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Hong Kong
Like most institutions in Hong Kong, the colleges and
universities as well as the governmental entities that fund
and oversee them kept most of their distinctiveness after Hong
Kong passed from its status as a British Colony to its new status
as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China in 1997. Higher
education in Hong Kong is mainly provided
by the
public sector. Universities
and colleges are funded by the government through the University
Grants Committee (UGC), the Vocational Training Council (VTC),
or directly by the government. Universities and colleges supported
by the government through the UGC are called UGC institutions,
and include City University of Hong Kong (CityU), Hong Kong
Institute of Education (HKIEd), The Chinese University of Hong
Kong (CUHK), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
(HKUST), Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), Lingnan University
(LU), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), and The
University of Hong Kong (HKU). In 1998-99, there were about 84,000 full-time equivalent[1]
students enrolled in the UGC institutions, and an additional
26,000 students taking continuing and professional education (CPE) courses in other institutions (UGC, 1999). The
participation rate for undergraduates[2]
in the UGC institutions in 1999 was 18 percent (UGC, 2000). The University Grants Committee advises the Government
of the Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on the development
and funding of higher education, and is directly responsible
for the public grants to the above-mentioned eight tertiary
institutions. Money is normally allocated to each institution
in the form of a triennial block grant with little or no restriction
as to its distribution between activities (UGC, 1996). Funding to higher education from all sources in Hong
Kong accounted for 1.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP)
in 1998, compared with 0.4 percent in Japan, 1.0 percent in
Germany, and 1.1 percent in the U.S. The public expenditure
on higher education as a percentage of the total public expenditures
was 5.6 percent in Hong Kong, compared to 1.5 percent in Japan,
3.3 percent in the U.S., and 2.7 percent in the U.K. Student loan/grant programs in Hong Kong are mainly
provided by the Student Financial Assistance Agency. The agency offers financial
assistance in the form of grants and loans through two programs:
the Local Student Finance Scheme, and the Non-Means Tested Loan
Scheme. In the 1999-2000 academic year, grants and/or loans through the Local Student Finance Scheme were provided to 47 percent of the student population.
The assistance is provided in the form of a grant to cover tuition
fees, academic expenses and compulsory union fees and/or a loan
to cover living expenses. Starting in the 1998-99 academic year, eligible full-time
and part-time students may also apply for loans under the Non-Means
Tested Loan Scheme (NLS). This scheme offers loans up to the
amount of tuition to applicants who have not applied (cannot
apply) for financial assistance due to ineligibility or who
fail to receive assistance from the means-tested scheme (i.e. LSFS). The NLS loans are paid directly
to higher education institutions in lieu of tuition fees. The Non-Means-Tested Loan Scheme provided loans to
another 11,000 full-time students in publicly-funded tertiary
institutions in the 1999-2000 academic year (Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region Government, 2000). For the UGC funded-institutions, tuition and fees from
students are not a major source of income, though they do provide
important revenue. The minimum level of tuition and student
fees in the UGC-funded institutions is set by the government[3]
in accordance with the current policy that the cost recovery
rate should be 18 percent. Among the UGC funded-institutions,
there is no differentiation between academic programs or between
institutions in terms of tuition fees. II. Estimated Expenses of Higher Education Hong Kong (National currency HK$ converted to $ US
1. Low: lower special and other fees and other educational expenses, living at home with parents. 2. Moderate: moderate special and other fees and other educational expenses, living in dormitory or shared apartment. 3. High: high special and other fees and other educational expenses, living as an “independent adult.” References Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
(2000, June 14). Tuition fees of UGC- People’s Daily. (2000, July 7). Tokyo is the
highest (Tokyo ga sekai-ichi)
[Online]. Available: Student Financial Assistance Agency. (2001, February).
Welcome message
[Online]. Available: University Grants Committee. (1996, October). Higher
education in Hong Kong – A report by University Grants Committee. (1999, May). Higher
education in Hong Kong – A report by the University Grants Committee. (2000, August 30a). UGC
statistics [Online]. Available: HO/BJ 11/5/01 [1]
The numbers of part-time students
are converted into “full time equivalents” for
the purposes of student number targets and funding. The conversion
factors are based upon costs (often marginal costs), course
length compared with full time study, and other considerations. [2] The number of first year, first degree places available is compared with the size of the relevant age group, which consists of 17 to 20-year-old. [3] Although the government indicates minimum tuition and fees, the institutions are encouraged to charge higher fees in appropriate circumstances. For example, in some areas of postgraduate work and for a good deal of CPE (Continuing and Professional Education) programs, the market will bear "full-cost" fees. |
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