Hong Kong Education

Hong Kong parents have a history of sending their children abroad, and this trend is likely to increase in the near term. According to EducationUSA, a total of 6,917 Hong Kong students studied in the United States during the 2018/2019 academic year, of which 59.2 percent were undergraduate studentsThe number of graduate students and OPT students are on the rise, according to 2019 statistics.  Inquiries of sending students in high school level have increased significantly.

Interest in overseas education by parents is partly due to political instability and partly due to work prospects that come with a U.S. education. The U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong has noticed recruiting successes by community colleges, U.S. high schools, and universities that have in the past been lesser known. This is a change from the past practice of Hong Kong parents often only pursuing “big name” schools for U.S. higher education.

Increasing difficulty of the secondary public school examination has led some students to seek English-based university education outside of Hong Kong. Other major study destinations include the UK, Australia, Canada, Japan, and Germany in recent years. Lower tuition and easier admissions procedures are major factors influencing students’ decisions.

Leading Subsectors

Four-Year Degree University: There is high demand among Hong Kong students to study in U.S. four-years undergraduate programs. Some of the popular majors include Business, Engineering and Humanities. An increasing number of students are also pursuing degrees in Journalism and Media Studies in the U.S.

Community Colleges: There is an emerging market for two-year community colleges where admission requirements are comparatively lower. Hong Kong students tend to be more interested in community colleges with guaranteed transferable credits to universities, particularly those schools with established paths to transfer to top four- year colleges in the U.S.

High Schools/ Boarding Schools:There are a growing number of Hong Kong parents interested in finding opportunities for their children to study in U.S. boarding schools, and starting at an earlier age than was historically the case (Grade 7 or 8).

Successful Stories in Hong Kong: A number of U.S. universities, community colleges and boarding schools have met with Hong Kong agents, high school counselors, vocational and extensions schools through the education seminars and meetings organized by the U.S. Commercial Service, which subsequently led to the signing of contracts for program collaboration and student enrollment for U.S. programs.

For more information please contact:
U.S. Commercial Service, Hong Kong
Email: office.hongkong@trade.gov
Phone: +852 2521 1467