https://www.scmp.com/rss/522105/feed The latest news and top stories on University Grants Committee. A prominent Hong Kong based governmental body, the University Grants Committee (UGC) is dedicated to advising the government on the funding and strategic development of higher education. Its main areas of focus include allocating recurrent grants to eight public universities, promoting quality assurance, supporting academic research and fostering internationalisation. Established in 1965, the UGC plays a significant role in... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng Hong Kong should move beyond a “city-centred” approach that merely seeks Beijing’s policy support and instead take steps to align with national priorities by advancing the internationalisation of the yuan and supporting mainland Chinese enterprises’ global expansion, observers have said as this year’s “two sessions” came to a close. With the annual political gathering ending amid the widening war in the Middle East, observers also said Beijing would expect local companies to pursue investments... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3346563/what-are-hong-kongs-next-best-steps-after-two-sessions-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3346563/what-are-hong-kongs-next-best-steps-after-two-sessions-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 04:00:23 +0000 Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng Hong Kong authorities are open to supporting universities in issuing bonds to fund the development of the proposed University Town in the Northern Metropolis, with lawmakers calling for a dedicated approval and credit rating mechanism. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po told a meeting of the Legislative Council’s Finance Committee on Thursday the issuance of a “tertiary education bond” to support the University Town’s construction would be considered. The University Town, which will include the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3344766/authorities-open-backing-universities-issuing-bonds-fund-megaproject-campuses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3344766/authorities-open-backing-universities-issuing-bonds-fund-megaproject-campuses?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 12:43:54 +0000 William Yiu William Yiu Hong Kong’s universities have proved highly popular among mainland Chinese students, while interest is growing among those from Southeast Asia and countries taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative, the education minister has said. Speaking at a reception for “Study in Hong Kong Week” on Monday, Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin said the city was now attracting more students from outside the mainland. The wider event will run until Sunday. “While Hong Kong is highly popular among... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3344374/hong-kong-universities-enjoy-growing-appeal-belt-and-road-asean-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3344374/hong-kong-universities-enjoy-growing-appeal-belt-and-road-asean-students?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 13:57:29 +0000 William Yiu William Yiu Hong Kong public universities had more than 20,000 non-local undergraduate students in the second academic year since the government doubled quotas, a 17 per cent year-on-year increase, as the education minister promised to review the threshold. The Education University of Hong Kong (EdU) saw the sharpest increase in non-local undergraduate students under the policy, jumping by 90 per cent over three academic years, followed by Baptist University. Starting in the 2024-25 academic year, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3343576/how-many-non-local-students-are-going-hong-kong-universities-quota-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3343576/how-many-non-local-students-are-going-hong-kong-universities-quota-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 08:01:59 +0000 William Yiu William Yiu Seven of Hong Kong’s eight publicly funded universities have admitted a smaller proportion of students who took the local school curriculum over the past decade, while increasing their intake of those who sat international exams, official statistics show. The only one institution to buck the trend is the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), where the proportion of local students who sat the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) has increased during the same period. The Post analysed the latest... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3330330/non-local-exams-rise-hong-kong-public-universities-admit-fewer-dse-pupils?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3330330/non-local-exams-rise-hong-kong-public-universities-admit-fewer-dse-pupils?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 01:00:21 +0000 William Yiu William Yiu The number of international first-year students at Hong Kong’s public universities remained below pre-pandemic levels in the last academic year despite the government doubling quotas for non-locals, with an admissions official saying Singapore has emerged as a growing education powerhouse. The official from a local university also said some overseas students preferred to study in Singapore over Hong Kong because the city state’s strong rankings reflected its educational status. In Hong Kong,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3328660/hong-kong-fight-foreign-university-students-singapore-emerges-rival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3328660/hong-kong-fight-foreign-university-students-singapore-emerges-rival?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Oct 2025 01:00:17 +0000 Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng Hong Kong authorities have reached out to diplomats and foreign business chambers to attract more overseas students, especially those from belt and road countries, in a bid to diversify local campuses, with the city further increasing non-local undergraduate quotas at its universities. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also said on Friday that the government would work on reducing costs “carefully” and “progressively” to ensure the city’s economic competitiveness and market stability. In his... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3326098/hong-kong-taps-diplomats-foreign-chambers-draw-non-local-undergrads-john-lee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3326098/hong-kong-taps-diplomats-foreign-chambers-draw-non-local-undergrads-john-lee?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Sep 2025 05:29:18 +0000 William Yiu William Yiu Hong Kong’s public universities will not be asked to return funds from their reserves again, the city’s education minister has said, months after authorities announced an unprecedented clawback of HK$4 billion (US$513 million) from eight institutions. Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin also said that an “accountability agreement” signed by the University Grants Committee (UGC) and the individual institutions in June sought to ensure they would implement what they had promised. While... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3324096/hong-kongs-universities-will-not-be-asked-return-funds-again-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3324096/hong-kongs-universities-will-not-be-asked-return-funds-again-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 13:53:50 +0000 William Yiu William Yiu The average annual salary of university graduates in Hong Kong jumped 4.8 per cent to HK$329,000 (US$42,180) last year, with social science degree holders performing the best among all disciplines in terms of pay increments. Graduates of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) enjoyed the highest pay, with their average annual salary rising above HK$400,000 for the first time. The University Grants Committee, a government advisory body that allocates funding for higher education institutions, on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3320971/graduate-pay-rises-48-hong-kong-average-who-earned-most?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3320971/graduate-pay-rises-48-hong-kong-average-who-earned-most?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Aug 2025 10:14:13 +0000 William Yiu William Yiu Children of non-local talent will be required to stay in Hong Kong for at least two years to become eligible for resident student benefits at publicly funded tertiary education institutions from the 2028-29 academic year, as part of efforts to prevent abuse. Authorities said on Thursday that eligibility would be tightened over a transition period, with a one-year residency requirement introduced for 2027-28 applications, before the threshold rose to two years for 2028-29, to give people a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3320251/children-non-local-talent-must-reside-2-years-hong-kong-education-benefits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3320251/children-non-local-talent-must-reside-2-years-hong-kong-education-benefits?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jul 2025 06:24:25 +0000 William Yiu William Yiu Hong Kong’s eight public universities have promised to return more recurrent funding allocated to them if asked by the government within the next three academic years, as part of an agreement which also requires them to align the city’s higher education with national development. In new documents signed with their funding body, the universities also agreed that the government had the right to reduce the amount of their regular funding allocation if they failed to meet their commitments or had... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3319858/hong-kong-public-universities-agree-return-more-funding-if-asked?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3319858/hong-kong-public-universities-agree-return-more-funding-if-asked?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 10:19:43 +0000