Published: 11:49, February 16, 2025 | Updated: 12:56, February 16, 2025
HKSAR universities in bid to draw more mainland students
By Lu Wanqing in Hong Kong

Some 500 students and parents join an education event in Hangzhouon which provided on-site information concerning admissions to Hong Kong universities on Feb 15, 2025. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Administrators and educators from five of Hong Kong’s leading higher education institutions, along with those from city’s largest vocational and professional education and training provider, gathered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Saturday, in a bid to attract the province’s young talent pool for higher studies in the special administrative region.

Organized by VDO English -- the educational arm of China Daily Hong Kong, and supported by the HKSAR’s Education Bureau and Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Shanghai -- the event offered about 500 Chinese mainland students and parents authoritative, on-site information concerning admissions to Hong Kong universities.

At an information session, officials from the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Baptist University, the Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, and the Vocational Training Council, provided detailed breakdowns of the programs they offer, admission requirements, application procedures, and their fee structures.

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Lau Ming-tak, director of the Zhejiang Liaison Unit of the HKSAR government, said with Hong Kong doubling down on cementing its position as a global education hub and creating its “Study in Hong Kong” brand, the education sector is placing great emphasis on the SAR serving as a potent intermediary between the mainland and the world.

Dr Yang Xi Richard, the Mainland Admissions Officer of Li Ka Shing School of Professional and Continuing Education (LiPACE) at Hong Kong Metropolitan University,  answers parents' questions regarding their children's further education in Hong Kong. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

According to the 2025 World University Rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds -- an international higher education research organization -- Hong Kong is home to five of the world’s top 100 universities, with HKU placed at 17th. Poly U and HKBU climbed from their previous rankings to the 57th and 252nd spots, respectively.

The event was attended by hundreds of mainland high school students on the threshold of seeking university admissions. They described the function as of “great help” to them by exploring options beyond the mainland, but often lacking adequate knowledge about the process.

Chen Jiajun, an immigration officer with the HKSAR’s Shanghai Economic and Trade Office, gives a talk on various talent admission schemes in Hong Kong. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY) 

Sally Ching -- an academic registrar with HKBU’s international education advisory committee – briefed participants on the institution’s latest developments -- from groundbreaking research to new courses and programs designed to meet Hong Kong’s demand for creative arts professionals.

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“I’m glad to see so many enthusiastic students seeking more information, and with questions requiring answers. Such an opportunity to communicate with our officials face-to-face is vital for them in weighing their options,” she said.

 

wanqing@chinadailyhk.com