Medicine in Hong Kong is worth considering only after you have checked more than your predicted grades. Two students with similar results may have very different options because of their science subjects, Chinese-language skills and ability to meet the full cost of the course. HKU and CUHK also have different rules. An application that works for one should not be copied into the other without checking those differences.
For international students using IB or A levels, the relevant routes sit outside the local HKDSE JUPAS system. Your qualification and local or non-local status both matter. Start by establishing the correct application category, then compare the requirements of HKU's Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and CUHK's Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB).
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What academic requirements should you plan around?
HKU's current MBBS admissions guidance lists an expected minimum of IB 43 or four A* grades at GCE A-level/IAL. Biology or Chemistry at high-school level is required. HKU also states that MBBS is considered as a first choice only. These are starting conditions for planning, not a prediction of admission.
CUHK's Non-JUPAS medicine requirements give a minimum final IB score of 42/45 with Higher Level grades of at least 6, 7 and 7. Either Chemistry or Biology should be at HL; taking both is recommended. Its A-level guidance asks for four subjects, excluding Chinese and EPQ, with Biology or Chemistry and preferably both. Unlike HKU's treatment, CUHK does not count Further Mathematics as a separate subject.
This makes subject planning important well before you write an essay. A student taking Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Chemistry and one other A level should not assume that both medical schools will count the same four subjects. For IB, the total score and the HL combination need to be considered together. A high predicted total does not remove a subject requirement.
We recommend checking your actual subject list against each programme, including any exclusions, before treating it as a realistic choice. Meridian's Singapore and Hong Kong entry-requirements resource can help organise the comparison, alongside the medical schools' current guidance.
Can you apply if you do not speak Chinese?
HKU requires a working knowledge of Chinese at admission. Its guidance accepts Cantonese or Mandarin for the Chinese part of the interview, but expects students to develop effective Cantonese for patient communication. Planning to start learning Chinese after admission does not meet its entry requirement.
CUHK's medicine FAQ takes a different approach: Chinese/Cantonese proficiency does not affect the applicant's admission chances, and a Chinese-language waiver for Non-JUPAS applicants can be granted at the Faculty Dean's discretion. It also explains that students need to learn Cantonese during medical education and that language support is available.
For a student who speaks no Chinese, that distinction can change the shortlist. For a Mandarin speaker, it changes the preparation: being able to interview in Mandarin and being able to communicate with Cantonese-speaking patients are different things. We recommend assessing your present ability honestly and asking the faculty about any uncertain aspect of your circumstances. An English-language curriculum does not settle the question of clinical communication.
Is UCAT required for 2027 entry?
HKU currently makes UCAT optional for 2027/28 Non-JUPAS entry and says applicants without it will not be disadvantaged. Its published guidance requires UCAT for 2028/29 Non-JUPAS entry. Applicants planning a later intake therefore need to build test preparation and registration into their timetable.
CUHK's FAQ says UCAT and the other listed medical entrance tests are not mandatory for MBChB, although applicants may provide relevant results as supporting evidence. An optional test is not an admission guarantee, and one university's policy should not be extended to the other.
If you already hold a test result from applications elsewhere, check how the Hong Kong programme accepts it. If you are choosing whether to sit a test solely for Hong Kong, establish the intake rule first. Students applying in several countries should coordinate the requirements rather than assume that one test booking covers every medical school.
What are the interviews like?
HKU's published 2027/28 format combines an individual interview in English and Chinese with a group interview in English. Its central international interview schedule lists MBBS dates in December 2026, March, July and August 2027. An advertised round is not an invitation to attend: the faculty contacts shortlisted applicants.
CUHK's medicine interview page describes an individual English-language interview lasting about 15 minutes with two panel members. It lists Non-JUPAS sessions on 18/19 December 2026, 1 April, 11 June and 27 July 2027. Interviews are normally in person; virtual arrangements are not guaranteed.
Prepare for the format you may actually face. For an individual interview, practise explaining your reasoning and responding to follow-up questions. For a group discussion, practise listening, building on another person's point and disagreeing respectfully. Dominating the discussion is different from contributing usefully.
Medical motivation should rest on an informed understanding of the work. You might reflect on what a volunteering role taught you about communication or how reading about a healthcare issue changed your view. Do not invent patient contact or describe confidential information to make an answer more impressive. Useful preparation develops judgement and clarity rather than a collection of memorised speeches.
How should you organise the written application?
HKU's international application timetable gives noon Hong Kong time on 25 November 2026 for first-round evaluation, with a separate 1 December date for predicted/actual grades and supporting submissions. It warns that faculties can have their own document timelines. Put the medical school's instructions alongside the central dates; the general application closing date is not a reason to postpone a medicine application.
At CUHK, distinguish the medicine statement from material for other programme choices. The central international-admissions FAQ specifies one statement of no more than 6,000 characters and a separate 250-word statement for Medicine. Prepare the two pieces for their different purposes, following the current form's instructions rather than a limit taken from another applicant category.
A short medicine statement needs selection, not compression of every activity. Explain why medicine interests you, then develop the evidence that best supports that interest. Our Hong Kong application-essay guide discusses how to connect experience with programme choice. Use it for preparation, while following your current medical application's specific prompt.
Can your family fund the full course?
HKU's 2027/28 fee schedule lists annual MBBS tuition of HK$590,000 for non-local students and local students ineligible for government-subsidised tuition. MBBS has its own rate; the university's general STEM fee should not be substituted for it.
That figure deserves an early family discussion. Multiplying HK$590,000 by six gives HK$3.54 million in tuition if the annual rate stayed unchanged throughout a six-year course. This is an illustration, not a six-year fee guarantee. Housing, food, travel and possible fee changes would be additional.
Assess CUHK separately using the fee quotation for your intake and status. Do not assume that two Hong Kong medical degrees have the same cost, or subtract an unconfirmed scholarship from the budget. Also consider where you hope to practise after graduation and seek the relevant regulator's guidance on recognition and subsequent training. University admission alone does not answer those professional questions.
Deciding whether to apply
Build your comparison around subject eligibility, language, the intake's test rule, interview arrangements and confirmed affordability. If a major condition cannot be met, resolve it before spending months on the application. Keep other suitable options while competitive medical applications are being assessed; a biomedical science course should be chosen for its own content rather than assumed to guarantee a later medicine transfer.
Meridian Education supports students with university selection, academic planning, essays and interview preparation. Contact Meridian for a consultation if you would like help assessing whether Hong Kong medicine fits your qualifications, language background and wider application plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. The score is only part of selection. Subject requirements, the rest of the application and interview performance still matter.
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Their entry policies differ, as explained above. Check your language background against the particular faculty’s policy before deciding to apply.
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No. HKU has published a change for 2028/29. Confirm the rule for your intended entry year rather than the year in which you begin researching.
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You can draw on the same genuine experiences, but prepare for each format and respond to the question asked. A rehearsed answer that ignores a follow-up will not show your reasoning well.