East Asia - Country Commercial Guide
Hong Kong Education and Training
Last published date:

Capital:  Hong Kong
Population:  7,249,907 (July 2020 est.)
GDP:  $430.266 billion (2019 est.)
Currency:  Hong Kong Dollar (HKD)
Language:  Cantonese (official), English (official), Mandarin (official)

UNESCO Student Mobility Number
Hong Kong has 36,442 students studying abroad according to UNESCO. 
 
CIA World Factbook  
21.62% of the Hong Kong population is under 24 years of age.

OVERVIEW

Hong Kong had a total of 6,778 students studying in the United States during the 2019-2020 academic year, with 58% of these students at the undergraduate level.  Hong Kong parents have a history of sending their children abroad, and this trend is likely to increase in the near term.  Inquiries about sending students to U.S. high schools have increased significantly.  Interest in overseas education by parents is partly due to political instability and partly due to the work prospects that come with a U.S. education.  In addition, as the University Selection Process in Hong Kong is extremely competitive, it has led some students to seek overseas education outside of Hong Kong, and the U.S. is one of the major study destinations.

On the other hand, the Hong Kong Government has invested a lot of resources to create initiatives to promote STEM education and boost the talent in financial technology.  For instance, the Hong Kong government announced that US $64 million will be deployed over the next three years to local high schools for the procurement of education-related technologies, course materials, and trainings programs.  Moreover, the government organization, Cyberport, has been partnering with MIT and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business to offer a Fintech Bootcamp to local university students.  The government is open for future collaboration with U.S. EdTech companies and universities.

SUB-SECTORS

Secondary Education:  The demand has been growing tremendously for Hong Kong parents to find opportunities for their children to study in U.S. boarding schools.  Parents are now interested in their children starting at boarding school at an earlier age than was historically the case (Grade 7 or 8).

Community College:  There is an emerging market for two-year community colleges, where admission requirements are comparatively lower.  Hong Kong students tend to be more interested in community colleges with guaranteed transferable credits to universities, particularly those schools with established paths to transfer to top tier four-year colleges in the U.S.

Undergraduate:  There is high demand among Hong Kong students to study in U.S. four-year undergraduate programs.  58% of the 6,778 Hong Kong students studying in the United States during the 2019-2020 academic year were pursuing undergraduate studies.  Some of the popular majors include business, engineering, and the humanities. An increasing number of students are also pursuing degrees in journalism, media studies, and computer science in the U.S.

Graduate Education:  Compared to undergraduate programs and secondary education, the demand by local students for graduate education is comparatively lower. During the academic year 2019-2020, 20% of the Hong Kong students studying in U.S. were graduate students.  Outreach to these prospective students is difficult because many of them do their own independent research for schools online and apply directly, without working with education recruitment agents or attending seminars to learn more about graduate education programs.   

Online Programs:  There is a high demand for online programs, especially since the Covid-19 period when social distancing measures have been put in place.  Hong Kong vocational schools, professional institutions, and extension schools of local universities are very interested in collaborating with U.S. universities to provide online bachelors, graduate, and executive programs to local students and professionals in the industry.  Hybrid programs are also another opportunity for cooperation between local and U.S. schools.

Research and Development:  The Hong Kong government has introduced a number of policies and allocated over one hundred billion dollars to support a series of measures for the research and development of innovation and technology.  In 2019, Hong Kong Science & Technology University joined force with Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Standard Medical School, and University College London to set up the city’s first international research center on dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Professional Training Services:  There is a high demand for professional training or short-term executive education programs from the extension schools of local universities, Hong Kong vocational schools, the government-funded academy, and organizations, especially in the fields of digital transformation, innovation, financial technology, AI, blockchain and data science.

Education Technology- There is a growing demand for education technology from local high schools, as the Hong Kong government has announced that it will deploy US $64 million over the next three years to local high schools to procure education-related technologies, course materials, and trainings programs to promote STEM education.

DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES

U.S education institutions can consider promoting their programs to local prospective students through digital marketing.  Some of the most used social media platforms for Hong Kong students include Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.  Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram are especially popular for streaming videos in Hong Kong.  When students research information or search for job opportunities or programs of study overseas, they use Google as a search engine, as well as LinkedIn, Indeed.com and Jobsdb.com, and also look at the schools’ websites and Facebook pages.  Students and parents usually receive education opportunities via Facebook, email, SMS messages, and e-newsletters.  The education institutions in Hong Kong and foreign countries use Facebook, e-newsletters, LinkedIn, and Instagram to promote their education programs and seminars to parents and students in Hong Kong. 

EVENTS

Education and Career Expo (annual): https://event.hktdc.com/fair/hkeducationexpo-en/HKTDC-Education-and-Careers-Expo/
Hong Kong International Education Expo (annual): http://www.newayfairs.com/EN/EventCalender.asp  

Hong Kong Virtual Education Fairs (4 times annually) - 
Organized by the U.S. Commercial Service office in Hong Kong.  Participating U.S. academic institutions come from the following segments:
•    U.S. undergraduate/four-year colleges
•    U.S. community colleges
•    U.S. summer study abroad programs
•    U.S. technical and vocational colleges

RESOURCES

U.S. COMMERCIAL SERVICE CONTACT

Joanna Lam, Commercial Specialist 
U.S. Commercial Service – Hong Kong
Email:  joanna.lam@trade.gov
Phone:  +852 2521-3721