- Over 70 mainland Chinese secondary schools and four tutorial centers now offer the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) curriculum
- Rising popularity driven by bilingual format, option to take exams in Chinese, and growing demand in regions like Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai
- Enrolment surging in private schools like Shanghai’s TICC Cunzhi Academy, sparking debate on HKDSE’s potential internationalization and global competitiveness
Over 70 secondary schools and four tutorial centers on mainland China have started teaching the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) curriculum, an entrance university qualification previously administered within Hong Kong. Universities in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu have added DSE courses to address increasing interest from mainland students.
This growth mirrors the increasing popularity of the DSE programme with mainland families, who are drawn to its bilingual nature and the ability to write exams in Chinese a significant plus point over options like A-levels or the International Baccalaureate. According to one education operator, mainland parents in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai bloc have become 'much more aware about DSE over the last two years', creating significant demand.
One standout example is TICC Cunzhi Academy in Shanghai, which charges about 136,000 yuan (approximately US $18,940) per student per year. Since beginning its DSE programme in 2022 with just 15 students, enrolment has surged fourfold to reach 60 this year, highlighting both the popularity and growing momentum of DSE preparation in mainland private schools.
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This development has also initiated new discussion on whether the HKDSE needs to be internationalized to make it more open to non-local students and potentially more globally competitive. Some argue that expanding the sphere of influence of the DSE will help both students in need of alternative routes to tertiary education and Hong Kong tertiary institutions seeking to diversify their pool of applicants.
As the program continues to expand throughout mainland China, people are closely watching to determine if the HKDSE becomes a genuinely regional or even global qualification or whether it stays firmly rooted in Hong Kong's education system.
