{
  "id": 13635182,
  "title": "Admission scores fall for Hong Kong physiotherapy courses amid jobs crunch",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/admission-scores-fall-for-hong-kong-physiotherapy-courses-amid-jobs",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-11T04:00:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post - Hong Kong",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post-hong-kong",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3370461/admission-scores-fall-hong-kong-physiotherapy-courses-amid-jobs-crunch"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Physiotherapy degree programs at three Hong Kong tertiary institutions experienced a significant decline in admission scores, as much as 10% lower than in 2025, due to bleak career prospects, according to recent data. The professional body for physiotherapists urged the government to halt funding cuts in the next budget, attributing the situation to the jobs crunch in the sector. Out of the four institutions, 23% of students admitted to physiotherapy programs had ranked it outside their top three choices, up from just 2% in 2025, indicating a shift in students' preferences. This drop in popularity and admission scores came after the government announced a 1-2% reduction in recurrent public expenditure for 2025-26 and 2027-28, coinciding with an unprecedented surge in new practitioners entering the market. Polytechnic University, which introduced an allied health programme, saw a 57% decrease in students choosing the programme among their first three options, from 581 in 2025 to 246 this year. The average DSE score for PolyU's programme also dropped by the largest margin among undergraduate courses. Self-financing institutions reduced their subsidized places for physiotherapy programs by about a third for the 2027-28 academic year, with total intake falling 31% from 175 in 2026-27 to 120 in 2027-28. Tung Wah College experienced a 40% drop in applicants placing their program among their top three choices and a 10% decrease in mean admission score. Hong Kong Metropolitan University's median admission score fell by 20% in two years. Saint Francis University witnessed a 37% decrease in students ranking the programme among their top three choices. The Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association president, Alexander Woo Chuen-hau, urged the authorities to increase healthcare funding, emphasizing that graduates still have employment opportunities despite the challenging job market.",
  "summary": "Admission scores for physiotherapy degree programmes at three Hong Kong tertiary institutions fell by as much as 10 per cent this year compared with 2025, amid gloomy career prospects in the sector, the latest data shows. The decline prompted the professional body for physiotherapists to call on the government to halt healthcare funding cuts in the next budget, saying they had contributed to a…",
  "key_points": [
    "Admission scores for Hong Kong physiotherapy courses fell by up to 10%.",
    "23% of students admitted to physiotherapy programs ranked it outside top three choices.",
    "Government funding cuts and surge in practitioners attributed to decline."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The decline in admission scores for Hong Kong physiotherapy courses signals a loss of appeal for the profession, likely to exacerbate the jobs crunch, as students increasingly shun the field amid bleak career prospects.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Sydney Morning Herald",
        "title": "The socialite, her ‘jobless’ ex and his accused ‘mastermind’ father: Inside the murder that shocked Hong Kong",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/the-socialite-her-jobless-ex-and-his-accused-mastermind-father-inside",
        "published": "2026-10-11T02:30:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Age",
        "title": "The socialite, her ‘jobless’ ex and his accused ‘mastermind’ father: Inside the murder that shocked Hong Kong",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/the-socialite-her-jobless-ex-and-his-accused-mastermind-father-inside-13622350",
        "published": "2026-10-11T02:30:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Admission scores fall for Hong Kong physiotherapy courses amid jobs crunch",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/admission-scores-fall-for-hong-kong-physiotherapy-courses-amid-jobs-13639849",
        "published": "2026-10-11T04:00:20.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}