At least 750 students from the Chinese mainland have received college educations at Hong Kong-based universities since the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) took the lead in admitting mainland students in 1998.
Following CUHK, the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology also began admitting mainland students.
Richard Ho, registrar with CUHK, said 30 mainland students are expected to be enrolled in his university next month.
"The 30 students passed the national college entrance examination," Ho said. "An interview will be added for the candidates in a bid to test their language and presentation abilities, which is my main job here."
Ho said English speaking and writing skills are highlighted for candidates, who must choose any subject from 47 offered subjects.
Business administration, communications and sociology are among the most preferred subjects for mainland students, Ho said.
The admitted students can also apply for an annual scholarship of HK$100,000 (US$12,800) provided by the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and private donations, which covers tuition fees, accommodations and other payments, Ho said.
According to the official, the university has admitted 150 mainland's students since 1998, when CUHK became the first university in Hong Kong to admit mainland students at college level.
The move to admit mainland students was able to draw from the pool of talented mainland students to Hong Kong, where they would receive higher education in a different style from the mainland so that they can serve as a bridge in the academic and scientific exchanges between the two locations.
Luen Chih-biau, a senior executive for Programme Development at the China Link Programme Development Unit in the Office of Academic Links, has seen short-term exchanges and co-operation between CUHK and mainland academic institutions since 1978.
Luen said the past 24 years have been fruitful in co-operation in the field of academics and scientific research between CUHK and the mainland universities.
This co-operative field is expected to increase even more since China has entered the World Trade Organization, particularly in areas such as policy research, officials' training and regional culture research, Luen added.
(China Daily August 23, 2002)
