Non-local students in subdivided flats highlight Hong Kong’s university hostel shortage
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When Sarah Wong Un-kuan, a student from Macau, was accepted into a university in Hong Kong, she did not expect to be denied a place in a dormitory on campus and having to spend her sophomore year living in a 70 sq ft subdivided flat.
Wong, 22, was among the 10 top scorers in a matriculation test and came to the city three years ago to pursue a bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Hong Kong in Pok Fu Lam.
She was looking forward to a vibrant student life at the 106-year-old institution, part of which was the experience of living in a hall of residence on campus, taking part in inter-hall competitions and pulling all-nighters with hostel mates.
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But it turned out that all the places in HKU’s 13 dormitories had been filled and she was given accommodation in a private flat on Pokfield Road rented by the university. She paid a standard student rate of HK$1,200 a month.
Wong was told she could only live in the off-campus home for one year. She then applied for a place in residential halls for her sophomore year, only to be told at the eleventh hour that her application had been unsuccessful.
“I panicked and was desperate for a place to stay in Hong Kong,” she said.
“It was already the last week of August, very close to the start of the new school year. They just rejected me without telling me why.”
