UK Advanced Entry/ Top-up Degree

How Associate Degree and Higher Diploma Students obtain an overseas Bachelor’s Degree?

More Upcoming Activities

{asset.title}
>Sign up now

Due to limited places in local universities, Hong Kong students who are unable to enter universities directly will opt for an Associate Degree (AD) or Higher Diploma (HD) and obtain a Bachelor's Degree through Advanced Entry or Top-up Degree.

Most UK universities offer Advanced Entry, which allows AD/HD students to apply for Year 2 or 3 of a 3-year Bachelor's Degree programme with their internal grades. Some universities also offer standalone Top-up Degree courses, open to AD/HD graduates who need to submit 2 years of their internal grades. The Top-up Degree complements the existing post-secondary qualification to a full undergraduate, Bachelor's Degree.


Advanced Entry

Top-up Degree

AD/ HD Student Progression Path

Year 2 or 3 of a 3-year Bachelor's Degree programme

1-year Top-up Degree programme

Feature

Most of your classmates are lower-year students promoted from the same Bacehlor's Degree programme

1-year standalone programme (same level as the final year of a Bachelor’s Degree programme). Most of your classmates are students with similar post-secondary qualifications.

Duration

Around 1-2 years

Around 1 year

Advanced Entry Credit Exemption System

The admission standards for advanced entry of different UK universities vary, with a credit exemption system which may shorten the overall course duration. The course duration depends on the similarity of the curriculum of the 2 institutions, that is, the more similar the course structures and content, the shorter the course will be. When applying, students must submit the overall syllabus and content of respective modules of the Associate Degree and Higher Diploma course for the UK university to review.

Application procedures and requirements

Associate Degree and Higher Diploma students who wish to apply for UK universities must go through UCAS, a centralised university application platform similar to JUPAS in Hong Kong. Students have to submit their internal grades on UCAS and the university will issue a Conditional Offer to eligible students. Students whose final GPA meets the university requirement will be admitted. In addition, UK universities generally require IELTS 6.0 to 6.5 for their Bachelor’s Degree Programme.

Popular UK universities with Advanced Entry

Institution Name


The Times GUG 2022-23

The Complete University Guide 2023

University o

f East Anglia

27

22

University of Liverpool

30

21

University of Reading

34

31

Cardiff University

35

26

Swansea University

39

42

University of Leicester

37

29

University of Essex

43

39

Coventry University

51

56

Nottingham Trent University

70

56

Oxford Brookes University

54

45

University of West of England

73

61

Manchester Metropolitan University

71

67

Sheffield Hallam University

72

66

University of Portsmouth

88

69

Why Study Overseas?

  • Obtain a more recognizable qualification from overseas universities

  • Apply for a work visa after graduate to gain working experience

  • Understand and experience different cultures, broaden your horizons and improve your English skills

  • Similar duration as of completing a top-up degree in Hong Kong, reasonable cost

Want to know more about the application procedures, required documents and tips to apply for Advanced Entry / Top-up Degree?

Contact our IDP Counsellors today！Tel: 2179 3600