‘Study in Hong Kong’ campaign well-timed but city needs to do more, ranking firm says
Quacquarelli Symonds tells Post city has advantages over many Western education destinations but universities still falling short in areas
A major global university ranking company has said the city’s new “Study in Hong Kong” campaign launched at an opportune time given the fee rises, quotas and visa problems experienced at institutions in some traditionally popular destinations in the West.
But Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a British-based education information firm, said Hong Kong needed to put more effort into improving students’ employability and the reputation of universities among employers.
In an interview with the Post, QS CEO Jessica Turner said the “Study in Hong Kong” campaign came at a good time, as traditional education destinations in the West were suffering from various problems that were driving away international students.
“Australia has international student caps, the UK has been making it less attractive for international students with higher fees, the inability to bring dependants, which has made the UK more difficult and potentially less welcoming,” said Turner, who was in Hong Kong hosting a QS event on higher education.
“It’s hard to get visas to go into the US, and also now the geopolitical uncertainty with the election.
“Certainly in the next couple of years, students are much more open to other destinations, because they understand that it’s not as certain as it has been in the past that they would be able to find a place at a university in Australia, Canada or the UK or US, and those big four destinations, all of them have problems.”
