HK universities struggle to attract mainland students
- Source: Global Times
- [23:33 June 10 2009]
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By Lin Jiasi
The increased cost of tuition at Hong Kong universities could be to blame for the lower numbers of applicants from the mainland, a college spokesman said yesterday.
“We received more than 3,600 applications from the mainland between February and June this year, which was down by about 2,000 on last year,” Wilfred Lai, senior manager for communications and public affairs at Polytechnic University, told the Global Times.
An increase in tuition fees of HK$30,000 ($3,900) may have shaped the school’s admission landscape, he said.
“We adjusted tuition fees based on Hong Kong’s overall economy. The financial downturn will not impact our enrollment plan or the admission rate,” Lai said.
Other universities had raised their fees in recent years, he said.
The University of Hong Kong is also facing difficulties attracting students from the mainland, but it claimed the financial crisis was to blame.
“We estimate the number of Chinese applicants will fall 30 percent this year due to the economic downturn,” Huang Yiqian, director for the university’s China affairs office, told the China News.
Candy Chouk, a senior external liaison officer at the City University of Hong Kong, said the prevailing economic environment had had a particularly detrimental impact on students from rural parts of China and those from low-income families.
“They are having to think hard about studying in Hong Kong, because even if we give them full scholarships, they still have to pay for accommodation and other living expenses,” she said.
The university admitted 186 students from the mainland last year, 93 percent of whom received full scholarships. This year it wants to enroll 194 students, Chouk said.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University wants to enroll 230 students from the mainland, and the University of Hong Kong 250, their spokespeople said.
Details of all the admissions to Hong Kong universities will be announced next month, the University Grants Committee said.