Candidates taking DSE exams on mainland face 220% entry fee jump to HK$8,000

Exam authority says fee increase to support ‘sustainable and effective operation’ as three-year pilot scheme ends

Students sitting Hong Kong’s university entrance exam in mainland China next year will pay a registration fee of HK$8,000 (US$1,020), a 220 per cent increase from the current HK$2,500 after a pilot scheme ends.

Announcing the fee increase for various exams on Friday, the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) also said local students would face a 4 per cent increase to sit each subject, with charges ranging from HK$540 to HK$808.

The authority said the substantial surge in registration fees, also known as initial fees, for students sitting the exam on the mainland was due to the end of a three-year pilot scheme.

“With the completion of the pilot scheme, it will no longer be sustainable for the HKEAA to continue providing subsidies on a regular basis,” it said.

“The HKEAA will make an appropriate adjustment to the initial fee (mainland examination centre) for the 2027 HKDSE to support the sustainable and effective operation of these centres.”

Under the scheme, exam centres were set up on the mainland to allow eligible Hong Kong candidates to sit for the exam remotely since 2024.

The operational cost of the centres covered examination security arrangements, additional equipment, personnel deployment, and the delivery and secure storage of question papers, answer scripts and examination materials.