Hong Kong considers solutions for non-local university admissions

Hong Kong's education authorities are looking for solutions to manage an increase in non-local university enrollment. This comes after a sharp rise in the number of children of non-local professionals admitted to public universities. Complaints from local parents have also been rising. Over the last two years, the number of non-local dependents in public universities nearly tripled. Education Secretary Christine Choi Yuk-lin said she is focused on ensuring local students are not at a disadvantage. She mentioned that the results of a review about local student definitions will be shared before the next round of applications for publicly funded undergraduate programs. Choi emphasized the need to find additional spaces for non-local students to protect the 15,000 available spots for local learners. She stated that around 132,000 children under 18 have entered Hong Kong as dependents through various talent admission schemes since 2022. The rise in dependents attending public universities has been notable. According to Choi, the number of these students admitted through the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) has increased over the past three academic years, from 62 to 185.