Education Bureau wants all subsidised university places to go to local students

All government-subsidised university places should go to local students from the 2016-17 academic year, the Education Bureau has proposed to lawmakers.

The University Grants Committee (UGC), which allocates government money to eight universities, funds 15,000 first-year undergraduate-degree places every year. Under the existing system, 600 - or 4 per cent - of those places can be allocated to non-local students, including those from the mainland.

Under the proposed new policy, all 15,000 UGC-funded places would be for local students. Universities could still admit the same number of international students - capped at one-fifth of the approved number of UGC-funded students - but none would be directly funded by the committee.

The proposal needs Legislative Council approval. It comes after criticism that local students were missing out under the existing funding arrangements.

"There are concerns as to whether all approved UGC-funded places should be fully utilised to admit local students, so as to maximise the use of public resources for the benefit of local students," the Education Bureau said in a paper sent to lawmakers.

The policy change would not have any impact on international students, the bureau said. Even if an international student gets one of the 600 UGC-funded places, he or she still pays the same tuition fees as other overseas students, as the subsidy goes to the university - not the student.