The University of Birmingham extends a warm welcome to students from Hong Kong. We currently have 206 students from Hong Kong following a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
Entry requirements
Scholarships
University of Birmingham programmes taught in Hong Kong
Visits to Hong Kong
Student life at Birmingham
Birmingham alumni activities in Hong Kong
Contact us
Representatives in your country
Entry requirements
The following information is for guidance only and should be used together with the University's general entrance requirements and any specific degree programme requirements.
Please note: If you have taken exams which are from another country's national education system (eg the Arbitur from Germany or SAT and AP exams from the USA) you should consult the country specific section for that country for qualification equivalence information. If you are unsure about the acceptability of your qualifications for entry to Birmingham please contact us for further details.
HKDSE Requirements
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Level
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Entry requirements
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Foundation
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For entry to the BFA, we require the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE), with grades of 3 in at least 3 subjects (excluding Chinese and Liberal Studies), including at least 2 elective subjects. To include grade 4 in Maths for the Engineering and Physical Sciences pathway (eg 4 (Maths) 33 overall).
Note: This is the only qualification that we will accept for entry to both Year 1 and the BFA.
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Undergraduate
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We will consider holders of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) for entry to our undergraduate programmes with the grade equivalencies shown below (excluding Chinese and Liberal Studies).
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A-Level
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HKDSE
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A*AA
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5*,5,5
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AAA
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5,5,5
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AAB
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5,5,4
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ABB
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5,4,4
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BBB
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4,4,4
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Applicants for programmes with subject specific requirements will need to offer these as normal (please note that combined or integrated science will not normally be acceptable where a stated science is required i.e. Biology or Chemistry). Programmes requiring Mathematics as a specified subject will require both the Compulsory and Extended parts.
Higher level Diplomas and Associate Degrees can be considered for year one entry. A typical requirement would be an average grade of B (70-79%) or a GPA of 3.0 out of 4.0 in a relevant subject.
Holders of Higher Diplomas with a good performance (at least B+ or GPA 3.2 above) will be considered for entry to year 2 of relevant undergraduate degree programmes within Engineering and Computer Science.
Holders of the HKU SPACE Associate Degree programme with an good performance (at least B+ or GPA 3.2 above) throughout their studies may be considered for entry to year 2 of relevant undergraduate degree programmes.
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Postgraduate
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The Hong Kong Bachelor degree is considered comparable to British Bachelor degree standard. Students with bachelor degrees awarded by universities in Hong Kong may be considered for entry to one of our postgraduate degree programmes.
Students with Master’s degrees may be considered for PhD study.
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English Language
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Please note that we are currently assessing HKDSE's English in view of accepting it as substitute for IELTS/TOEFL/Pearson for 2013 entry, but before it has been confirmed an additional English test (IELTS/TOEFL/Pearson) is still required.
See the English language page for specific programme requirements.
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Scholarships
The University of Birmingham offers a range of part-fee scholarships for international students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Partial scholarships available to students from Hong Kong include the Chan Tat Chee Undergraduate Award and the University of Birmingham Postgraduate Scholarships.
Hong Kong Postgraduate Scholarship
The University of Birmingham is delighted to offer the Hong Kong Postgraduate Scholarship. This year, the award is worth up to £15,000 towards the cost of tuition fees for a 1 year Masters course in any subject area.
For full information on all of our central awards and details on how to apply, please see the Scholarships section.
As well as the centrally awarded scholarships, each of the Colleges can offer awards specific to its students and subjects. It is recommended that you contact the department that you intend to study in for information on thier current awards.
University of Birmingham programmes taught in Hong Kong
The University of Birmingham now offers its Part-time Executive MBA programme in Hong Kong, in partnership with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Teaching is to the same syllabus as the corresponding Birmingham MBA programme and by the same University of Birmingham staff.
For further information please visit www.business.bham.ac.uk/postgraduate/mba/int_business/global.shtml
Visits to Hong Kong
Staff from the University of Birmingham visit different countries throughout the year to meet with students, schools and universities. For full details of visits, please see the Meet us in your country section.
Student life at Birmingham
There is a thriving student community at Birmingham and we very much look forward to you being part of it. To hear what student life is like for our students, have a look at what our students say. Also, if you are unable to travel to campus yourself, visit our You Tube Channel to watch films of our beautiful campus.
Student societies
Many nationality groups form student societies during their time at the University of Birmingham. Far Eastern ConneXions Society (also known as FECX) has members from a variety of different Far Eastern countries such as China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and many more. A large majority of the FECX committee is made up of international students from Hong Kong.
This is an excellent way to keep in contact with home and also provides an opportunity to highlight your culture and customs in the UK. Student societies are also a useful point of contact for prospective students to Birmingham who may want to contact current students for information.
For a full list of student societies please visit the Birmingham Guild of Students website at www.guildofstudents.com.
Birmingham alumni activities in Hong Kong
The University of Birmingham has many strong alumni groups all over the world. Alumni groups are an excellent way of keeping in contact with the University and with other graduates from Birmingham who live in your country. Some alumni groups meet on a regular basis for social and professional events.
If you would like to meet up with University staff when they are in your country or you would be willing to help promote the university at education exhibitions, we would also like to hear from you.
You can find out if there is an alumni group in your country or join our alumni mailing list on the Alumni website at www.alumni.bham.ac.uk.
Contact us
The University of Birmingham contact for Hong Kong is Wu Wenwei. To contact Wu Wenwei with your questions, please email international@bham.ac.uk.
University of Birmingham Representatives in Hong Kong
Our representatives in Hong Kong can provide advice on studying in the UK and, more specifically, at the University of Birmingham. They will also be able to assist you with your application.
Aston Education
Unit 707
AXA Centre
151 Gloucester Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2866 9933
Fax: (852) 2866 9880
Email info@astonhongkong.com
www.astonhongkong.com
British Council offices in Hong Kong
The British Council has offices in many countries throughout the world which are able to provide you with advice about studying in the UK. Most offices also have an education library and Internet facilities where you can consult university material. The British Council can also provide advice about funding opportunities.
For more information visit www.britishcouncil.org/hongkong.
Student Profiles
Wendy Chan - BSc Psychology
I am Wendy Chan from Hong Kong, and I am in my first year doing BSc Psychology.
One of the most important criteria when I was looking for universities was that I wanted to be in a big city. Birmingham is the second largest city in the UK, it is modern, cultured and vibrant. Although University of Birmingham is near the city, but the red brick buildings and greens just make it feel so traditional and country. When I came for an applicant visit day, having walked round the campus and shown round the Psychology department I just knew that this is the place for me.
The Psychology School in University of Birmingham is one of the largest in the UK, it has an excellent reputation for both teaching and research. In Birmingham, you know what you learn will be up to date material, because you are teach by experts in the field. The Psychology course in Birmingham is very broad, it touches on a lot of elements, it gives a fully informed view on the validity and applicability of psychological knowledge. In addition, the department has extensive links with local hospitals and clinics, other national government department, which I know will benefit me from future career.
Having been here for a semester, my personal highlight has to be getting to know the United Kingdom, especially Birmingham much more in depth. This is highly due to the geographic location Birmingham is located, we are the only university campus in mainland Britain with its own railway station thus it allows us to travel anywhere we want easily in the weekend. The city centre of Birmingham is just incredible, it has everything you can think of, just like a mini version of London.
Living in hall of residence you will be in walking distance with your friends, which is just ideal for those night outs or having a group project to discuss. Although I have previously experienced boarding in high school; living in hall is a completely different experience. This is the chance for me to live even more independently and get my week planned ahead, so I will remember to stock up the food cupboard.
The culture in UK is undoubtedly different from home, things are done in different ways. But there are similarities which helped me to adopt very easily. The exciting life of being part of University of Birmingham will help you to get over all the worries, and you will never have time to stop and miss home, but enjoy it.
There are hundreds of clubs or societies you can choose from at Birmingham. I have joined the Psychology Society and the Far Eastern Connection Group. The Psychology Society organise social, sporting and careers events throughout the year, which help to bring the School of Psychology together. FECX is a multi-oriental student society which organise cultural events, it also aided me to have a smooth transition to University life. I am still looking to join more societies so I can have a more diverse experience of university life.
There are so many fields I can go into with the knowledge of psychology as it is such a broad subject. The university have given us vast amount of information regarding our career opportunity. There is still time for me to decide which route I want to pursuit, but I plan to further my education in the subject.
My top tip for new students coming to the University of Birmingham is to get involve in everything, do not just sit there and think it sounds good, go and give it a try there is nothing to lose, more important you might like it. Just go and make friends and have fun. Work hard, play hard.