THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, SHENZHEN
School of Data Science
Guidelines on Exemption Recommendation and Admission of Outstanding In-house Graduates to Postgraduates Programmes

1.  General Provisions

• The School of Data Science of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen is in charge of selecting and recommending a list of the School’s top undergraduate students, while postgraduate programmes are responsible for the screening and admission of the recommended students.
• “Exemption” means that the students in the recommended list bypass the preliminary exams and enter directly the second phase of the screening process, such as re-examinations and/or interviews as stipulated by the postgraduate programme.
• The process of both recommendation and admission must be fair, open, transparent and equitable.
• Students selected into the Exemption Recommendation List (ERL) have, under equal conditions, priority in admission; however, the ERL status is by no means a guarantee for the student to be eventually accepted by a postgraduate programme.

2.  Eligibility

• Senior students who will graduate by the summer of 2023.
• Students of integrity, good conduct and responsibility, with no records of law-breaking disciplinary actions.
• Outstanding academic performance, ranked top 30% in the student’s major during the first three years of undergraduate studies, as well as a CGPA of 3.3 or above.
• Students with exceptional academic expertise, or extraordinary potential in future graduate studies, can be waived from the above academic requirements only if a joint recommendation from at least three CUHK-Shenzhen professors in the student’s major is received. In that case, explanatory materials submitted by the student and the recommendation letters must be publicly displayed.

3.  Required documents for application

• Registration Form for Exemption Recommendation Students (Click to download) 
• Up-to-date transcript
• Certification of Class Ranking
• Personal Statement
• CV
• Joint Recommendation Letter (if applicable)
• College Evaluation and Recommendation Form (Applicants shall apply to their colleges and the college office concerned will issue the form)

4.  Selection Procedures

• Eligible students may submit their applications to the School before the deadline. Each applicant may apply for up to THREE postgraduate programs.
• The School Exemption Recommendation Selection Committee (ERSC) reviews the application materials, finalizes the ERL, and publicizes the list for five working days.
• The number of students recommended for exemption shall not exceed 20% of the School’s annual graduates.
• Applicants who fail to obtain an exemption recommendation may still apply for admission to the postgraduate programmes through regular application procedures.

5.  Admission

Please refer to the relevant policies of the Graduate School and individual postgraduate programmes of CUHK-Shenzhen.

6.  Application Submission

Eligible students shall submit all application materials to sds_fs@cuhk.edu.cn by October 7, 2022. Fail to meet the deadline will be treated as waive exemption recommendation status.