The safe return of Yin Riqiang, the mainland student from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology who had been missing for a fortnight, was a big relief for his parents and classmates. But this incident evokes worrying thoughts. Don't get me wrong. I am not suggesting that mainland students are troublemakers. On the contrary, they are more bookish than their peers from Hong Kong and overseas. Their presence in classrooms has promoted intercultural exchange and learning. But universities here appear to be unprepared for the array of issues arising from the influx of this new type of settlers. Unlike students from elsewhere in the world, mainlanders arrive at the Hong Kong border under a particular stress - to maintain high grades throughout their period of study here. Mr Yin's disappearance was closely related to his waning academic performance last year, and the subsequent loss of his scholarship this year. His strange behaviour - hanging out in internet cafes in Shenzhen instead of returning to school - suggests the situation took a heavy toll on his emotional well-being. To provide incentives for mainland students, universities here have handed out fat subsidies, including scholarships and bulk reductions in tuition fees. This gives offspring from humble families a chance to realise their dreams for an education outside the mainland. But it also means that they must always maintain top grades vis-a-vis their peers, which is difficult. Once in Hong Kong, mainland newcomers find themselves vying with high achievers from other provinces, cities and counties for a given amount of scholarship funding. Such competition means success will always be limited, and the chances of getting a scholarship decrease as the size of each new class expands. Severe competition for scholarships is a way of life for students from everywhere, of course. But it becomes particularly stressful for mainlanders because the majority of their families cannot afford the normal cost of higher education in Hong Kong, given the wide income disparity between the two places. Losing a scholarship thus can translate into emotional trauma for students and their families. Mr Yin's case was the tip of the iceberg of mainland students' financial vulnerability. If they can find lucrative jobs here, or if a certificate from a Hong Kong university gives them a competitive edge when they return home, all the hardships will be worth it. In fact, it is with just such assumptions that parents wave off their only child to Hong Kong, a city many know about only from television screens or glossy magazines. But jobs here and a competitive edge at home remain to be tested in a distant future. Hong Kong's economy booms and busts in cycles. The value of education on the mainland has risen faster than anyone could have imagined. The debts and emotional endurance needed for four years in Hong Kong could be risky investments, just like buying dot.com shares a decade ago. This year, the intake of mainlanders at eight government-subsidised universities totalled 1,500, a 10 per cent increase from last year. It adds up to a sizeable group of people over four or five years. Issues concerning them thus deserve close attention, and remedies have to be sought quickly before problems get bloated. One way to ease their day-after shock is to give them an accurate picture of what to expect before they arrive. Consciously or unconsciously, university recruiters and the media tend to beautify the reality of living and studying in Hong Kong. A second remedy would be developing alternative sources of financial support for mainlanders, easing the pressure of affordability. The third measure would be providing a dignified exit channel for those who want to return home before their programmes end. Most importantly, proper emotional-support networks have to be built on campuses so that mainland talents can develop both their knowledge and emotional strength. Kitty Poon, an assistant professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, is a part-time member of the government's Central Policy Unit