The Education Bureau announced today that the selection process for the fourth cohort under the School Nominations Direct Admission Scheme (SNDAS) is complete, with 335 students accepting university offers.

A total of 814 valid nominations were received from 420 secondary schools for the fourth cohort, the bureau said.

The eight University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities participating in the scheme then arranged interviews for the nominated students and carefully considered their merits.

Firm offers were made to 342 successful nominees prior to the release of this year’s Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination results. Of these nominees, 335 accepted their offers and will begin studies in their chosen undergraduate programmes, across a wide spectrum of disciplines, in September.

Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin said she was pleased to note the encouraging results of the fourth cohort, in particular the continuing increase in the number of offers made to the nominees.

She thanked the secondary schools and universities for their support for the SNDAS as well as their recognition of students’ multifaceted talents, and for cultivating more talent for Hong Kong.

Ms Choi highlighted that talent in diversified skills and knowledge is the key to Hong Kong’s future development.

In addition to stressing that the Government has always placed great emphasis on nurturing young people, she added that it is striving to enhance the city’s education system and creating diverse opportunities for students to reach their full potential in different areas.

To promote a culture of multifaceted excellence, the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau has launched the Multi-talent Development Scholarship for admittees of the SNDAS demonstrating outstanding achievements in arts, sports and/or community service on top of the firm offers made under the SNDAS.

Among the students being formally admitted to their respective universities under the SNDAS, each of the eight UGC-funded universities will be invited to nominate SNDAS admittees demonstrating an outstanding performance in arts, sports and/or community service for awarding scholarships in addition to the firm offers made.

Each awardee, not subject to means testing, will be granted a scholarship of $10,000 per year across his or her four-year tuition period.

The scheme’s fifth round will open to Secondary 6 students who will sit for the next HKDSE Examination and start their undergraduate studies in September 2026. Details will be announced in due course.