As at the end of August this year, more than 63 000 people have come to Hong Kong for development through the Highly Talented Persons (HSP) Scheme, bringing with them about 70 000 dependants, and 90% of them have children under the age of 14.
The results of a questionnaire survey conducted once showed that most of the top talents chose to move to Hong Kong for the education of their children, and their children were able to find suitable schools for enrollment within about one month after their arrival in Hong Kong.
However, it should be noted that if the senior talents fail to successfully renew their visas after the two-year period, their children's education arrangements will be affected.
01
Will affect school places arrangement
In the event of unsuccessful renewal of their visas, the children of those who came to Hong Kong under the QMAS will lose their “dependant” status and will not be able to study in public sector, aided and caput primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong as local students.
Although they still have the opportunity to study in schools under the English Schools Foundation or the Direct Subsidy Scheme, these schools do not provide government subsidies.
For children who are already studying in universities in Hong Kong, if their parents fail to renew their visas, they will need to apply for student visas from the Immigration Department to continue to stay in Hong Kong for further studies and may lose their eligibility for government subsidized tuition fees.
02
Tuition fees will rise significantly
If the visa is not renewed, the children's status will be changed to “non-local students” after enrollment, and their tuition fees will be adjusted to the non-local tuition rates accordingly.
For tertiary education alone, the annual tuition fee for local students of subsidized bachelor's degree programmes in the eight major institutions is about HK$42,100, while the tuition fee for non-local students is generally about four times higher than that for local students due to the lack of government subsidies.
Below are the tuition fee rates for non-local students at the eight major government-funded universities for the 2025/26 academic year:
★ The University of Hong Kong: HK$198,000/year to HK$218,000/year (different faculties, different fees)
★ The Chinese University of Hong Kong: HK$178,000/year
★ University of Science and Technology: HK$185,000/year
★ Polytechnic University: HK$160,000/year
★ Baptist University: HK$175,000/year
★ City University: HK$170,000/year
★ Lingnan University: HK$160,000/year
★ University of Education: HK$167,000/year
03
Hong Kong has a reputation for quality education
Hong Kong has a global reputation for the quality of its education, characterized by a bilingual education model, flexibility and diversity in curriculum design, and a strong emphasis on holistic development.
As an international metropolis, Hong Kong is also blessed with a wealth of international educational resources and a multicultural atmosphere, which together create an excellent educational environment for children.
In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025 released on October 9, five universities in Hong Kong were ranked among the top 100 in the world, making Hong Kong one of the cities with the highest concentration of top universities in the world.
Among them, the University of Hong Kong ranked 35th; The Chinese University of Hong Kong ranked 44th; The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ranked 66th; City University of Hong Kong ranked 80th; and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University ranked 84th.
Image source: RTHK
If you wish to provide a broader stage and a higher starting point for your children's education, then Hong Kong is certainly an option worth considering.
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