Mainland Gaokao Direct Admission: Early Admission Batch · Code 81002 · English Threshold of 120

Module: 02 Admissions · Sub-file: Mainland Gaokao Direct Admission Route Last updated: 20 June 2026 This article focuses on The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK, Shatin main campus) and does not cover CUHK's independently run and separately admitted branch, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen). Admission data changes rapidly; all figures are labelled with their year of reference. Always defer to the latest official announcements.

In one sentence: Since 1998, CUHK (Shatin main campus) has recruited mainland undergraduate students independently through the early admission batch of the national gaokao. Its national institutional code is 81002^※. In 2025 the planned intake was approximately 400 students^※ (across all 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions), with a minimum English score of 120^※ (out of 150). Admission is based purely on gaokao scores (excluding bonus points), by merit across four broad categories — Humanities, Science, Engineering and Business — with no written test or interview at any stage. To date, over 6,700 mainland undergraduates^※ have entered CUHK through this route.

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# CUHK Shatin and CUHK-Shenzhen: are they entirely separate tracks?

The most common confusion about CUHK's mainland admissions concerns the distinction between the main campus and the Shenzhen branch. The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen was established as an independent institution in Shenzhen in 2014 with approval from the Ministry of Education. It is a separate legal entity registered in mainland China under the Regulations on Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education, and it recruits through the regular (non-early) batch of the mainland gaokao. Its institutional code, tuition fees and degree certificates all operate on a separate system. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shatin main campus), by contrast, is listed by the Ministry of Education in the early admission batch under national institutional code 81002. It awards Hong Kong degrees recognised under the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (HKQF). The two institutions are completely independent in terms of admissions channel, batch, scholarship policy and degree structure — every figure in this article refers to the Shatin main campus.

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# What does admission code 81002 mean, and where do I find it when applying?

81002 is the national unified-recruitment institutional code approved by the Ministry of Education for CUHK (Shatin main campus), and it has remained unchanged since the University was first included in the early admission batch of the mainland gaokao system. According to CUHK's official simplified-Chinese undergraduate admissions website^※, mainland applicants do not need to submit any application materials directly to CUHK. After gaokao results are released, candidates simply search for "The Chinese University of Hong Kong" or code "81002" in the early-admission-batch preference form, within the time window set by their provincial examination authority, and select the relevant academic category (see below). CUHK does not accept late applications outside the early-admission-batch window. The University's official admissions WeChat public account is also named after this code (cuhk81002), making it easy for candidates to verify official information sources.

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# How does the early admission batch work? Does it affect first-choice-batch applications?

CUHK's mainland recruitment is listed by the Ministry of Education in the early admission batch^※ (referred to generically as the "early batch" / 提前批 by provincial examination authorities), with file transfer and admission completed before the regular undergraduate batch. Being admitted — or not — in the early batch does not affect a candidate's subsequent filling-in of preferences or admission in the regular undergraduate batch. Even if a candidate is not admitted to CUHK in the early batch, no regular-batch preference slots are consumed.

The file-transfer mechanism differs by province:

According to CUHK's admissions office, which model applies in a given province is set out in that year's official Guide to Filling in Preferences (《志愿填报指南》) issued by the provincial examination authority. CUHK does not participate in supplementary preference rounds^※ (i.e. it does not accept candidates who missed the initial cut-off and are seeking top-up places). Admission is by merit based on gaokao scores (excluding any policy-based bonus points); there is no written test, no interview, and no score differential between programme preferences. Successful candidates are allocated by category, and choose their specific programme after enrolment.

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# The English threshold of 120: why a separate requirement for English?

English is the primary medium of instruction in Hong Kong. The overwhelming majority of CUHK undergraduate programmes are taught in English, especially in medicine, engineering and business. To ensure mainland students have the English foundation needed for their studies, CUHK's admissions office stipulates^※ that mainland gaokao applicants must score at least 120 (out of 150) in the English subject to be considered for file transfer — a higher bar than the threshold for the regular undergraduate batch. Scholarship applications demand even more: all three categories of entrance scholarship require an English score of 130^※ or above.

Mainland applicants therefore face two English thresholds:

CUHK's admissions office further explains that where overall gaokao totals are tied, preference is given to candidates with the higher English score. In effect, the English score serves a dual role: an eligibility threshold and a tie-breaker for ranking.

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# How do the category-based admissions work? Which faculties and programmes do the four categories cover?

In 2025 CUHK adopted a category-based admissions model^※ for mainland recruitment, consolidating around 80 undergraduate programmes across the University's eight faculties into four broad admission categories. Candidates apply by category rather than by specific programme:

Three new programmes were added to the mainland intake for the first time in 2025: Public Humanities, Exercise Science and Health Research, and Materials Science and Engineering^※. After enrolment, students select their Major from within their category during their first or second year, following the procedures set by each faculty. For the rules on major selection and the full list of programmes by faculty, see programme-catalogue.md in the same directory.

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# 2025 intake size: around 400 places — which provinces are covered?

According to the official CUHK admission plan published by Sunshine College Entrance Examination (Yangguang Gaokao / CHSI) in May 2025^※, CUHK's planned mainland undergraduate intake for 2025 is approximately 406 students, covering all 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. The quota for each province is published uniformly by that province's examination authority. This scale is broadly level with 2024 (approximately 400–413), and reflects the stable post-expansion plateau: according to China Education Online's June 2024 report^※, following a policy adjustment by the HKSAR government, CUHK increased its planned mainland intake for 2024 by around 100 places to approximately 400.

Provincial quotas for each year are determined by the provincial examination authorities; CUHK does not publish its own breakdown by province. Provincial quotas can be checked through the provincial admissions platform before gaokao results are released.

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# What range have historical admission cut-off scores been in?

The early admission batch has no uniform cut-off score; the actual file-transfer score in any given year is determined by competition among candidates in each province. The table below summarises 2024 minimum file-transfer scores and corresponding provincial ranks for CUHK (Shatin main campus) in representative provinces (sources: Daxue Jiayou's 2024 admission data compilation^※ and Beijing Gaokao Online's 2024 cut-off score round-up^※):

Note: The figures above are 2024 minimum file-transfer scores (basis: provincial examination authority announcements or media compilations; the official year-end data is authoritative). Because examination papers differ in difficulty and candidate composition between provinces, cut-off scores cannot be compared horizontally across provinces; a lower History-track score than Science-track in a given province in a given year does not mean easier admission (refer to the corresponding provincial rank). Official 2025 cut-off scores will be published after admission concludes for that year.

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# When did CUHK start admitting mainland gaokao students, and how many has it admitted in total?

According to CUHK's official simplified-Chinese undergraduate admissions website (admission notes page)^※, CUHK began admitting mainland undergraduates in 1998, making it one of the first comprehensive research universities in Hong Kong to systematically recruit mainland students through the gaokao unified-admission channel. After nearly three decades, the latest figures on the official website show that over 6,700 mainland students have studied undergraduate programmes at CUHK (an enrolment-based total, not a cumulative count of all graduates over the years).

Note: the official figures cited at different points in time vary: China Education Online's June 2024 edition^※ states "nearly 6,000 admitted", while the November 2025 admission plan^※ states "over 6,300 admitted". The number rises with each annual update; this article follows the most recent figure on CUHK's official admissions page, "over 6,700".

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# How are scholarships allocated, and what are the thresholds?

CUHK offers three categories of entrance scholarship for mainland gaokao applicants. No separate application is required — they are assessed automatically on the basis of file-transfer score and English score. According to the Sunshine Gaokao admission plan release (2025)^※ and China Education Online's compilation (2025 edition)^※:

A separate "Multi-Dimensional Excellence Scholarship" (多元卓越优才奖学金) is also available: applicants who won a first prize or gold award in a national competition (final round) during senior secondary school may receive an additional HK$50,000 after enrolment. For conditions for continued receipt of scholarships and detailed rules, see tuition-and-scholarships.md in the same directory.

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# How are mainland gaokao applicants with "local student" status handled?

Some mainland gaokao candidates hold Hong Kong resident status (for example, holders of one-way permits, or dependants under the Quality Migrant / Top Talent admission schemes who were under 18 when first approved). They must still submit their preferences through the early admission batch of the mainland examination system — in other words, their identity is that of a Hong Kong local resident, but their admissions channel remains the mainland gaokao unified-recruitment route. If admitted, such students are charged tuition and accommodation at the local student rate (far lower than the non-local rate), in line with CUHK's admissions guidelines. If their identity status changes during their studies, they must notify the University promptly.

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# What are the key differences from the JUPAS track?

The mainland gaokao unified-recruitment route and Hong Kong's JUPAS track are two entirely independent mechanisms, with no overlap in places. Key differences are set out below:

Mainland-registered students holding overseas qualifications such as IB or GCE A-Level who have not sat the gaokao typically apply through CUHK's international admissions or non-JUPAS channel; the unified-recruitment mechanism does not apply to them. See Section 4 of undergraduate-admissions.md in the same directory.

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# Contact information and official channels

• Official website (simplified Chinese): https://admission.cuhk.edu.hk/sc/application/mainland-gaokao/
• WeChat public account: CUHK Undergraduate Admissions Office (香港中文大学本科入学处; account ID: cuhk81002)
• Email: [email protected]
• Hong Kong hotline: (00852) 3943 8946
• Mainland hotline: 13068-470068 / 13068-470069

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# Data reliability and known gaps

• Hard data (taken directly from official sources): institutional code 81002; English threshold of 120/130; approximately 400 places; 31-province coverage; four admission categories; three scholarship tiers and amounts (HK$66,000 / top 10 / top 50 / top 0.5%); first intake in 1998; over 6,700 current students — all drawn from CUHK's official admissions website or official admission plans relayed via Sunshine Gaokao / China Education Online.
• Media-compiled data: the 2024 provincial minimum file-transfer scores are taken from university-information platforms such as Daxue Jiayou and Beijing Gaokao Online; the official provincial examination authority announcements remain the final authority.
• Not yet confirmed: the precise annual breakdown of places by province (published only via provincial examination authority platforms, not separately by CUHK); historical admission score percentiles by category (not centrally published by the University); the specific number of places in CUHK-Shenzhen / CUHK Shatin joint-programme arrangements. These gaps are flagged in the main text above; no speculative figures are offered.

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