Record non-DSE university admissions in Hong Kong spark calls for quotas

AI-summarized · Neutrality-checked

Public universities in Hong Kong admitted a record number of students through non-DSE qualifications, with the intake increasing by 63 percent over seven years to occupy nearly 30 percent of 15,000 government-funded places. Conversely, the intake of students via the local Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exam fell by 7 percent, reducing their representation among the eight government-funded universities from 82 percent to 72 percent. This shift, identified through an analysis of University Grants Committee (UGC) data from 2019-20 to 2025-26, prompted calls for an admission cap to protect local interests.

Consequences

The reduction in available DSE spots reportedly drove up admission scores, leading to complaints from local students who met previous cohort medians but failed to secure enrollment. These developments necessitated a potential debate regarding the establishment of quotas for alternative qualification admissions to safeguard access for local exam candidates.

Sources

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