 | Education in Hong Kong: Encyclopedia II - Education in Hong Kong - Tertiary education
Education in Hong Kong - Tertiary education
With a stunning eight universities and several other tertiary institutions in just one city, tertiary education plays a key role in the education system of Hong Kong. The number of tertiary education graduates (as proposed by Hong Kong Government) would increase to 60% of Hong Kong's population by 2010. Therefore, the number of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, associate degree programmes and higher diploma programmes will be increased substantially in the coming years, barring any universities merging.
Of the 36660 students who attended the HKALE in 2003, 18049 (50.3%) of them fulfilled their general entry requirement to their respective university, usually a pass in Chinese Language and Culture and Use of English, plus another two A-level subjects (or one A-level subject and two AS-level subjects). Students who sit for the HKALE first time have a success rate of 75.8%. There are 19 different A-level and 20 different AS-level subjects available. Of the 39, 32 subjects can be answered in Chinese. (Source: Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority)
However, local universities provide only 14500 places for degree programmes, which means about 4000 students have to consider other options for their tertiary studies, e.g. higher diploma programmes and associate degrees.
The duration of the associate degrees and higher diploma programmes is usually two years. Students can then either transfer to a full undergraduate degree program in local universities or foreign universities if they meet certain academic requirements. They usually start from the first year, although sometimes they may be allowed to start from the second, if their course credits are transferrable. Thus, in a way, students who performed badly in the HKALEs are given a 'second chance'.
In the past, only a few local universities provided associate degree programmes. As the demand for these programmes increased, other organisations such as Po Leung Kuk, Caritas, etc. also began to provide associate degree programmes. The tution fees for these courses were also less than those for local universities, partially reflecting their standard. The cost of undergraduate, full-degree, full-time programmes tend to be around HK$40,000 - 50,000 a year, with the cost being higher for engineering and medical students. The reason for this relatively low cost is due to heavy government subsidisation.
The University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong are considered by most the top two universities in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, the standard in other universities is not low, and depends heavily on the subject studied. In particular, there has been strong competition from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), espcially in the fields of technology and business administration. Indeed, HKUST fared better than the Chinese University in the 2004 Times Educational Supplement rankings.
Postgraduate study is more exclusive. Since many Hong Kong students would choose to complete their postgraduate studies abroad, this has resulted in an insufficient number of local applicants, making the overall standard unimpressive. However, this is greatly compensated by students mainly from regional countries, who provide an unusually international outlook, compared to undergraduate education. After the handover of Hong Kong to People's Republic of China in 30th June 1997, students from Mainland China are ubiquitous in Hong Kong universities campuses. In fact, most non-Hong Kong postgraduate and undergraduate students in local universities come from Mainland China.
Being an international city, Hong Kong's tertiary institutions have many exchange student programmes with foreign universities, not just from the US and the UK, but also from many other countries, including Switzerland, Canada, Italy and Singapore, to name a few. As most exchange student programmes are one year long, this is the perfect way for students of other countries to broaden their horizons and enjoy and experience the vibrant life as well as all else that Hong Kong has to offer. Apart from the pollution, rarely has there been a complaint about life or the quality of education in this never-sleeping city.
Other related archives1841, 1970s, 1997, 2003, 2005, A-level, A-levels, AS-level, August, British, Britons, Caritas, Chinese, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Direct Subsidy Scheme, Education by country, Education in Hong Kong, Education in mainland China, English, English education system, Filipinos, GCSE, HK$, HKALE, HKCEE, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Education and Manpower Bureau, Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, Hong Kong Government, Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, IGCSE, International Baccalaureate, List of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Native locals (Puntis), OECD, Open University of Hong Kong, PISA, Peking Duck, People's Republic of China, Po Leung Kuk, SATs, South Asians, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, The University of Hong Kong, University of Hong Kong, associate degree, handover, higher diploma, list of schools in Hong Kong, secondary education, tertiary institutions, that of the United Kingdom
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Tertiary education", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
