

Telephone: 3411 2200

The School Nominations Direct Admission Scheme (SNDAS) is introduced by the Education Bureau (EDB) with the aim of recognising the talent of local secondary students that could not be fully assessed by the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE).  The objective of SNDAS is to give due recognition to applicants who have contributed to social services or made outstanding achievements in non-academic areas or who have demonstrated leadership abilities.

To align with the spirit of the SNDAS, the University would exercise greater flexibility in considering and admitting SNDAS student nominees.

Students meeting the following criteria will be eligible for nomination under the SNDAS^Note:

(i) Local students pursuing the local secondary curriculum and taking the 2026 HKDSE Examination; and

(ii) MUST apply for admission to universities through the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) in parallel.

Note: For more details about the eligiblity for SNDAS, please refer to the EDB website.

For the 2026 entry, the following UGC-funded programmes offered by HKBU will participate in SNDAS:

Each secondary school is only allowed to submit one set of SNDAS nomination (covering a maximum of two student nominees) to the University. Changes after submission or submission after deadline will not be allowed.

The nomination form (https://admissions.hkbu.edu.hk/ug/sndas_form) can be completed by either school principal or authorised teachers. Please prepare the following information before completing the nomination form:

• Verification Pin (The PIN will be sent to secondary schools by email and mail in October 2025.)
• School Code
• School Name
• Information of School Principal
• Information of Contact Person (Authorised Teacher)
• Name(s) of the nominee(s)
• JUPAS application number(s) of the nominee(s)

Supporting documents such as school report, transcript, other qualifications, etc. of the nominee(s) are NOT required at this stage. Nominees are required to pass the supporting documents, such as school reports, transcripts, other qualifications, etc., to their respective secondary school for verification with an official school stamp or seal. Individual programmes may require the nominees to provide respective documents for verification and assessment before/during the interview which will be held between January and June 2026.

Points to Note
 

• Each local secondary school has a quota of two nominations for nominating students with exceptional talents and interests in specific disciplines / areas.
• Each student nominee can apply for admission to one designated University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded undergraduate programme participating in SNDAS.
• SNDAS nominees should place their HKBU programme choice in Band A (i.e. top 3 priority).
• School principals are also required to complete the nomination form and return to the Education Bureau for verification.

Student nominees CANNOT simultaneously apply for admission to universities via the School Principal's Nominations  Scheme (SPN) under JUPAS or the University Grants Committee's Student-Athlete Learning Support and Admission Scheme (SALSA) (i.e. HKBU Talented Athletes Direct Admission Scheme (TADAS)).

Timeline

For enquiry on the SNDAS, please contact the Admissions Office of Academic Registry:

Email: 334jupas@hkbu.edu.hk

Telephone: 3411 7352