CityU aims to double quota for nonlocal students in five years

City University aims to double the quota for nonlocal undergraduate students to 40 percent within the next five years, according to President Freddy Boey Yin-chiang.

In an interview with The Standard's sister paper, Sing Tao Daily, Boey - who has led CityU for a year since May last year - said the university will also ensure adequate support measures for the increased number of nonlocal students, particularly in terms of student housing.

As announced in Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu's policy address last October, the Hong Kong government had doubled the quota for nonlocal students at eight public universities from 20 percent to 40 percent.

CityU is now aiming to increase its nonlocal student ratio to this 40 percent upper limit over the next five years.

Boey said this gradual approach is necessary, as rapidly increasing the ratio could negatively impact all students.

"If you rush this, all students will suffer. Because where will they stay? Do you have space for them to study?" he said.

Apart from expanding its intake of international undergraduates, CityU is also recruiting more overseas postgraduate students.

This academic year, the university saw a 20 percent increase in postgraduate enrollment, including 60-70 students from Kazakhstan.

Boey plans to further increase the number of Kazakhstani students to over 100 in the next academic year, and will also travel to Vietnam and Indonesia to attract more international students.

To accommodate the growing student population, CityU has been actively seeking residential facilities at suitable locations and reasonable rents.

Some local property developers have announced plans to invest in student apartments, aiming to provide 2,000 beds in the next two to three years. Also, CityU's new student hostel in Ma On Shan - set to open in September - will provide over 2,000 more places.

Boey also said he is proposing to relocate part of CityU's research facilities to the Northern Metropolis' university town.

The university also has a research institute in Futian, Shenzhen, and its Dongguan campus will open in September, which Boey believes will help CityU capitalize on the area's industrial development to commercialize its research..

Under Boey's leadership, CityU has achieved outstanding results in various international rankings, including being named the "most international university in the world" by Times Higher Education in 2024.

Boey has described his role in the past year as "bringing CityU to where it should be," drawing on his previous experience as deputy president (Innovation & Enterprise) at the National University of Singapore and Provost at Nanyang Technological University.