How to Get Into U of T From Hong Kong: HKDSE, M1/M2, Videos
Getting into the University of Toronto from Hong Kong comes down to a completed HKDSE with two Category A or C electives, M1 or M2 for anything with a calculus prerequisite, an English test that HKDSE English Language does not replace, and, for Rotman Commerce and Engineering, a timed video supplemental. Apply by January 15, 2027 for Fall 2027; the offer will be conditional until the July results.
What U of T looks at from a Hong Kong applicant
U of T’s high school requirements by country entry for Hong Kong is short: “Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE): the completed diploma, including at least 2 elective subjects from Categories A and/or C.” Subjects should include the prerequisites for your intended program, and “Mathematics Module 1 (Calculus and Statistics) or Module 2 (Algebra and Calculus) is required for programs with the Calculus prerequisite,” with A Level Mathematics or AP Calculus as alternatives. The international high school page adds that every applicant must present a senior English course, and that U of T makes “conditional offers of admission based on your previous year’s grades and your in-term/mid-term results.”
U of T publishes no minimum level for the HKDSE, no competitive range, and nothing on how 5* or 5** are weighted; it says only that “admission to the university is competitive and meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.” Read that literally. A complete diploma with two electives is the entry ticket; the levels your school predicts in your six subjects are the file.
Subjects by program, and what M1/M2 changes
| Program | HKDSE subjects to present | Supplemental |
|---|---|---|
| Arts & Science, humanities and social sciences (St. George, UTM, UTSC) | English plus two Category A/C electives | None |
| Life, physical and mathematical sciences | Sciences relevant to the stream; M1 or M2 where calculus is a prerequisite | None |
| Computer Science (St. George) | M1 or M2 (calculus prerequisite) | Computer Science Supplemental Application, due February 1, 2027 |
| Rotman Commerce | Senior English and a calculus course, so M1 or M2 | Rotman Commerce Supplemental Application, written and video, due February 1, 2027 |
| Applied Science & Engineering | Chemistry, Physics, and M1 or M2 | Engineering Supplemental Application (Online Student Profile), due January 15, 2027 |
| UTSC Management | English and calculus (M1 or M2) | Supplementary Application Form, due February 1, 2027 |
Engineering is the most precise. Its out-of-country requirements say HKDSE candidates “must present a complete diploma, including at least 2 elective subjects from categories A and/or C” which “must include Chemistry and Physics, Mathematics Module 1 (Calculus and Statistics) or Module 2 (Algebra and Calculus),” and that the Committee “will consider the Combined Science module in Biology and Chemistry” in place of full Chemistry. No transfer credit is awarded. Required documents are transcripts for all years including current interim results and predicted HKDSE grades. Rotman’s outside-Ontario page requires “a senior-level or Grade 12 English course” and “a calculus course,” which for the HKDSE means M1 or M2.
The practical consequence: a local-school student who dropped the extended module in Form 4 cannot apply to Engineering, Commerce or Computer Science on the HKDSE alone; the alternatives U of T lists are AP Calculus or A Level Mathematics.
English: HKDSE English Language does not count
U of T’s English language requirements exempt four or more years of full-time study at an English-language school in a country on its list, and Hong Kong is not on it. HKDSE English Language is not listed as a qualifying credential at any level. What does qualify from a Hong Kong school: a final B (6 in reformed grading) in GCSE, IGCSE or GCE O-Level English, English Language or English as a Second Language; a final or predicted C in GCE A Level or AS Level English or English Language (not English Literature); or IB English A at 4 or better, HL or SL, or IB English B HL at 7. Otherwise, a test: IELTS Academic 6.5 with no band below 6.0; TOEFL iBT, for tests from January 21, 2026, an overall 4.5 with 4.5 in Writing and 4.0 in Speaking; Duolingo 120 with 120 in Production; CAEL 70 with no part below 60; PTE Academic 65 with no part below 60; Cambridge C1 or C2 at 180 with at least 170 in each component. Engineering wants the English proof with the rest of the file by January 15.
How and when to apply for Fall 2027
You apply through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre. U of T’s applications page explains the choice: the U of T International Application (C$196) is for students outside Canada who have never studied in Canada and are applying to no other Ontario university; if Waterloo, McMaster or Queen’s is also on your list, use the OUAC Undergraduate Application, which is the 105 form. The OUAC 105 walkthrough is written for BC students but the form is the same one you will complete from Hong Kong.
The 2027 dates and deadlines, to confirm on the page before you plan around them:
- November 7, 2026: recommended early application date for Engineering, Arts & Science, UTM and UTSC; documents by December 1 and portal steps by December 2 put you in the first admission round.
- January 15, 2027: application deadline for those faculties, and the document and Online Student Profile deadline for Engineering.
- February 1, 2027: document deadline for Arts & Science (including Rotman Commerce), UTM and UTSC; Rotman, Computer Science and UTSC supplementals due.
- January to late May 2027: decisions. Engineering promises an answer by April 30 to early-track applicants. Offers are answered through OUAC by May 1.
Because the 2027 HKDSE papers run 6 April to 3 May with results tentatively due 14 July 2027 per the HKEAA key dates, U of T decides on your Form 5 finals, your mid-Form 6 report and your school’s predicted levels. The offer is conditional; the July Results Notice, sent officially, either confirms it or ends it.
The supplementals are where you are heard
Arts & Science humanities, social sciences and most science streams decide on grades; there is nothing to write. The programs that ask for more are the ones Hong Kong applicants pile into. Rotman’s Supplemental Application is “short written and video responses” on Kira Talent, C$52, with unlimited practice sessions, recommended by December 1, 2026 and final on February 1, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, and it is “considered alongside your academic record.” The Engineering Supplemental Application is mandatory (“your application will not be considered” without it), opens on the Engineering Applicant Portal after OUAC sends your file, and includes program ranking, self-reported grades, extracurriculars and the timed video profile. Questions are not published for either; the Rotman Commerce supplemental question guide and the Engineering Online Student Profile question guide describe the format and the kinds of prompts to expect.
This is the part of the file you control, and the part Hong Kong schooling prepares you least for: an unscripted answer, on camera, in English, with a clock. AcceptMe puts you on camera with a fresh question, 30 seconds to think and 90 seconds to answer, then hands back a transcript with the coach’s notes.
Ka Yan, DSS school, predicted English 5*, Mathematics 5, M2 4, Economics 5*, BAFS 5, answers: “Last year I was treasurer for our school’s Joint School Business Competition team. I wanted to price our mock product at the top of the range because the margin looked better on the spreadsheet. A teammate who works Saturdays at her aunt’s stall in Mong Kok said our buyers were students and would walk away at that price. I pushed back for a day, then asked her to show me. She priced three comparable things from memory and was right on all three. We cut the price by a third, our projected units doubled, and the judges asked about the pricing logic specifically. What I changed was not the number. It was that I stopped treating the spreadsheet as the only source of evidence.”
Timing note: that is about 150 words, 65 to 75 seconds at a natural pace, ending before the clock does. A coach’s notes would mark the Mong Kok detail and the “pushed back for a day” admission as working, and tighten the opening so the competition name does not eat eight seconds.
Money: tuition, awards and proof of funds
U of T’s Tuition Explorer lists, for international students admitted for 2026/27, a Year 1 Arts & Science program fee of C$66,110.00 (C$69,336.91 with incidental fees and UHIP health insurance) and an Engineering program fee of C$72,860.00 (C$76,074.83 all in). Commerce and Computer Science are deregulated and charge more from second year. U of T’s fees page says each year’s figures are finalized in the spring, so the Fall 2027 rate will be set after you apply. Add the IRCC living-cost figure of C$23,448 a year for study permit applications from September 1, 2026, plus transport, and you have the amount to show.
U of T “is not able to offer direct financial aid to international students,” so the awards are merit-based. The international scholarships page lists automatic consideration for the President’s Scholars of Excellence Program and the U of T Scholars Program, the Arts & Science Global Scholarship (equal to international tuition for four years), Engineering international scholarships (complete the Financial Information section by January 15), and the UTM and UTSC International Scholar Awards. The Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship covers tuition, books, incidental fees and residence for four years for about 37 scholars; your school nominates one student by October 9, 2026, you apply to U of T by October 16 and submit the scholarship application by November 6, 2026, and generative AI in the application disqualifies you. Uniquely for this country, the University of Toronto Hong Kong Scholarships are six named awards of C$12,500 to C$33,000 a year, renewable for two to four years, for permanent Hong Kong residents completing the HKDSE or IB who show financial need, initiative and community leadership and intend to return after graduation; the 2026-entry deadline was January 19, 2026, and the 2027 date will be posted on that page. Its application is a package, not a checkbox, and the scholarship essay and interview guide is the right preparation.
The study permit from Hong Kong
Once you accept through OUAC, U of T issues the letter of acceptance and Ontario’s Provincial Attestation Letter through the university; the letter is how a place under Canada’s cap on new study permits is allocated to you. A Hong Kong SAR or BN(O) passport needs an eTA rather than a visa to board the flight, which is separate from and in addition to the study permit. There is no fast-track stream for Hong Kong applicants. Apply the week you accept, and check IRCC’s live processing-time tool for Hong Kong SAR that day.
Mistakes Hong Kong applicants make at U of T
- No M1 or M2, applying to Commerce or Engineering. The calculus prerequisite is not waived for a 5** in compulsory Mathematics.
- Treating HKDSE English 5 as the English requirement. It satisfies the senior English course rule but not the proficiency rule. Sit IELTS in the autumn.
- Using the International Application while also applying to Waterloo. Any other Ontario university on the list means the OUAC 105.
- Skipping the Engineering Supplemental. The file is not read without it.
- Reading a memorized script on Kira. A recited answer sounds recited; rehearse thinking, not lines.
- Missing the Hong Kong Scholarships date. It falls in mid-January, before the general deadline.
Where to go next
The UBC guide for HKDSE applicants covers the Personal Profile every UBC applicant writes, and the McGill HKDSE and CAQ guide explains the grades-only file and Quebec’s extra permit step. The by-country guide to Canadian university admissions for international applicants compares every destination, and how to practice for a video interview turns the Rotman and Engineering formats into a two-week routine. Then get on camera with AcceptMe and let the transcript show you what the admissions reader will see.
Keep reading
- How to Get Into UBC From Hong Kong: HKDSE, English, Profile UBC for HKDSE applicants, Fall 2027: the Level 4 average, subjects by faculty, why HKDSE English does not waive IELTS, the Profile, fees.
- How to Get Into McGill From Hong Kong: HKDSE Levels and CAQ McGill for HKDSE applicants, Fall 2027: Level 3 minimum, electives by faculty, English tests, the grades-only file, tuition and the CAQ.
- Rotman Commerce Supplemental Application: Questions and Tips Rotman Commerce supplemental application format, a sample pre- shared video answer and fifteen practice questions for the random video and written parts.