Whether it's the end of the college entrance examination in mainland China or the end of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) examination, candidates are always filled with mixed emotions of anticipation and anxiety while waiting for the results to be announced.
During this period, both Hong Kong and mainland students will be troubled by their future paths.
However, before candidates and parents plan for the future, Thong Tsai would like to tell you an important news: the tuition fees of major universities in Hong Kong are about to rise!
According to the survey, more than half of the owners of "market food shops" said that they wanted to move back and continue to move back after the redevelopment of Kowloon City to pass on the taste of Dragon City.
Tuition fees are rising!
Historically, Hong Kong students have seemed to prefer to stay in Hong Kong for university education.
According to the Hong Kong Education Bureau's Articulation Survey of Secondary 6 graduates last year, a whopping 90.6% of the graduates chose to pursue further studies in Hong Kong.
Only 9.4 per cent, or 3,609 students, chose to study outside Hong Kong.
(Photo: Sing Tao Headlines)
One of the key factors is that Hong Kong's universities are relatively less competitive and more cost-effective!
You must know that the tuition, accommodation and living expenses involved in studying abroad are not cheap!
For example, studying in the UK or Australia will cost at least 600,000 yuan per year, while going to the United States may cost as much as 800,000 yuan!
And you'll have to be prepared to save enough money to cover four years' expenses, which is not a small amount, which is a heavy financial burden for many families.
Therefore, after careful consideration, many parents also feel that it is more cost-effective for their children to stay in Hong Kong for further education.
However, just when parents are planning for this, Tong Tsai wants to say that the tuition fees of major universities in Hong Kong are about to rise...
(Photo: Internet)
It's all changed!
The Hong Kong government has been reviewing the situation that the tuition fees of various universities have not been adjusted in 27 years, and will send letters to 8 aided universities in the first half of this year, asking them to submit proposals in the second to third quarters!
The University Grants Committee will then meet with these schools and expect to submit its recommendations to the Executive Council by the end of the year, with the increase announced by the end of this year at the earliest, and implemented in the 2025 and 2026 academic years.
(Photo: Sing Tao Headlines)
However, you may have some doubts:
Isn't it true that every year you can see news such as "the tuition fees of the eight major universities in Hong Kong have risen again"? Is it wrong for the Hong Kong government to say that it has not been adjusted for 27 years?
Indeed, everyone is not mistaken. However, in the past, tuition fees for non-local students were adjusted, and they have increased almost every year.
(Photo: Sing Tao Headlines)
For example, take the Hong Kong Polytechnic University this year:
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is open for undergraduate admission for international students admitted in 2024, and the tuition fee has increased from HK$14.5 to HK$160,000 a year!
(Photo: Internet)
Not only Hong Kong PolyU rose, but also the eight universities in Hong Kong, the other 4 rose:
(Photo: Internet)
This time it is a price increase for local students in Hong Kong.
In the past, the tuition fees for mainland students to study in Hong Kong were about 4 times more expensive than those for local students in Hong Kong!
(Photo: Official website of the University of Hong Kong)
This time, it was finally the turn of Hong Kong locals who couldn't laugh.
As for the reason for the price increase, it is also very simple: if the price is not raised, the cost will not be recovered.
Because the eight universities in Hong Kong are all government-funded institutions, that is, funded by the Hong Kong government.
Whereas, the bachelor's program is funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC)! (HKU, The University of Hong Kong; CUHK, Chinese University of Hong Kong; The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology HKUST; CityU, City University of Hong Kong; PolyU, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU); EdUHK, The Education University of Hong Kong; Lingnan University (LU)
(Photo: Internet)
Almost all of the bachelor's degrees in the eight universities in Hong Kong are government-funded degrees, and the annual tuition fee for Hong Kong local students to enter these courses is only more than 40,000 Hong Kong dollars!
However, due to the fact that tuition fees have not been raised, the current tuition fee recovery rate is only about 13%, which is lower than the target rate of 18% set by the SAR government.
Therefore, based on the operating costs of the university, each student needs to pay about HK$60,000 in tuition fees to meet the target rate set by the government.
(Photo: HK$01)
But don't worry, the Secretary for Education of the SAR Government, Choi Yuk-lin, said yesterday that tuition fees will be increased in the new three-year plan, but the increase will not be in place in one step.
That is, it will rise gradually, so that everyone can adapt slowly, and it will not be in place in one step.
(Photo: HK$01)
Not only that, but the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) examination fee may no longer be fully waived!
It is important to know that from 2019 to 2024, the Hong Kong government has paid examination fees for candidates of the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) schools for six consecutive years, and this year, the expenditure on paying the examination fees alone is as high as 151 million yuan.
In other words, before students, it was free for students to take the DSE exam!
However, in the new budget, the Hong Kong government has not proposed to waive the examination fee for the HKDSE. So maybe from next year, the Hong Kong government will no longer pay the exam fees!
(Photo: HK$01)
Blessed are the mainland!
It is not difficult for everyone to find that the tuition fees of the eight universities in Hong Kong can be seen from the big difference between Hong Kong local students and mainland students.
But this year there is also good news for Hong Kong's "non-local students"!
The number of non-local students enrolled in the eight public schools in Hong Kong will double from 2024/25 onwards!
(Photo: Sing Tao Headlines)
For example, the Chinese University of Hong Kong plans to increase the number of mainland college entrance examination students from the previous 100 to 400 this year.
Therefore, it is undoubtedly good news for students who want to study in Hong Kong in the future, especially for students who want to sprint to prestigious schools in Hong Kong.
Finally, there has been controversy in recent years about the huge difference in tuition fees between local and non-local students in Hong Kong.
So what do you think about the increase in tuition fees of major universities in Hong Kong?