APPLICATION Process

We understand the importance of finding the best school to fit your family. We encourage all families to come for a personalised school tour whenever possible. If you are unable to visit in person we invite you to register for an online information session, request an online consultation or book an admissions call. Please get in touch with our Admissions team at admissions@hkacademy.edu.hk or +852 2655 1118.

The second step of the HKA application process is to complete an Initial Inquiry Form. This will create an account for you in our Admission Portal. Creating an account will allow you to log in and out of the Admission Portal to complete your application at your own pace, meaning that you do not need to complete the application in one sitting. Please click here to create your account.

Once your account has been created, you’ll receive an email with a link to our Admission Portal.

When you log into the Admission Portal, you can begin a new application by clicking the “Application Checklist” button and then click the green “Add a New Application”. You will then be asked to upload the supporting documents.

We also ask for one teacher reference form completed by their class/homeroom teacher for students applying for Pre-K through Grade 6; and one teacher reference form from an English teacher, Mathematics teacher, and a school counsellor or administrator for students applying for Grades 7-12.

If you’re unable to provide any of these documents or forms, please contact our Admissions team at admissions@hkacademy.edu.hk and we will work directly with you to best complete your application.

You can check on the progress of your application through the Admission Portal. As each section is completed, a green checkmark will appear.

Our Secondary School Merit-Based Scholarships are integrated into the main admissions application process. To ensure you have everything you need, please click here to learn more about HKA Scholarships and view the requirements before beginning your application.

Our Admissions Committee meets weekly to review all completed applications. We will contact you with next steps once your application has been reviewed. If, at any point in the process, you have any questions or would like to inquire about the status of your application, please don’t hesitate to contact us at admissions@hkacademy.edu.hk or +852 2655 1118.

Once we have identified a place for your child, our Admissions team will contact you to arrange an assessment. Our admissions assessments are not pass/fail. Rather, they are a way for us to gather more information about each student and assess where they are in relation to the rest of the children in the grade level. The assessment is different depending on the grade level.

Primary School applicants will be invited to spend some time in one of our classrooms with our teachers where they will engage in developmentally appropriate activities. Grade 1 applicants will also complete a benchmark assessment in literacy and maths. Grade 2 to Grade 5 applicants will complete online benchmark assessments with math, reading and writing components.

Secondary School applicants will complete online benchmark assessments with math, reading and writing components. A taster day may be scheduled during the assessment period.

For families applying from overseas, in many cases we are able to send you an offer of enrolment first. We can then arrange for an assessment after you have arrived in Hong Kong.

We will invite applicants for assessment if we have space available. If we do not have space we will let you know that your application has been added to the wait pool.

There is no additional fee for an admissions assessment. However, extended assessments may occur for applicants with additional support or English language needs. This may include an English language assessment; classroom visits to the student’s current school; or student shadow days. Extended assessments which include speech and/or OT evaluations may carry a pre-agreed additional fee and will result in specialist reports which will be the property of the parents.

We will contact parents within one week of the assessment. If a place is offered, it must be accepted or declined within 10 working days.

If we are not able to offer your child a place at that time, your child’s application will go into the wait pool . If we are unable to offer your child a place in the school year that you originally applied for, we will automatically roll your application forward for consideration in the following school year. Selection from the wait pool is based upon the balance and diversity of each grade level; HKA does not maintain a chronological wait list. The application will remain active in our wait pool as long as you continue to keep it updated.

Inquiring families often have questions about student age requirements, visa arrangements, application fee and data privacy. Please find information below or contact Admissions if you need further clarification.

AGE REQUIREMENTS
Students must be age appropriate for their grade. The birthday cut-off date for the Primary and Secondary School is 31st August. Pre-K composite classes include children from the Pre-K1 and Pre-K2 age criteria. For example:

• Pre-K class: 3-4 years old by 31st August of enrolling year (must be fully toilet trained)
• K class: 5 years old by 31st August of enrolling year.
• Grade 1: 6 years old by 31st August of enrolling year.

In exceptional cases, students may be granted a place outside this age requirement if warranted by their past school experience, maturity and assessment results, and space availability. We operate a wait pool, and acceptance is not based on the date of application.

VISA REQUIREMENTS / LIVING ARRANGEMENTS
Students must possess a Hong Kong Identity Card or valid visa issued by the Immigration Department to be eligible for enrolment at Hong Kong Academy. Parents/guardians are responsible for providing this documentation to the school upon request. Hong Kong Academy does not provide Student/Dependent visas. Students must live with either one or both of their parents. If a student is not living with their parents, a legal guardianship must be established and enrolment must be approved by the Head of School.

APPLICATION FEE
The application fee is paid upon application for admission and is a one off, non-refundable payment (see School Fees) that covers the following services:

• Family introduction and individualised visit to Hong Kong Academy
• Online application processing and maintenance
• Liaison with the current school
• Student shadow days (in Secondary School)
• Educational assessment of all application documents
• Meetings with our Principals or members of the Student Support team (if required).
• All standard face-to-face, group or online academic admissions assessments.
• English language assessment (if required)

HKA PERSONAL DATA HANDLING POLICY
The information submitted on the Application form is being collected in accordance with the HKA Personal Data Handling Policy and its related Personal Information Collection Statements (“PICS”). A copy of the HKA PIC statement can be found here.