According to the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po, non-local students coming to Hong Kong for university studies have been criticized by some as "competing for resources." On January 3, the Education Bureau submitted documents to the Legislative Council to clarify the policy on the allocation of places for non-local and local students.
Previously, the eight major universities could admit up to 20% non-local students, including 4% for subsidized places and 16% for additional places. The new policy will classify the 20% non-local student quota as additional places beyond the approved intake of 15,000, effectively increasing the proportion of places available for local students from 96% to 100%. This new system will be implemented starting from the 2016/17 academic year, at which time the number of places will increase by approximately 600 compared to the current situation.
The Hong Kong government has been actively attracting talent from around the world to study in Hong Kong, making the campus environment more international. Therefore, it allows subsidized institutions to admit non-local students equivalent to 20% of the approved subsidized places, including 4% of subsidized places and 16% of excess admission places. In other words, among the 15,000 subsidized first-year bachelor places, previously 4%, totaling 600, could be used for admitting non-local students, while local students had 14,400 places. Under the new policy, starting from the 2016/17 academic year, since the 20% non-local student quota will be classified as additional places, local students can exclusively occupy the 15,000 subsidized first-year bachelor places, ensuring local students' opportunities for further education without affecting non-local students.
