Dear Colleagues,
July is the time of the year when colleagues in our academic schools and various offices, especially the Registry, are busy with student recruitment.
As a self-financing university, recruitment figures have a direct impact on our financial resources for implementing many of our academic development and facility enhancement plans.
Although the number of secondary school students sitting the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) has declined for a number of years, several media stories report that application numbers to many self-financing institutions have increased by 40% or even 60% this year. This is counterintuitive.
For direct (i.e. non-JUPAS) applications to HKMU, the number of first-year first-degree (FYFD) applicants has increased by 65% while those applying for Senior Year Entry have increased by 19%. There was an overall increase of 40%.
But these seemingly promising figures do not necessarily translate into positive outcomes, as the sector-wide increase in application numbers can only be the result of students applying to more programmes in more institutions. There is no maximum number of direct applications for each candidate.
If we want to know how “attractive” our programmes really are, one of the litmus tests is the number of students putting our programmes in their Band A (i.e. top 3 out of a maximum of 20) JUPAS choices.
In this context, the number of Band A applications for HKMU in 2024 increased by 6.5% year on year (YoY), while the number of DSE students applying to HKMU programmes increased by 2.3% YoY.
On another front, the number of NCEE (Gaokao) applicants to HKMU in 2024 increased by 39% YoY. Even with a stricter English Language Admissions Requirement in the current year, the number of mainland FYFD students admitted went up by 25%. Both the application number and admission number of NCEE students this year are record highs.
All signs indicate that our university and its programmes are clearly gaining recognition. Let's make a greater effort to maintain this upward trajectory!
Paul LAM Kwan-sing
President
