The Ministry of Education announced this morning (March 31) that this year’s National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) is to be postponed by one month to July 2020. The exams will be held on the 7 and 8 July, rather than starting from 7 June as originally scheduled.

Most provinces will follow these new dates.

Hubei and Beijing have been granted permission to decide on their own timeline for the Gaokao, due to the severity of the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak in their provinces. Dates for the Gaokao in Hubei and Beijing will be released in due course by the Ministry of Education.

Analysis by Fraser Deas, Head of Education Services China, British Council International Education Services

Gaokao results are usually published about three weeks after the examinations. In the last couple of years an increasing number of UK institutions have begun accepting Gaokao results for entry. Institutions who plan to accept students for 2020 based on Gaokao results will now need to wait until the end of July to be able to do so.

Institutions should consider reviewing their communication and messaging to any students who have offers based on Gaokao results to reassure them that entry will still be accepted.

Return dates have now been set for final-year high school students in most provinces so students will be able to return to school and prepare for the exams. For the latest details on provincial return dates please see here.

Source

Ministry of Education - Announcement on the 2020 National College Entrance Examination schedule (in Chinese): http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xxgk/s5743/s5744/202003/t20200331_436662.html