Application Procedures
Step 1 – Prepare Application Materials
Applicants are required to upload scanned copies of the following supporting documents to the Online Application System. No need to send the hardcopies documents by post during the application stage.
- Applicants in Hong Kong: Hong Kong ID Card
- Applicants from Mainland China: Mainland ID Card/Passport
- Other applicants: Passport
CUHK qualification (Bachelor’s degree or above):
- Copies of “Student Copy Transcript” issued by CUHK (not applicable to CUHK (Shenzhen) qualifications).
- Academic reports generated from CUSIS are NOT accepted.
Other qualifications:
- Final full transcripts with degree awarded information for completed programmes.
- Latest transcript for applicants who are currently in the final year of study.
- Applicants with Associate Degree/Higher Diploma programmes or participated in exchange programme of long duration which constitutes part of your studies should provide copies of the official transcript and certificate of their studies.
- A proper letterhead and an official chop issued by the Registry or Office responsible for handling student records are accepted.
- Documents printed from the system or any other documents without a proper letterhead and an official chop are NOT accepted.
Grading scheme:
- The grading scheme should be attached with the transcript. It normally can be found at the back of the transcript or student handbook.
- If your University does not have a grading scheme, please seek assistance from the Registry to issue a certifying letter confirming that no grading scheme is adopted by your University.
Remarks:
- For graduates, please ensure that there is conferment / award date on your final full transcripts of completed programmes.
- Documents in Chinese or English version are accepted. If not, an official certified translation in English should be provided.
- The University may require applicants to provide verification reports of the qualification obtained. Applicants will be notified by the Graduate Division concerned/Graduate School separately.
- Admitted students are required to submit original copies of those official documents or final full official transcript for verification by the condition fulfilment deadline. Otherwise, they will not be allowed to register and commence studies at the University.
- Copies of certificates of academic/professional qualifications may include university certificates of graduation, examination certificates and proof of other qualifications.
- Applicants who obtained degrees from universities in Mainland China are required to provide copies of the following certificate:
- Graduation certificate (畢業證書)
- Degree certificate (學位證書)
- a valid Online Verification Report of Higher Education Qualification Certificate (教育部學歷證書電子註冊備案表) and a valid Online Verification Report of Higher Education Degree Certificate (中國高等教育學位在線驗證報告) issued by the CHESICC (學信網)
- Applicant should upload copies of any one of the documents listed on the Graduate School’s website for the fulfilment of the English Language Requirements for Admission.
Candidates applying to the following programmes need to submit the research proposal:
A Research Proposal (to be written in English) with the following contents:
Introduction:
Introduce the problems and identify two to three research questions. The introduction needs to argue for the theoretical and empirical significance of the research.
Literature Review:
Elaborate on the key concepts related to the research questions and provide clear and concrete support for the needed research. While seminal research papers need to be cited, current findings (references within the most recent three years) should be included to convince the reviewers about the timeliness of the research topic. The review also needs to succinctly map out the interconnections of the key concepts and associated challenges in the research area.
Methods:
A clear methods section on how the research questions can be answered should be articulated. This will include the presentation of the research design and rationale, participants, sampling methods, instruments and data analyses. The proposal needs to identify the possible threats to validity and reliability (or equivalent concepts for qualitative and mixed-methods research) as well as how they are to be addressed.
Length: 20 double-spaced pages inclusive of references
A Research Proposal (to be written in English or Chinese) with the following contents:
Introduction:
Introduce the problems and identify two to three research questions. The introduction needs to argue for the theoretical and empirical significance of the research.
Literature Review:
Elaborate on the key concepts related to the research questions and provide clear and concrete support for the needed research. While seminal research papers need to be cited, current findings (references within the most recent three years) should be included to convince the reviewers about the timeliness of the research topic. The review also needs to succinctly map out the interconnections of the key concepts and associated challenges in the research area.
Methods:
A clear methods section on how the research questions can be answered should be articulated. This will include the presentation of the research design and rationale, participants, sampling methods, instruments and data analyses. The proposal needs to identify the possible threats to validity and reliability (or equivalent concepts for qualitative and mixed-methods research) as well as how they are to be addressed.
Length: 15 double-spaced pages inclusive of references
Candidates applying to the following programmes need to submit the paper in Chinese or English with required contents:
- the applicant’s first and second preferences for the Specialised Stream within the Programme, along with the accompanying reason(s);
- a description of how the proposed academic pursuit will enhance the applicant’s professional capacity; and
- future career plans.
(maximum 1,000 words)
- Reasons for choosing this programme; and
- Beliefs about leading school improvement
＊Suspend admission for 2024-25 intake, admission is expected to resume for 2025-26 intake.
- The nature of work of educational psychologists in Hong Kong;
- The reasons for choosing educational psychology as a career; and
- Your personal and study plan.
(maximum 1,000 words in English)
- The applicant’s reasons for choosing the specialised area of study/the programme;
- Demonstration of a basic understanding of the specialised area of study if applying for the Programme with Specialisations/the area of study;
- A description of how the proposed academic pursuits will enhance the applicant’s professional capacity; and
- Future career plans
Applicants with degrees awarded by overseas universities by distance learning or by completing a curriculum of short duration may be required to provide assessment report from the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic & Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) on the level of qualification obtained. Applicants will be notified by the Graduate Division concerned separately.
Important Notes
- Uploaded copies of supporting documents must be complete, legible and without any masked information. Documents scanned in PDF format are highly recommended to ensure clarity of documents. The maximum size of each uploaded file is 2MB, except that the maximum size of identity document file is 1MB.
- The University may require applicants to submit additional information or documentary proof if deemed necessary. All documents submitted will not be returned. If the application is unsuccessful, all documents will be destroyed. Applicants are required to provide true, accurate and complete information in support of their applications. Any misrepresentation in the documents and information provided will result in disqualification of their applications and subsequent enrolments in the University.
Step 2 – Submit Online Application
- Submit online application before the deadlines.
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Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, applicants are strongly recommended to submit all required documents as early as possible. Insufficient information and documents will delay the review of your application.
- State the area of study wished to apply for in the “Field of study” box at Online Application System.
- Settle application fee.
Important Note
Applicants should submit the application and settle the application fee within one month. Otherwise, your application will not be reviewed until the above processes are completed.
Step 3 – Submit Confidential Recommendations
For full-time research doctoral applicants, they are required to invite at least THREE referees to complete the Confidential Recommendations Report. After successfully submitted the application, applicants can input information of the referees through the Online Application System for Postgraduate Programmes. The University will send invitations for confidential recommendations to the referees.
For applicants applying for other postgraduate programmes, the number of referees required is TWO and the same procedures as above apply.
Step 4 – Check Your Application Result
- Attend interview (if any).
- Applicants may log in to the Online Application System for Postgraduate Programmes to check their application results and download the Admission Notification.
Step 5 – Accept Offer and Fulfill Admission Condition
- Accept your admission offer online and settle the admission deposit by the payment due date. If you are admitted by more than one programme, you can only choose to study one programme. You have to decline the previous offer before accepting the new offer. Please note that the admission deposit paid is non-refundable and non-transferable.
- Download the admission notification from the Online Application System and send the required documents as specified in the admission notification by mail/by courier to the Graduate School (mailing address as below) by the condition(s) fulfilment deadline.
7/F, Yasumoto International Academic Park,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong,
Shatin, Hong Kong
- For non-local students, please follow the instructions on Graduate School website to prepare your student visa application and provide copies of entry permits, landing slips, and HKID Card (for full-time non-local students only) to the Graduate School after arriving in Hong Kong.
- For details, please refer to the steps listed on the Graduate School website.
Important Notes
- For original full official transcript together with the grading scheme, it should be sent directly to the Graduate School in a sealed envelope from the issuing university. Please quote your name, application number and admitted programme on the envelope.
- Some universities may only issue electronic official transcripts to other institutions. In that event, official electronic transcripts should be sent to the Graduate School at pgadmit@cuhk.edu.hk directly from the issuing university for fulfilling the condition.
- For original valid official score report of TOEFL (University’s institution code: 0812)/IELTS (Academic)/GMAT (Verbal), it should be sent directly from the test organization to the Graduate School (HKPFS only accepts score report of TOEFL or IELTS (Academic)).
For further enquiries, please refer to the Graduate School’s website.