Study in Hong Kong but live outside? How students are grappling with hostel crunch
Mainland Chinese student Corner Zhang, 18, is searching for a place to stay for his second year at a university in Hong Kong after his application for campus housing was rejected.
Advertisement
He had a shared dormitory room for his first year, but publicly funded Baptist University in Kowloon Tong has not assured him of accommodation for the new academic year, which begins in September.
Like other universities in the city, it does not have enough student housing for everyone who applies. Baptist University only guarantees housing to locals for a year and to non-locals in their first year of study.
'Half the non-local students I know are in the same situation,' Zhang said.
While the number of local students in full-time undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the current academic year dropped by around 0.5 per cent to 115,298 from a decade ago, the number of non-locals more than doubled to 76,325 from 27,187 in 2015-16, according to official data.
Henry Li says he will consider renting a flat on the mainland if it becomes a struggle to find an affordable living space near Baptist University. Photo: May Tse
The shortage of student housing has become a pressing problem even as city leader John Lee Ka-chiu pledged in his policy blueprint last year to make Hong Kong a global post-secondary education hub and attract more overseas students through scholarships and other incentives.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Japan flags 216 days of Chinese intrusions near East China Sea islands
Japan has spotted Chinese vessels sailing near disputed islets in the East China Sea for a record 216 consecutive days, according to Tokyo's coastguard. Advertisement The Tokyo-administered islets, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China and Senkakus in Japan, have long been a sore point between the neighbours. On Sunday, Japan said it observed four Chinese coastguard vessels sailing in the 'contiguous' zone, referring to a 12-nautical-mile (22km) band that extends beyond Japan's territorial waters. Last year, Chinese vessels sailed near the Tokyo-administered island chain more than 350 times , including for a period of 215 consecutive days, a Japanese coastguard spokesman said. Japanese officials regularly protest against the presence of the Chinese coastguard and other vessels in the waters surrounding the disputed islands.
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Tackle discrimination against Pakistanis in Hong Kong at the roots
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@ or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification The core strength of a global city like Hong Kong lies in multiculturalism. However, the challenges faced by the Pakistani community, highlighted at a forum on May 27, are stark and deeply concerning. Higher unemployment rates, lower-than-average income levels and the highest poverty rate in the city reveal a profound crisis of systemic inequality. While inadequate Chinese language skills and lower educational attainment are often cited, the root cause is deeply entrenched systemic discrimination. From educational segregation and workplace exclusion to social marginalisation, these structural issues demand urgent attention from both government and society to achieve genuine inclusion. Systemic deficiencies in education are particularly pressing. The Audit Commission has highlighted that many Chinese language teachers lack the training needed to educate second-language learners , leading to a persistent lag in Chinese proficiency among students from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Furthermore, schools continue to be segregated, with close to 40 per cent of primary pupils from diverse ethnicities attending schools where over 60 per cent of the student body are from these backgrounds – a concentration that may hinder integration and Chinese language acquisition. The authorities must mandate teacher training, establish a unified curriculum and incentivise the desegregation of schools; otherwise, educational equality will remain an empty promise.
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong stocks take hit from escalating Iran conflict after US strike, Hormuz threat
Hong Kong stocks retreated on Monday as the US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities escalated the military conflict in the Middle East, weighing on appetite for risk assets and fuelling concerns about disruption of global oil supply. Advertisement The Hang Seng Index fell 0.8 per cent to 23,349.92 as of 10.04am. The Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 0.9 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index slid 0.3 per cent, and the Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.1 per cent. Wuxi Biologics slumped 3.3 per cent to HK$23.30, and Techtronic Industries lost 2.9 per cent to HK$82.25. Alibaba Group Holding fell 2.2 per cent to HK$109.20, while Tencent Holdings slipped 1.6 per cent to HK$497. Oil futures surged after US President Donald Trump said air attacks had 'obliterated' the trio of targets in Iran and threatened more military action if Iran did not make peace. Iran threatened to close the Hormuz Strait, which controls one third of the world's oil shipments. Advertisement Higher oil prices raise the risk of global inflation and will complicate the task of the Federal Reserve to curb rising consumer prices. In the rate decision meeting last week, Fed Chair Jerome Powell highlighted the peril of tariff-induced price increases.
