Hong Kong’s universities are internationally renowned for their excellence in many different fields, attracting students from all around the world to study in the city.
Hannah Yu is among them. Hailing from Zhejiang, she is an undergraduate student in City University’s School of Law. She describes the university as having an international atmosphere, with various courses being taught by visiting foreign scholars.
“Hong Kong is the bridge between the east and west,” she said. “Here we can have more chance to interact with people with diverse backgrounds. And also, Hong Kong is one of the few common law jurisdictions in Asia.”
The university also provides a number of exchange programmes, with Hannah having been on short-term exchange visits to Oxford University in the UK and another university in Sweden.
“I think this experience is what Hong Kong gives me,” she said.
Universities in Hong Kong encourage exchange learning by developing exchange programmes and offering financial assistance to participating students. As of the end of November last year, universities funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC) had signed more than 2,600 student exchange agreements with institutions around the world.
Cultural diversity
City University has been ranked as the world’s most international university by the British magazine Times Higher Education for two consecutive years, and its many non-local students help to create a richly multicultural environment.
Ivelina Karaatanasova from Bulgaria is an undergraduate student at the university’s School of Creative Media. She explained that she chose to study in Hong Kong because she wanted to explore creative environments outside of Europe.
Owing to the university’s highly internationalised environment, she has met people from all kinds of backgrounds, allowing her to think innovatively and understand diverse perspectives.
She added that she enjoys Hong Kong’s vibrant lifestyle and hopes to stay in the city after graduation if she can find an opportunity to develop her career here.
Abundant opportunities
Kevin Frans Periatna from Indonesia agrees that Hong Kong boasts unique advantages and offers a diverse range of opportunities for graduates.
An undergraduate in City University’s College of Business, he was inspired to step out of his comfort zone and come to Hong Kong by the example of his elder brother, a City University graduate.
He highlighted that Hong Kong provides diversified options for graduate career paths, adding that the Government offers extensive support for startups, backed by a flourishing ecosystem in the city. Kevin plans to stay in Hong Kong after graduating to develop his career or even start his own business.
He also emphasised the part cultural diversity plays in ensuring the university’s success.
“There will not be innovation if there are no different opinions,” he said. “By having different people from different cultures, it could make the university become one of the best universities.”
Talent acquisition
To further develop Hong Kong into an international education hub for post-secondary education, the Government doubled the enrolment ceiling for non-local students of government-funded post-secondary institutions to 40% from the current academic year.
UGC Secretariat Secretary-General Prof James Tang said that having more foreign students studying in Hong Kong is beneficial to the city.
“On the one hand, it will attract talent to Hong Kong,” he said. “On the other hand, it helps local students in appreciating and understanding diverse cultures.”
The number of non-local students has gradually increased over the past five years. In the current academic year, the number of such students enrolling in UGC-funded programmes reached about 26,600, adding to growing demand for student accommodation.
The Government set up the Hostel Development Fund in 2018 to support the construction of student hostels by UGC-funded universities. With the completion of various hostel projects coming to fruition, it is expected that the total capacity of the city’s student accommodation will increase to around 50,000.
