Tuition for self-financing degrees to rise 3 to 6pc amid govt subsidy freeze

Tuition fees for the majority of local self-financing undergraduate programs are set to increase by 3 to 6 percent in the 2026/27 academic year, a burden compounded by the government’s decision to freeze subsidy levels. 

According to the Information Portal for Accredited Post-secondary Programmes (iPASS), 17 institutions will offer 206 full-time locally-accredited self-financing degree programs in the upcoming school year—an increase of three from this year—with nearly all programs raising their tuition fees. 

Lingnan University’s Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and its BBA in Risk and Insurance Management recorded a staggering 20.7 percent increase, with first-year tuition jumping from HK$145,000 to HK$175,000.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Hong Kong also sees a steep 14.2 percent rise to HK$249,000 per year, bringing the total four-year study cost up to HK$996,000. 

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s Bachelor of Business Administration in World Business program remains the most expensive local self-financing undergraduate option in the city. The joint degree, offered in partnership with the University of Southern California (USC) and Bocconi University, requires students to spend one academic year at each of the three institutions and complete their final year at their admitted university. 

For the 2026/27 intake, the first year at USC has risen to over HK$563,000, pushing the total four-year tuition to approximately HK$1.28 million.

The financial strain is exacerbated by the Education Bureau’s announcement that subsidy amounts for the 2026/27 academic year will remain unchanged. The Non-means-tested Subsidy Scheme for Self-financing Undergraduate Studies (NMTSS) stays at HK$35,120. 

The Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/Sectors (SSSDP) retains a subsidy of HK$46,780 for non-laboratory-based programs and HK$81,450 for laboratory-based courses. 

With tuition rising and subsidies stagnant, the “net tuition” paid by students is climbing. At Saint Francis University, the net fee for the Bachelor of Nursing program will rise by 6.3 percent to HK$35,360 after SSSDP deductions. The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong’s Bachelor of Arts in Art and Design will see a 5.8 percent increase in the net fee to HK$35,670.

Despite the widespread hikes, some programs have held their prices steady. Lingnan University’s Bachelor of Arts in Animation and Digital Arts remains at HK$100,000, while Tung Wah College has frozen its pre-subsidy first-year tuition for Early Childhood Education at HK$70,580. 

Additionally, the Hong Kong Metropolitan University will introduce a new program in Robotics and Automation Engineering for the upcoming academic year, with first-year tuition set at HK$140,000.

 

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