Summary

The Chinese government recently issued new regulations related to domestic higher education institutions enrolling students from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. The regulations offer increased flexibility for enrolment of students from these regions, as well as allowing customised curriculum for these students which exempt them from mandatory political education courses.

• Flexible Enrolment

The new regulations allow Chinese HEIs (including higher vocational institutions as well as universities) to set their own quotas for the number of students they enrol from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, which do not need to be approved by the Ministry of Education.

In addition, Chinese HEIs can create additional enrolment pathways for students from these regions beyond the current Joint Admission Examination (JAE) and JAE Exemption Scheme. Students that do not meet the requirements for these schemes may gain entrance through a one-year pre-university entry program, while those that are already studying at universities in their home region or hold sub-degree qualifications can apply to transfer into a university in the Mainland.

• Customised Curriculum

The new regulation also encourages universities to set up customised curriculums for students from these regions. In particular, these curriculums can exempt students from the political education and military training modules which are compulsory for Chinese students. The regulation also encourages universities to include practical training and internships in their courses.

Analysis by Kevin Prest and Xiaoxiao Liu

This news is relevant to UK institutions because it shows Mainland China’s increasing interest in becoming a study destination for students from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. China has been relaxing its policy in this area for some time. For example, in 2012, 63 Mainland universities introduced exemptions for the Joint Admission Examination for Hong Kong students based on their performance in Hong Kong’s domestic examinations; this has now been expanded to 90 universities as of 2017 and more than 6,000 Hong Kong students have been recruited through the program since the scheme started.

Although Mainland China is not usually viewed as a direct competitor to the UK in these markets, one of the reasons for the large number of Hong Kong students studying in the UK is an undersupply of local university places relative to demand. To the extent that the Mainland’s policies reduce pressure for local places, this may have a knock-on effect on demand for UK study.

Sources

1. Colleges and universities can autonomously set admission quotas for students from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan (Chinese):  http://edu.people.com.cn/n1/2017/0109/c1053-29009826.html