Editorial | Ensure safeguards as university fees rise in Hong Kong
- Scholarships and other financial subsidies by non-government agencies should be strengthened so that no Hong Kong student will be denied access to higher education
That local universities continue to outrank many of their regional counterparts while charging reasonably low fees owes much to the government’s once-robust fiscal health and commitment to offering quality and affordable education.
As the ballooning budget deficit compels a review of a wide range of fees and charges, adjustments to the 27-year tuition fee freeze was only a matter of time.
Officials have pledged to proceed carefully, taking into account affordability and the financial sustainability of the sector, and rightly so.
The annual rise of about 5.5 per cent for programmes subsidised by the University Grants Committee means students will pay HK$2,400 more in 2025 and another HK$2,500 in each of the following two years.
Modest as it seems, it translates into a total increase of 17.6 per cent, with the actual amount climbing from the current HK$42,100 to HK$44,500 in 2025-26, and to HK$47,000 and HK$49,500 in the following years. Sub-degree programme fees will also rise from HK$15,040 to HK$17,800 by 2027.
