Hong Kong universities remain top choices for ESF graduates

中文 (香港)

English Schools Foundation (ESF) held the largest ever University Fair today where representatives of more than 150 universities and colleges from all over the world were present to help ESF students in their higher education application processes. Over 900 Year 12 students from across seven ESF Secondary Schools have participated.

In this year’s fair, apart from the traditional popular university destinations such as the UK and the US, institutions from Asia (Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Korea and Japan), Middle East (Israel) and Europe (Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and Spain) were also present to discuss their curriculum with students. The event was well received by students and parents.

The UK tops the list of most popular higher education destination among our 2015 cohort, accounting for 45% of the students, ESF’s latest University Destinations and Areas of Studies report shows. Followed by were Hong Kong (19%) and USA (13%).

The University of Hong Kong remains the most popular universities for our 2015 graduates, accounting for over 7% (74 students). Hong Kong University of Science and Technology climbed to the third (3% or 34 students), up from the fifth last year. The other top five universities include University of British Columbia (4% or 47 students), the Chinese University of Hong Kong (3% or 34 students) and University of Toronto (3% or 34 students).

“Affordability of Higher Education is a major factor in students remaining in Hong Kong. Three year degrees in the UK in particular help affordability too. Some patterns shift with the exchange rates and the trend away from the U.K. was ameliorated. We anticipate that students will apply to Australasia, reversing the declining trends,” ESF School Development Adviser (Secondary) Chris Durbin said.

Business studies, law and engineering are the top three most popular areas of studies for the 2015 cohort, in which 139, 60 and 54 students study the courses respectively.

“ESF students gain many offers because of the careful way students are prepared for applications. This fair is the beginning of the exploration for year 12 to seek out the best courses for their future,” Durbin concluded.

*The subject of law is included in the category of Social and Economic Sciences.