Hong Kong universities squeeze local students with surge in alternative admissions

A 63 per cent surge in non-DSE admissions to Hong Kong's eight public universities over seven years has pushed students entering through alternative qualifications to nearly 30 per cent of the 15,000 government-funded places, according to South China Morning Post analysis of University Grants Committee data.

The shift has squeezed home-grown students sitting the city's main university entrance examination, whose intake dropped 7 per cent during the same period and now represents just 72 per cent of government-funded places, down from 82 per cent. The data covers first-year-first-degree admissions from 2019-20 to 2025-26 across all eight UGC-funded institutions.

Rising admission scores hit local students

The shrinking share for Diploma of Secondary Education exam-takers is driving up the scores needed to secure a university place, according to Ng Po-shing, a student guidance consultant at Hok Yau Club and vice-principal of a secondary school.

"More students are complaining that they failed to get into certain programmes though they met the median score in the previous cohort," Ng said, calling for a cap on admissions through alternative qualifications to safeguard local interests.

Non-DSE intake climbs steadily

Non-DSE admissions to government-funded Year One places have shown an upward trend in both overall numbers and proportions over the six-year period examined. The Diploma of Secondary Education remains the city's main university entrance examination.

The SCMP isolated the trends after analysing UGC data sets on students admitted with DSE and non-DSE qualifications. The findings have prompted debate over whether quotas should be imposed to protect access for students educated through Hong Kong's secondary school system.

Source: South China Morning Post