Hong Kong Raises Non-Local Student Quota to 50% from 2026

Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee has announced a significant expansion in the quota for self-financing non-local students at publicly funded universities, raising the cap from 40 percent to 50 percent starting in the 2026-27 academic year. This policy aims to enhance Hong Kong's status as a premier international education hub by increasing the diversity of its student body, targeting broader regions including Belt and Road economies, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and English-speaking countries. Alongside this, the over-enrolment ceiling for self-financing research postgraduate programs will increase from 100 percent to 120 percent. To support this growth, the government plans to expand student accommodation by allowing the conversion of commercial buildings into hostels and earmarking new sites for hostel construction. Additionally, a new Task Force on Study in Hong Kong will be established to promote the city globally through campaigns like “Hong Kong: Your World-class Campus,” backed by substantial funding for publicity and overseas recruitment. These initiatives reflect a broader vision to cement Hong Kong’s global leadership in education and foster a cosmopolitan academic community with international teaching and research talents.