Mainland schools attracting more HK applicants

Yuen said students prefer universities in the Greater Bay Area because of its geographical proximity to Hong Kong and cultural similarities.

Scholarships provided by both the central and Hong Kong governments add to the appeal of mainland universities.

"To a great extent, numerous scholarship programs help to relieve the financial pressure on students from grassroots families," Yuen said.

Since June 2016, eligible non-Chinese students from Hong Kong have been able to apply for the Mainland University Study Subsidy Scheme run by the Hong Kong government. Students approved for the latest round of subsidies will receive financial support of HK$5,600 to HK$16,800 ($714 to $2,141).

Eligible students can also apply for various scholarships provided by the central government, local governments and universities.

Increased interactions

Yuen is among the first group of educators in Hong Kong to recognize that mainland universities can help to broaden the path of non-Chinese students to higher education.

He feels that cooperation with mainland universities has taken off only in the past two years, since the Caritas Tuen Mun Marden Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation with four mainland universities, three of them in Guangzhou.

In accordance with the MoU, the Tuen Mun school organizes annual exchange tours with mainland universities for students from Forms 1 to 5. They get the chance to communicate with their cross-border peers and run experiments in the universities' laboratories. University staff members give briefings in Hong Kong for students who do not take part in the tours, and answer questions from them and their parents.

"The aim is to let students and parents learn more about mainland universities and address parental worries and inherent prejudices. Their primary concerns are safety issues and teaching quality on the mainland." Yuen said.

The increasing interaction between Hong Kong secondary schools and mainland universities has won support from the special administrative region's government.

Late last month, the Youth Development Commission, chaired by Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, Hong Kong's Chief Secretary for Administration, led its first exchange program for non-Chinese students to visit three universities in Guangzhou. The commission is charged with enhancing youth policy coordination. The program to Guangzhou was also sponsored by Hong Kong's Education Bureau