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In the official announcement of the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) Main Round offer results today, 60% of the total students who are admitted to the Medicine programmes in Hong Kong via JUPAS this year chose to study at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). The Medicine (Global Physician-Leadership Stream) undergraduate programme of the Faculty of Medicine at CUHK continues to be the top programme with the highest median admission score among the JUPAS institutions in the territory for the fifth consecutive year. And for International Baccalaureate, commonly known as IB, 12 students who scored the full mark of 45 have been selected. 

GPS Continues as Programme with the Highest Admission Score in HK for the Fifth Consecutive Year 

Details of 2018/19 admission score of MBChB programme are as follows:

The Global Physician-Leadership Stream (GPS) of the MBChB programme is Asia’s first undergraduate medical leadership programme. Since its launch in 2013, the programme has been very popular and admitted students for their all-round excellence in academic results and performance in extracurricular activities and interview, and for their great leadership potential. In addition to being the top programme with the highest median admission score among the JUPAS institutions in the territory for the fifth consecutive year, GPS is seeing a record high intake of 29 students this year, twice that of last year. 

60% JUPAS Students who Study Medicine Chose CUHK 

Among the 269 students who were admitted to the Medicine programmes in Hong Kong via JUPAS this year, 155 students chose to study at CUHK, equivalent to 60% of the total. This also marks a record high of JUPAS intake for the Faculty since the launch of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) in 2012.

Considering that the full score of DSE is 49 marks, meaning students have attained level 5** in at least seven subjects, more than half of the 60 students who got 46 marks or above and pursue for medical degrees chose to study at CUHK Medicine. 

CUHK Medicine Programme as Journey of Enlightenment to Students 

Among the admitted HKDSE candidates this year, ten students are with 5** in six subjects or above, double last year’s number. 

Thomas YUEN Wai Him, a full scorer attaining level 5** in all seven subjects and also scoring 5** for the extended mathematics module, will join the MBChB (Global Physician-Leadership Stream). He said biology class in school was the key to the door of medicine for him, “Biology taught me about the different systems in the human body and their coordination. It is as fascinating as the universe and I wish to learn more from studying medicine.” 

Thomas’ goal is to become an expert in Administrative Medicine, dedicating himself to enhancing the healthcare system to ease the burden on public services. He explained, “There was a time I got hurt playing basketball, I remember the hospital was filled with patients waiting for service. I thought that if some changes could be made to the healthcare system and help shortening the waiting time, more patients would benefit. That is how I got interested in Administrative Medicine and found it very meaningful.” 

The freshman is thrilled about his new journey at CUHK. He said, “The Medicine programme here at CUHK provides us with ample opportunities, such as academic exchanges and a variety of expert sharing, enabling students to explore different areas in the medical field and find out whether their interest and aspiration is in scientific research, humanitarian service, frontline service or administration work. This journey of enlightenment will mean a lot to us and help us to choose the most suitable future career and path in life.” 

CUHK Medicine’s World Ranking Achieves Record High 

Speaking about this year’s admission results, Professor Francis CHAN Ka Leung, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, said “We are delighted to see that out of the 269 Hong Kong students who are being admitted to medical undergraduate programmes via the JUPAS scheme this year, 60% choose to study at CUHK. This reflects the popularity of CUHK’s medical education among students and in the community. It is also remarkable to note that in addition to the half of those who have scored 46 or above in seven subjects joining the GPS programme in the new academic year, there have been full scorers in DSE choosing GPS for three consecutive years. It is very rewarding for us to see that more and more outstanding students are pursuing different paths to medical services, preparing and dedicating themselves to becoming world-class medical leaders in clinical, teaching and research roles, so as to contributing their best to the community.” 

Professor CHAN added, “As a young medical school with only some 30 years of foundation, our Faculty ranks 46^th among the top 500 world’s medical schools in this year’s QS international ranking, marking a record high. Recently, two of our scientific researches were selected by the world’s leading medical journal The New England Journal of Medicine as the most ‘Notable Articles of 2017’, the only studies on the list that are led by researchers in Asian-based institutions. It is indeed a great recognition for our work in scientific research and its significant impact on the larger human community.”

For IB, as of now, we are seeing 12 students scoring full marks of 45 and 16 students with 44 marks being selected for MBChB Programmes. 

In addition to students who attended public examinations, the Faculty of Medicine at CUHK has long been supportive of students who are looking for a second opportunity to study Medicine. As of now, the Faculty has admitted 13 students with this background for the 2018/19 Medicine programmes, supporting them in pursuing the medical dreams.