PolyU targets 50:50 overseas-mainland student split, new hostels
Hong Kong Polytechnic University aims to raise its ratio of overseas to mainland Chinese students from 40:60 to 50:50, President Teng Jin-guang said. The plan requires new student hostels in Kowloon Tong by 2028 and Ho Man Tin later, plus a second campus in the Northern Metropolis University Town.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is targeting a 50:50 split between overseas and mainland Chinese students, up from the current 40:60 ratio, to boost internationalisation, President Teng Jin-guang said. The goal follows PolyU's debut in the top 50 of the QS World University Rankings 2027.
Teng said PolyU enrolled about 1,000 non-local students this year, roughly 600 from mainland China and 400 from other countries. The target aligns with Hong Kong's first Five-Year Plan, published last month, which aims for 100,000 non-local students in full-time postsecondary programmes by 2029-30, up from about 80,000 in 2024-25.
Limited hostel space is a key obstacle. PolyU has about 4,000 hostel places and guarantees one-year residence for all non-local undergraduates. 'Because of this arrangement, we cannot have many more non-local students for the undergraduate programs,' Teng explained. A new student hostel in Kowloon Tong is expected to open in 2028, with another in Ho Man Tin later, easing the bottleneck.
Space constraints have pushed universities toward the Northern Metropolis University Town (NMUT), spanning over 1,000 hectares across three campuses. 'In view of PolyU's current space constraints, we plan to build a second campus and will actively support and participate in the NMUT,' Teng said, without disclosing further details. Applications for three sites in the Hung Shui Kiu campus opened last month.
Scholarships remain key for recruiting 'top-quality students' from less advanced economies, particularly Southeast Asia, Teng said, noting competition from Singaporean and mainland Chinese universities. Hong Kong's ability to retain talent depends on career prospects, he argued: 'It really depends on the opportunities we offer them … and the main driver is for the innovation and technology industry to be grown.' He cited China Mobile's research arm, established in Hong Kong in 2024, which has recruited local graduates including from PolyU.
PolyU is pursuing a 'fourth-generation university' model defined by demand-driven, problem-oriented, interdisciplinary research and academia-industry collaboration. Recent partnerships include the Institute of Future Technologies with Tianjin University and the International School of Design with Harbin Institute of Technology, both in Shenzhen. On its Hong Kong campus, PolyU has launched the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (2022), the PolyU Academy for Artificial Intelligence (2025), and the PolyU Aerospace Research Academy (July 2026). A fourth academy on health technology is planned.