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HKDSE - Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education

HKDSE - Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education
The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examination is administered by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. Most candidates take four core subjects (Chinese and English languages, mathematics and liberal studies) and two or three elective subjects.
Illustration: Brian Wang
Education in Hong Kong

Opinion | 3 easy wins to modernise Hong Kong’s education system

Reform must address AI-disrupted assessment, expand global learning in the curriculum, and offer alternative pathways beyond the DSE.

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Education in Hong Kong

Elite Hong Kong schools urged to raise the bar, challenge high-ability students

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Education in Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s Diocesan Boys’ School to become first to offer 3 university pathways

Education in Hong Kong

Hong Kong to revamp senior secondary science and maths curriculum from 2029-30

Authorities aim to encourage more students to take science subjects at the senior secondary level.

Students get some hands-on experience at the 59th Joint School Science Exhibition earlier this month. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Mainland China

Record non-DSE admissions to Hong Kong’s universities spark calls for quotas

Number of non-DSE students in Hong Kong public universities surges 63 per cent, while local exam-takers fall to 72 per cent of intake.

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Education in Hong Kong

Over 60% of students get better outcomes after seeking university admission review

Jupas office says it received 453 requests for reconsideration following review of university entrance exam results.

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Education in Hong Kong

How to help more non-Chinese-speaking students reach university in Hong Kong

Admission rate for NCS students sitting university entrance exam has remained persistently low over past five academic years.

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About 40 per cent of day school candidates meet the general entry requirements for undergraduate courses. Photo: Karma Lo
Education in Hong Kong

Exam body defends denying unwell DSE candidate access to lift before assessment

Private DSE candidate with history of anxiety alleges invigilator shouted at him during break between exams at Caritas St Joseph Secondary School.

Education in Hong Kong

34% of Hong Kong students win university, diploma spots under admissions system

Jupas office also notes total number of applicants increased by about 5.3 per cent year on year to 45,545.

Education in Hong Kong

DSE exam takers in mainland China face 220% jump in registration fee to HK$8,000

Hong Kong exam body says fee increase will support ‘sustainable and effective operation’ as three-year pilot scheme ends.

The offices of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. Photo: May Tse
Education in Hong Kong

DSE graduates can gain from gap year experience before university, experts say

Universities increasingly look beyond applicants’ grades, while students can benefit from ‘holistic’ experience outside the classroom.

Students at Hong Kong’s Munsang College take the DSE exams in April 2026. Photo: SCMP
Education in Hong Kong

Where can DSE students turn if they don’t get into a public university?

The SCMP looks at the options for DSE students whose exam results fall short of university entry requirements.

Hong Kong

Mainland schools for Hong Kong pupils beat city average in university entrance exams

Shenzhen’s Pui Kiu College reports 87 per cent pass rate, while ASJNU in Guangzhou says its rate was 71 per cent, compared with 42.7 per cent for Hong Kong.

Education in Hong Kong

DSE exam success: Hong Kong’s top scorers share their revision secrets

High achievers explain how Pomodoro timers, ‘mistake booklets’ and selective AI use helped them ace their papers.

Soniya Tong, a “super top scorer” from Ying Wa Girls’ College, says she carefully kept track of her mistakes while studying. Photo: May Tse
Education in Hong Kong

Editorial | Top scorers deserve praise, but DSE is not the only mark of success

As new technology reshapes the nature of work and academia, pathways to a bright future are no longer as narrow as they once were.

A mother and daughter attend an event organised by a Hong Kong mall to cheer on students receiving their Diploma of Secondary Education exam results this year, on July 14, a day before results release day. Photo: Sam Tsang
Education in Hong Kong

DSE candidates overcome physical challenges to achieve hard-earned results

Tam Chun-yu, who has cerebral palsy, typed his answers with one finger while Liu Pong-faat has difficulty writing but completed his exams.

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Education in Hong Kong

How ethnic minority students overcame language barriers to score high on DSE exams

Pupils say their hard-won success came after years of struggling to learn in foreign language.

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Education in Hong Kong

Nearly blind student among Hong Kong’s top DSE scorers who plan careers giving back

Students inspired to pursue life in law or medicine, including Aiden Cheng, who has just 10 per cent of his vision left.

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DSE top scorer Aiden Cheng at Wah Yan College, Hong Kong. Born with a congenital eye condition, the 17-year-old struggles to read words at a distance without tools or walking up close. Photo: Karma Lo

Video | ‘You can always find a path’: says DSE student with cerebral palsy

19-year-old Chang Hoi-kiu passed all subjects in this year’s DSE exam and achieved the requirement for an Associate’s Degree.

Education in Hong Kong

Record 24 students ace DSE, but weaker language scores shrink admission pool

Fourteen boys and 10 girls achieve Level 5** in six subjects, but proportion of day-school candidates meeting university threshold falls.

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Education in Hong Kong

Letters | Hong Kong must resist turning DSE results day into a public spectacle

Readers discuss how schools’ promotional activities could affect student well-being, Hong Kong’s economic prospects, and the basis for Japan-Malaysia cooperation.

Students wait to receive their DSE results in 2019. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
Education in Hong Kong

AI and economy fuel stress for 40% of DSE candidates: Hong Kong youth group poll

Nearly half of students also unaware of universities of applied sciences as group urges government to boost awareness of vocational paths.

Students sit the Diploma of Secondary Education exams in April. This year, 58,576 candidates sat the DSE exams, up by nearly 5 per cent from last year. Photo: Handout
Education in Hong Kong

DSE citizenship exam tests students on social awareness and national principles

‘One country, two systems’ policy featured prominently in revamped paper, which required students to draw on ‘own knowledge’ and analysis.

Education in Hong Kong

Bubble tea and YouTube topics please Hong Kong DSE exam takers, as poems add twist

Students and teachers praise English exam’s relatable themes despite poetry inclusion, but tutors warn an ‘easier’ paper may mean tougher scoring.

Education in Hong Kong

Hong Kong to establish global version of university entrance exam on pilot basis

Test will allow foreign students to apply for admission to both local and mainland Chinese higher education institutions.

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According to education authorities, more than 2,100 non-local higher education institutions have listed their general admission requirements based on DSE results. Photo: Handout
Education in Hong Kong

Opinion | Hong Kong should offer an international DSE to boost education hub goal

Growing mainland demand and a falling local birth rate add to the need for a unified, secure and globally accessible DSE pathway.

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Students at TICC Cunzhi Academy, a private school in Shanghai that offers the DSE curriculum and charges 136,000 yuan (HK$150,000) a year, are seen on August 10. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong society

Editorial | Both traditional and simplified Chinese have value for Hong Kong

While learning simplified characters will benefit local students, traditional Chinese characters are still essential regardless of a student’s background.

Education in Hong Kong

Letters | Hong Kong’s AI education quest needs human connection to succeed

Readers discuss the importance of emotional and social learning, a suggestion to internationalise Hong Kong’s university entrance exam, and a way to encourage more Chinese to get married.

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