Hong Kong to review ‘local’ student definition over loopholes

Hong Kong officials are set to review the definition of “local students” in tertiary institutions following concerns about offshore arrivals exploiting current loopholes.

According to The Standard, education secretary Christine Choi Yuk-lin has said a review will ensure a fairer landscape for university spaces, but promised that any policy changes won’t affect the island’s competitiveness or deter overseas talent. 

The number of mainland Chinese students at Hong Kong’s universities has swelled in recent years, exceeding 10,000 for the first time in 2024 and accounting for 70 per cent of non-local students. 

However, there are also growing concerns about the number of mainlanders enrolling as local students, with accusations that immigration initiatives like the island’s Top Talent Pass Scheme are being exploited by families who have no intention of settling in Hong Kong long term, but are instead using the visa status so their children can secure a coveted space at Hong Kong’s universities.  

The Top Talent Pass Scheme was first introduced in 2022 to attract graduates from the best international universities to Hong Kong. As of October 2024, about 160,000 people had arrived in Hong Kong under the scheme, including the families of those awarded the visa. The majority came from mainland China. 

In October 2024, a group of parents submitted a petition to Hong Kong’s legislative council urging them to change the definition of “local” students, amid concerns that their children may be losing out on highly competitive university places to newcomers. 

Media reports suggest the Hong Kong government is now considering a similar policy to the UK, where a student must have lived in the country for at least three years in order to qualify for domestic fee status. 

Hong Kong continues to focus on attracting international students to make up for demographic decline among the local population. In 2024, the island doubled the cap on how many non-local undergraduate students universities are permitted to admit, rising from 20 to 40 per cent. 

However, a non-local student can expect to pay over four times the amount in tuition as a local student, with international tuition fees at the University of Hong Kong, for example, reaching up to HK$218,000 (£22,451) per year.

Last year, Hong Kong announced that domestic tuition fees would rise by an average of 5.5 per cent annually, marking the end of a 27-year freeze. 

Questioned in a legislative committee meeting in January about whether international fees should also increase to help address budget concerns, Jeff Sze, the under-secretary for education, maintained that prices should stay the same if Hong Kong is to remain competitive. 

“If we are to increase…fees, we will undermine the appeal of studying in Hong Kong for non-local students,” he said. 

“Comparing with Tokyo, Singapore, for example, these are our neighbouring competitors. We are on a comparable level with them. If we substantially increase school fees…those students may choose to study in Singapore instead of coming to Hong Kong and this is exactly what we need to take into account.”

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com