Hong Kong Universities Attract More Mainland Students

The University of Hong Kong has made enrollment offers to 11 students from mainland provinces who achieved top scores in the national college entrance exam this year, almost double the number in 2010. The offers no longer give priority to students from first-rate cities like Beijing and Shanghai, but also cover the central and western regions of the mainland. But why are more mainland students now looking towards universities in Hong Kong?

Zhang Wan finds out.

This year, the University of Hong Kong expected to enroll 300 mainland students but it received 10,362 applications from mainland students, representing an increase of 14.8 percent over the previous year.

However, only 300 mainland students will be able to study at the University, which means one winner for every 34 applicants in 2011.

This year, the Hong Kong Baptist University has seen applicant numbers increase by 14 percent as has the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The Hong Kong institute of education has witnessed an even large increase by percentage, with an increase of 16.3 percent.

Apart from applicants from the major mainland cities, more students from the Inner Mongolia, Tibet, Ningxia Hui and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions, as well as Qinghai and Gansu provinces have also applied to universities in Hong Kong.

Many universities in Hong Kong say the tuition fee for non-local undergraduate students will be raised by 13 percent to 33 percent. However, higher tuition fees didn't deter mainland students.

Why so many mainland students prefer universities in Hong Kong, some students say they like the international atmosphere and diversified environment. A more important factor however, is that if they graduate from universities in Hong Kong, it's much easier for them to be employed by international companies, and they can also choose to go back to mainland cities to work.

Lai Qimei is a high school graduate in Guangzhou.

"I would like to launch a career in economics and finance. I think Hong Kong is considered the center of economics and finance. In addition to this, universities in Hong Kong provide more diversity in terms of the campus lifestyle, and they pay more attention to pragmatic knowledge. I believe the universities in Hong Kong will lay down solid foundations for chosen career path."

Some education experts say universities in the mainland cities care more about themselves and their reputation, while universities in Hong Kong care more about the rights of students. That's probably why more students nowadays prefer to study in Hong Kong.

As competition among universities on the Chinese mainland continues to intensify, some universities are involved in a fierce disputes over claims that some Hong Kong Universities poached talented mainland students.

However, Hong Kong University says they receive more mainland students nowadays only because they want to provide more choices and opportunities for students, rather than to compete with universities on the mainland.

For CRI, I am Zhang Wan.