On July 31, 2025, the government announced a revision of the eligibility criteria for government-subsidized post-secondary student places and subsidies: introducing two categories of tuition fees and revising the eligibility criteria.
Under the current admissions arrangements, holders of dependent visas or entry permits who are under 18 years of age when first issued with their immigration document are considered local students.
Under the revision, dependent children must reside in Hong Kong for two years immediately preceding the start of their academic program before becoming eligible for “Category I” subsidized tuition fees.
“Category II” non-subsidized tuition fees now apply to:
- dependent children who have resided in Hong Kong for less than two years;
- holders of a full-time employment visa or work permit;
- holders of a visa/entry permit for various admission schemes (including the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme or the Admission Scheme for the Second Generation of Chinese Hong Kong Permanent Residents); and
- Non-local students (such as holders of a student visa/entry permit; holders of a visa/entry permit under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates; dependent visa/entry permit holders who were 18 years old or above when first issued with such visa/entry permit by the ImmD).
Category II persons may still apply for government-subsidized sub-degree, undergraduate and taught postgraduate programs but have to pay non-subsidized fees.
The revision will apply to the 2027/28 academic year (the application cycle commencing in October 2026) with a transitional one-year residency requirement. The two-year residency requirement will be implemented starting from the 2028/29 academic year.
Erickson Insights & Analysis
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