Above: Subsidized universities will increase tuition fees next year. Some students hope that resources can be invested in students. Below: Local subsidized universities have not increased tuition fees for 27 years. The picture shows the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Hong Kong’s subsidized universities have not adjusted tuition fees since the 1996/97 academic year. The government plans to gradually increase tuition fees over three years starting from the 2025/26 academic year, with annual tuition increases of 5% to 9%.

Many Legislative Council members with education backgrounds believe that the adjustment range and the phased increase arrangement are reasonable, but they urge the authorities to ensure that students’ “student loans will not turn into student debts.” Students have different opinions on the arrangement. Some think the arrangement is reasonable and hope that the increase in resources can be used for students; others think it will increase the burden on grassroots students. \Ta Kung Pao reporter Wei Rong

It is understood that the Secretary for Education, Cai Ruolian, met with some Legislative Council members yesterday morning to explain the idea of ​​increasing tuition fees. It is planned to increase university tuition fees in three years starting from the 2025/26 academic year, with an increase of between 5% and 9%. The current tuition fees of the eight major universities are based on the target cost recovery rate of 18% for degree course tuition fees determined in 1991, but the cost recovery rate has not yet reached the target.

No increase in 27 years is “acceptable”

The chairperson of the Legislative Council’s Education Affairs Panel and lawmaker of the Liberal Arts Federation, Priscilla Leung, said yesterday that subsidized university tuition fees have not been raised for 27 years, and the government is considering raising fees only because it is facing a fiscal deficit of hundreds of billions. She called on all parties to accept the increase objectively. She also pointed out that the current cost recovery rate is only 13%, and believes that an increase in tuition fees of 5% to 9% should be acceptable.

According to Priscilla Leung’s personal judgment, the tuition fee increase in 2025/26 is expected to be relatively moderate, with the first year’s tuition fee increasing by about $2,000, but it is not ruled out that the tuition fee increases in the three years will vary, for example, an increase of 7% to 9% in the next two years. She also said that the Executive Council may make a decision on the tuition fee increase soon and will discuss with the Education Bureau whether to report the details to the Legislative Council’s Education Affairs Panel.

The vice-chairman of the Legislative Council’s Education Affairs Panel, Chow Man-kong, is not in favor of raising tuition fees, and believes that if an increase is necessary, it should be done with restraint. He believes that the increase should be about 3%, which is lower than the 5% to 9% increase proposed by the government. Chow Man-kong also believes that the increased tuition fees should be used for educational development, including updating university facilities.

Make good subsidy arrangements so that student loans do not turn into student debts

Legislative Council member Chu Kwok-keung from the education sector believes that increasing tuition fees is understandable and necessary, but the affordability of parents and students must also be considered, including the students’ repayment ability after graduation. One of the subsidy arrangements that can be considered is to extend the repayment period of student loans to prevent students from “turning student loans into student debts.”

Some college students have different views on the arrangement. Some college students believe that considering the inflation over the past 20 years, the arrangement of increasing tuition fees is reasonable, but they emphasize that they need to consider how the government will allocate resources, and hope that the resources after the increase in tuition fees can be invested in students. Some college students do not support the increase in tuition fees, believing that it will increase the financial burden of grassroots students, and even “they will not be able to afford to go to school in the future”, and believe that the government should consult parents and students.