Following is a question by the Hon Hung Kam-in and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (May 27):
 
Question:
 
     In recent years, some local institutions have collaborated with universities in the Mainland and overseas to introduce "2+2 degree programmes" or "joint degree programmes", allowing students to complete their studies in different regions and obtain qualifications recognised by institutions in multiple regions concurrently. There are views that while current institutional collaborations are concentrated in the Greater Bay Area or the Mainland, there is also potential to further expand them to overseas to establish a transnational and cross-boundary institutional network, so as to nurture talent who can connect Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the institutions in Hong Kong which are currently collaborating with Mainland and overseas institutions to offer cross-boundary programmes, and the academic disciplines covered by such programmes; of the respective numbers of local and non-local students enrolled in such programmes in the past three years; whether the Government knows if any institutions in Hong Kong are exploring the implemetation of "multilateral joint programme" mode in collaboration with institutions in Southeast Asia or other overseas regions; if so, of the details;
 
(2) whether it knows the employment situations of and degree recognition for graduates upon completion of "multilateral joint programmes"; whether graduates who have completed such programmes currently meet the requirements of the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates; if not, whether the Government will study the provision of relevant arrangements so as to attract such graduates to work in Hong Kong;
 
(3) apart from mutual recognition of programmes, whether the Government has studied or promoted multilateral recognition of vocational and professional education and training programmes, or other more attractive arrangements, such as encouraging institutions to collaborate with enterprises in Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas in designing programmes, so as to enhance the competitiveness of graduates and make it easier for them to be employed in Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas; and
 
(4) whether the Government has plans in the next three to five years to encourage more institutions to participate in transnational and cross-boundary joint programmes and set a specific timetable, so as to strengthen the role of Hong Kong's institutions in international education collaboration and enhance Hong Kong's strengths in nurturing and retaining talent as well as building international interpersonal networks?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Government actively encourages local universities to collaborate with the Chinese Mainland and overseas institutions in offering dual/joint-degree programmes to expand the pool of high-calibre talent across various fields and propel Hong Kong's development into an international post-secondary education hub. Regarding the question asked by the Hon Hung Kam-in, the reply is as follows.
 
(1) and (2) Over the past three academic years (AYs), six University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities, namely City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the University of Hong Kong, have partnered with Chinese Mainland and overseas institutions to offer undergraduate dual/joint-degree programmes including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Japan, as well as Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Over the past three AYs, around 60 undergraduate dual/joint-degree programmes were offered annually, spanning fields such as STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics), social sciences, humanities, law, economics and business administration, admitting approximately 4 000 to 5 500 local and non-local undergraduate students. The total number of students enrolled in these programmes is as follows:

Number of enrolment of undergraduate dual/joint-degree programmes from the 2023/24 to 2025/26 AYs

AY	Number of enrolment
	Local	Non-local	Total
2023/24	14 066	3 932	17 998
2024/25	15 530	4 700	20 230
2025/26 (Provisional figures)	16 751	5 911	22 662

 
     In the 2023/24 and 2024/25 AYs, these programmes recorded over 4 800 graduates annually, with non-local students accounting for approximately 20 per cent of the total. The Government does not keep the information on the pathways of the graduates concerned. Under the prevailing Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates, non-local graduates who have obtained an undergraduate or higher qualification in a full-time locally accredited programme in Hong Kong may apply to stay in/return to Hong Kong for 24 months without other conditions of stay. They do not need a job offer to be eligible for the arrangement if they apply within six months after graduation. Further details on the eligibility criteria can be found on the Immigration Department's website.
 
     As for local students, the Government has launched the Hong Kong Future Talents Scholarship Scheme for Advanced Studies starting from the 2025/26 AY to encourage local students to pursue designated taught postgraduate programmes and nurture high-calibre talent needed for Hong Kong's future. Awardees are required to sign an undertaking that he/she would contribute towards relevant industries/sectors either through relevant full-time employment or entrepreneurial activities in Hong Kong or within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, upon graduation, in support of the Government's policy objective of attracting, nurturing and retaining talent.
 
     As regards self-financing non-local post-secondary programmes, over the past three AYs, post-secondary institutions operating full-time locally accredited self-financing non-local post-secondary programmes in collaboration with overseas institutions include the Hong Kong Institute of Technology, UOW College Hong Kong, the School of Continuing and Professional Education of the City University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Art School, the School of Professional and Continuing Education of the University of Hong Kong, the College of International Education of the Hong Kong Baptist University and the School for Higher and Professional Education under the Vocational Training Council (VTC). These programmes mainly cover the field of business and management studies, computer science and information technology, social sciences, media, journalism and communications, arts, design and performing arts, architecture and town planning, biological sciences, education as well as engineering and technology. The total number of students enrolled in these programmes is as follows:
 
Number of enrolment of full-time locally accredited self-financing non-local post-secondary programmes from the 2023/24 to 2025/26 AYs

AY	Number of enrolment
	Local	Non-local	Total
2023/24	2 096	20	2 116
2024/25	1 943	19	1 962
2025/26 (Provisional figures)	1 833	3	1 836

 
     The Government does not keep information on the annual number of graduates and their pathways.

     The Government will continue to encourage institutions to explore innovative models for dual/joint-degree programmes and endeavour to promote the "Study in Hong Kong" brand, with a view to nurturing versatile talent with both specialised academic knowledge and global vision to meet Hong Kong's long-term development needs.
 
(3) The Government endeavours to promote the development of vocational and professional education and training (VPET), and supports institutions in strengthening collaboration with the Chinese Mainland and overseas enterprises and education institutions to enhance students' competitiveness in employability.

     Among others, as the largest VPET provider in Hong Kong, the VTC has been proactively promoting collaboration with the Chinese Mainland in areas including student admission and employment, education and training, as well as teacher and student exchanges, and has established partnerships with over 110 Chinese Mainland Government departments, education institutions and organisations. To facilitate cross‑boundary learning and development, the VTC also encourages students to pursue dual award collaborative programmes in the Chinese Mainland and at the same time provides a comprehensive articulation pathway to attract Chinese Mainland students to enrol in VTC's programmes in Hong Kong. In addition, the VTC has established the Vocational and Professional Education Services (Shenzhen) Company Limited in Shenzhen to strengthen institution‑enterprise collaboration, promote student internships and innovation and technology training, and support teachers and students in participating in study tours, exchange programmes and skills competitions, with a view to further enhancing connection with the Chinese Mainland industries. In addition, the VTC has established collaboration with various overseas VPET organisations and institutions to promote students' participation in diversified outbound activities. These include student exchange programmes, semester-based overseas studies and industrial attachments across a wide range of overseas destinations, such as Austria, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
 
     To further enrich students' learning experience, the VTC has also invited scholars and industry practitioners from the Chinese Mainland and overseas to visit Hong Kong to share the latest industry developments, including emerging trends, practical insights and professional expertise through thematic seminars and interactive workshops, thereby enhancing students' employability in the Chinese Mainland and overseas.
 
(4) The Education Bureau (EDB) has always attached importance to promoting co-operation between local post-secondary institutions and institutions from the Chinese Mainland and overseas. The EDB encourages institutions to establish partnerships with high-quality post-secondary education institutions around the world on a mutually beneficial basis, including the joint delivery of cross-border programmes, with a view to facilitating student exchanges and enhancing the quality of teaching. Post-secondary institutions in Hong Kong will negotiate and agree on specific programme arrangements with overseas institutions in accordance with their academic development strategies and curriculum design through establishing various forms of co-operation including student exchange programmes and operating dual-degree programmes, providing students with diverse learning opportunities. The EDB will continue to maintain communication with relevant Government departments and organisations from the Chinese Mainland and overseas and provide support measures (e.g. the Task Force on Study in Hong Kong and the UGC's funding in the 2022-25 triennium for the Heads of Universities Committee's Standing Committee on Internationalisation jointly set up by the eight UGC-funded universities), with a view to supporting institutions in expanding their international networks to promote Hong Kong's strengths as an international post-secondary education hub to their partners from the Chinese Mainland and abroad, and to jointly exploring models for cross-regional co-operation and areas for exchange, thereby laying a solid foundation for continuously enhancing international collaboration and promoting broader academic co-operation among institutions.

Ends/Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:03

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