HKUST International Students Intake Hits New Record

Abstract

The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology

14/09/2009 HKUST International Students Intake Hits New Record

Prof Kar Yan Tam (front row, first from left) and Prof Paul Forster (front row, first from right) with international students from Germany, India, Indonesia and Korea.

The HKUST has admitted 38% of international students with 39 different citizenships in its 2009 intake of non-local students, the highest record ever. The remaining 62% of the intake of non-local students are from Mainland China, said the Dean of Undergraduate Education at HKUST, Prof Kar Yan Tam. Prof Tam noted that the internationalization of the undergraduate student population is key prong of the university's on-going internationalization effort and is making an encouraging progress, with overseas student intake rising progressively from 14% in year 2006 to 38% (92 students) this year among the total intake of non-local students. These are all high-caliber students holding diverse overseas qualifications that would easily earn them a place in some of the top-tier universities in North America or Europe, he said, adding that indeed some of these students have given up a place in top universities elsewhere in order to come to Hong Kong. 'Our long-term target is to achieve a 1:1 ratio between overseas students and Mainland students in our annual intake of undergraduate students,' Prof Tam said. The number of applications also increased to 392 this year, from 264 in 2008, 144 in 2007 and 100 in 2006. Since 2006, HKUST has received applications from 81 different countries. HKUST is also expanding the bases of admission from 8 in 2006 alone to 23 from 2006 to 2009. Applicants received since 2006 presented 47 different qualifications as their basis of admission. 'We are delighted not only at the increase in numbers and the diversified backgrounds, but also at the quality of the new students. We have indeed moved one step closer to building a truly international student community,' said Prof Tam. Pool of Applicants Of the 392 applicants in 2009, 187 (47%) applied for Business School programs, 132 (34%) applied for Engineering programs, 43 (11%) applied for Science programs, and 30 applied for interdisciplinary programs.

A total of 88 applicants (22%) makes Korea the single country fielding the largest number of applications, followed by 51 from Malaysia (13%), 41 from Indonesia and 38 from India (both around 10%). The other 174 applicants (44%) are of 52 other citizenships. The 2009 Intake Among the 92 international students admitted this year, 43 were admitted by each of the Business School and the Engineering School, while 6 were admitted to the Science School. Of these students, 23 were from Korea, 18 from Malaysia, 13 from Indonesia, 7 from India, and 4 from each of Germany and Sweden. Active Recruitment To recruit high caliber students from all over the world, HKUST staff members had, between 2006 and 2009, held 147 university information sessions at 114 high schools or colleges across 36 cities in 12 countries. In the other direction, HKUST had played host to 21 top overseas high schools to show them the University's strengths and attractiveness. Meanwhile, HKUST had also employed various other channels of direct promotion, reaching 128 countries worldwide. HKUST has also introduced an International Student Blog where current international students can share views and experiences. There are no better ambassadors for HKUST in the University's overseas recruitment activities than the current international students themselves. In 2009, student ambassadors went overseas hand in hand with HKUST staff members to their own countries to share with their compatriots their experience at HKUST. Special Services for International Students HKUST provides a comprehensive range of services to international students. These include the 'HKUST International Undergraduate Student Guide' and a weeklong orientation program. To help new overseas students adapt to the new campus environment and the larger environment of Hong Kong, HKUST has introduced the Host Family Program where HKUST faculty and staff members provide guidance and advice to new international students. Meanwhile, the Peer Mentor Program matches new students with current students mostly from the same or similar national backgrounds, so that they can share their similar experiences in their studies and in life. All News More News at Media Information Center

For media enquiries, please feel free to contact : Ross Lai Tel: 2358 6306 / 9103 2928 Email: rosslai@ust.hk Donna Wong Tel: 2358 6317 Email: donnaw@ust.hk