Mainland, overseas student drive pays off for Hong Kong’s universities
- Push by Hong Kong universities to attract fresh talent is helping city achieve its goal of becoming a regional education centre
A push to create a more diverse student population in Hong Kong’s universities has started to pay off, helping the city achieve its goal of becoming a regional education centre as well as attracting fresh talent. Institutions and authorities should now be encouraged to cast a wider net to ensure campuses are attractive and beneficial for local, mainland and international students alike.
Data from the University Grants Committee, which allocates funding, shows there are 14,756 non-local undergraduate students enrolled at the city’s eight public universities. For the first time on record, more than 10,000 of them are from the mainland, up 50 per cent from six years ago. About 4,400 non-local students come from “the rest of the world”, down 15 per cent from five years ago.
Mainland students who make it into Hong Kong universities have plenty to offer, having worked to excel in a highly competitive and larger academic environment. At the same time, greater diversity is known to improve academic outcomes worldwide. A broader mix of students can only help make the city more attractive to those from the mainland seeking an international experience.
Number of mainland Chinese at Hong Kong public universities exceeds 10,000
Many of the city’s institutes of higher learning have been offering scholarships to students from places such as Kazakhstan, South Korea and Indonesia under a campaign related to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Other recruitment targets include India, Australia, the United States and France.
Understandably, enrolment goals have suffered after years of social unrest and pandemic restrictions. However, the city now has an opportunity to shine as costs and geopolitical considerations lead students in Hong Kong and on the mainland to consider alternatives to universities in the US and Britain.
Non-locals tend to gravitate to majors in science, business and management, engineering and technology, areas that hold promise for Hong Kong’s development. Such prospects have triggered a global campaign to woo academic talent. As long as high academic standards and good prospects for local students are maintained, the push for diversity with mainland and overseas students can only help the city achieve a higher grade.
