Last year, it recruited 220 Hong Kong students, up from 193 in 2003 and 158 in 2002.

Form Five and Form Seven graduates usually share the number of places equally.

'It is out of date to look down on mainland universities,' said Tu Wei, vice-director of the Hong Kong office of Huaqiao University.

'As China's economy is growing and Hong Kong and the mainland are becoming closer, some parents want to send their children to study in China as this may give them a winning edge in the market in the future.'

But he admitted that at the moment most Hong Kong students choose to study on the mainland because their poor examination results meant they would not be accepted into local universities.

Form Five applicants who score four or less points in the HKCEE have to study a two-year foundation course at a mainland university before moving on to a full degree course.

Students with better results need to only study a one-year bridging course.

'We will interview all applicants and select the promising ones,' said Mr Tu. 'Successful candidates will be allocated to different classes according to their standard.'

On the mainland, it takes four years to earn a bachelor's degree.

Mr Tu believes that many Hong Kong students, even those with poor public exam results, are eager to study further. And because demand exceeds the number of places available, mainland universities make a good alternative.

Sze Ching-ching, 24, entered Huaqiao University after completing Form Seven four years ago.

She scored two Ds and two Es in the Hong Kong A-Level examinations.

'I could have chosen to study for a higher diploma in Hong Kong, but I really wanted a bachelor's degree. Overseas universities were too expensive and far away from home, so I decided to study on the mainland,' she said.

The fresh tourism graduate recalled having to cope with a different culture and not being fluent in Putonghua at the beginning.

But she said she never felt lonely because the university arranged for students from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and other Asian countries to attend orientations together.

Non-local students study separately from mainland students in the first two years.

Ms Sze is now looking for a job in tourism. She said potential employers have shown interest in her mainland educational background.

She is confident that she will find a position related to the mainland tourism market.

Huaqiao University's annual tuition fee ranges from $7,500 to $10,000. The cost of accommodation ranges from $1,200 to $5,500 a year. Hong Kong Form Five graduates can apply from August 11 to 17. For enquires, call 2564 5133.