The number of Hong Kong students studying for undergraduate degrees in the US has hit a record low, falling below 3,000 for the first time in more than 50 years, according to official data.
The high cost of US education and emigration routes in other countries had spurred parents and students to look for opportunities elsewhere, said Ng Po-shing, a consultant with the Hok Yau Club, a youth counselling organisation.
Further possible restrictions under the next administration led by Donald Trump might also reduce the number of international students from Hong Kong even more, Ng added.
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According to the latest US government-sponsored annual survey by the Institute of International Education, there were 2,762 undergraduates from Hong Kong in the country in the last school year.
They were among 5,627 Hongkongers enrolled in tertiary education programmes, including bachelor, graduate and non-degree courses.
The figure marked a drop of 4 per cent from the previous school year and a record low since 1969-70, when there were 7,202 Hongkongers studying in the country.
Hong Kong has seen a declining number of students pursuing higher education in the US since 2015-16, when the number started to fall below 8,000 and then under 7,000 in 2018-19.
The Covid pandemic pushed down the number to below 6,000 in 2020-21, with just a slight uptick of 0.3 per cent in 2022-23.
Ng said parents aiming to send children overseas might have switched to the United Kingdom, Canada or Australia in recent years because those countries offered Hong Kong students and their families bespoke immigration routes.
“With these three countries now offering emigration routes, parents may give up the choice of their children studying in the US,” he said.
Ng said more students were also receiving offers by local tertiary institutions as the number of secondary school leavers declined.
“As the number of students pursuing tertiary education in Hong Kong has been decreasing ... students are presented with more local choices to pursue their studies,” Ng said.
He added parents choosing the US might also be put off by high tuition fees and living expenses when compared with other study destinations.
US public universities charge at least HK$220,000 (US$28,265) per year, followed by HK$150,000 in Australia and HK$110,000 in the United Kingdom and Canada, according to IDP, an education consultancy in global education services.
He said the number of Chinese students studying in the US, including those from Hong Kong, might be affected by the next administration under Trump, who implemented more restrictive immigration policies during his last tenure in 2017 to 2021.
“If there are more restrictions or unwelcoming sentiment against overseas students in the future under Donald Trump, more students will turn to other places,” he added.
The shrinking number of students going to the US to study was also in line with the results of a survey conducted by Hong Kong’s education authorities.
Only about 87 Form Six students graduating in 2023 picked the US as their further study destination out of 3,609 students surveyed, and it was the first time the number had fallen below 100.
Hong Kong is not the only place in Asia to lose its interest in the US as a study destination, with mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand sending fewer students to American higher education institutions compared with 2022-23.
Mainland China was also overtaken by India as the top source of international students in the US for the first time in about 15 years, according to the data.
More from South China Morning Post:
- As number of Chinese students in US keeps falling, Indians move to top of list
- Hongkongers may face tougher university admission standards in Australia due to cap
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