Special Talents Admission and Recognition Scheme
STARS
STARS Direct Application

Outstanding applicants in the areas of Sports, Arts and Culture, Leadership and Community Services, and STEM are exceptionally considered for admissions to PolyU.

 

PolyU offers favourable consideration to outstanding students for admission to PolyU via STARS. Eligible applicants will be invited to attend a selection interview and considered automatically for the entry scholarships.

 

To facilitate the holistic development and pursuit of academic excellence, a newly established STARS Residential College provides students with a vibrant living and learning environment.

 

 

Manual for STARS Application Submission:

 

JUPAS applicants: Here

 

Non-JUPAS Year 1 applicants: Here

 

Non-JUPAS Senior Year applicants: Here

 

International applicants: Here

 

JEE applicants: Here

 

 

Apply Here

Other Experiences and Achievements (OEA)

OEA is one of the factors in addition to the achievements at the HKDSE Examination which the 9 JUPAS participating-institutions and the SSSDP institutions (the Institutions) will consider.

 

Apply Here

School Principal's Nominations (SPN)

The main objective of SPN is to give due recognition to applicants who have contributed to social services or made outstanding achievements in non-academic areas such as creative activities, art, community services, leadership abilities, music, other cultural activities and sports.

 

Apply Here

Outstanding Sportsmen Recommendation Scheme (OSRS)

OSRS aims to provide opportunities for outstanding student-athletes to study at PolyU while continuing their pursuit of excellence in sports. Those who have participated in major international competitions, or are members of Hong Kong SAR Team/Junior Team, are welcome to apply for admission to PolyU through this scheme.

 

Apply Here

Student-Athlete Learning Support and Admission Scheme (SALSA)

Over the years, PolyU has been committed to promoting a sports culture on campus, and providing various flexible admission schemes and all-round support to student-athletes to help them excel in both studies and sports profession. To take a step further, PolyU has joined the Student-Athlete Learning Support and Admission Scheme (SALSA) initiated by the UGC.

 

Apply Here

School Nominations Direct Admission Scheme (SNDAS)

Proposed by the Task Force on Review of School Curriculum set up by the Education Bureau (EDB), SNDAS aims at recognising the exceptional talent of students in specific disciplines that may not be fully assessed by the HKDSE Examination. It will provide opportunities for these students to be considered for direct admission to local universities.

 

Apply Here

The Best of STARS

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions
Expand All
What are the selection criteria for STARS?
Sports, Arts and Culture, and STEM
  • - Scale/ Significance of the competitions taken part in 
  • - Prizes/ Certificates/ Awards/ Honours/ Rankings attained in the competitions
  • - Level of the recognized examinations/ qualifications obtained, if any
  • - Significance of the participated events/ performances/ exhibitions, if any
  • - Extra credits may be given to the continuous involvement in the competitions/ performances/ exhibitions, or commendations/ recommendations from external bodies
 
Leadership and Community Services
  • - Self-initiative and continuous commitment to service
  • - Impact, originality and rigour of services provided
  • - Diversity and scope of service beneficiaries
  • - Demonstrated leadership and involvement of others
  • - External recognition and commendations
  • - Extra credits may be given in outstanding cases or recommendations from external bodies


*** Applicants, whose special talent matches the scheme applied or will make important contribution to the University, will also be given favourable consideration.

 

Examples of Achievements

 

Sports

  • - Olympic Games
  • - Special Olympics World Summer/ Winter Games
  • - Asian Games
  • - East Asian Games
  • - Paralympic Games
  • - Para Games

Arts and Culture

  • - International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition
  • - International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition
  • - Alexander & Buono International (ABI) - Barry Alexander
  • - International Vocal Competition (BAIVC)
  • - National Youth Choirs of Great Britain/ Royal Albert Hall
  • - International Youth Choir Festival
  • - American Protégé – American Protégé International Vocal Competition
  • - Italy Percussive Arts Society - Italy Percussion Competition
  •  

STEM

  • - Asian Pacific Mathematics Olympiad (APMO)
  • - International Olympiad in Informatics/ Chemistry/ Earth Science/ Physics/ Biology/ Astronomy etc
  • - Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)
  • - Odyssey of the Mind World Finals
  • - RoboCup
  • - Yale Science and Engineering Association (YSEA) Science Fair Award

Leadership and Community Services

  • - Global Young Leaders Conference
  • - Special Olympics - Special Olympics Global Youth Leadership Forum
  • - World Council of the Young Men's Christian Associations (YMCAs)
  • - Zonta International - Young Women in Public Affairs Award (YWPA)
  • - Services being widely recognised in mass media
  • The Hong Kong Award for Young People Gold Award

 

Are non-local applicants eligible to apply for STARS?

Yes. Non-local applicants are welcome to apply for undergraduate study at PolyU through Special Talents Admission and Recognition Scheme (STARS). Application could be made via eAdmission.

What are the favorable admission conditions?

Successful applicants might be given direct admission, conditional offer, or bonus score, etc.

How to apply STARS scholarships?

Eligible applicants will be considered automatically on the eligibility for the STARS scholarships.

STARS scholarships for local students (know more)

STARS scholarships for non-local students (know more)

How many competitions/activities/awards could be entered in the application systems?

STARS applicants could list out a maximum of 3 other experiences and achievements in competitions / activities in eAdmission.

PolyU reserves the right of not processing STARS applications in case that official supporting documents on the achievements in competitions/ activities cannot be provided. Any offers made under favourable admission conditions will be retracted.

How will the STARS applications be assessed?

In general, applications will be assessed according to the level of competitions / activities and the attainment. STARS self-description and referees will also be taken account.

Submission of supporting documents is compulsory. The requirements of the supporting documents are as follow:

1. official proof (e.g.  certificate / letter issued by organiser concerned / school;  medal / trophy with applicant's name; online results with valid hyperlink to the official website of the competition / activity / organiser concerned) of the applicants' participation in the competitions or activities concerned, and each must contain the following information:

- Applicant's information (If applicant's name is not printed on the official proof, additional supporting documents issued by the organiser concerned or school must be provided to certify the applicant's participation);

- Award / activity official name;

- Year of participation;

- Award type (if any); and

- Translation in English or Chinese if the official proof is in a language other than English or Chinese.

2. in PDF, JPG, JPEG or PNG format and the maximum file size for each entry is 5MB (please note that the total file size for the whole application is 15MB).

Please check the details of individual schemes/ sub-schemes via this website. If you are shortlisted for an interview, you will be notified by email. You are therefore strongly advised to check your registered email account regularly.