Entry tougher at HK universities

Hong Kong universities have raised the bar for Chinese mainland students due to the increasing number of applications.

The comparatively low cost of tuition and living expenses and the world-recognized quality in higher education in Hong Kong attract mainland students to pursue higher education there.

Since the mainland and Hong Kong agreed to recognize each other's higher education degrees in 2004, Hong Kong has become a hot destination for mainland students to experience "international" education.

"The number of applicants is increasing and the admission standard has become more stringent, but the admission rate is becoming lower and lower," said He Chugang, general manager of Amber Education's Southern China region, a Hong Kong-based education counseling firm.

Amber Education filed more than 300 applications from mainland students to graduate programs in Hong Kong universities in the 2014-15 academic year and less than 20 percent of applicants received offers.

"Even less popular programs, such as social work, require competitive face-to-face interviews," He said.

"The enrollment at universities has remained almost the same, but the number of applications have increased, which has made the application process more competitive," he added.

Some universities have raised the bar of admission for the Class 2015.

The University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong will ask all mainland applicants to offer their scores of International English Language Testing System.