{
  "id": 2904791,
  "title": "Record non-DSE admissions to Hong Kong’s universities spark calls for quotas",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/record-non-dse-admissions-to-hong-kongs-universities-spark-calls-for-2904791",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-24T00:30:12.000Z",
  "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/3364971/record-non-dse-admissions-hong-kongs-universities-spark-calls-quotas"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hong Kong public universities have admitted a record number of students using alternative qualifications, accounting for nearly 30% of 15,000 government-funded places, according to the South China Morning Post. The number of DSE (Diploma of Secondary Education) students has dropped by 7%, causing their proportion to fall from 82% to 72%, prompting calls for a cap on admissions to safeguard local interests.\n\nNg Po-shing, a student guidance consultant, explained that the decrease in DSE student intake drives up admission scores, leading to more students failing to get into certain programs despite meeting median scores. The SCMP analyzed data from the University Grants Committee (UGC) on first-year-first-degree students admitted with DSE and non-DSE qualifications across eight government-funded universities from 2019-20 to 2025-26.\n\nNon-DSE admissions surged by 63%, from 2,706 in 2019-20 to 4,401 in 2025-26, while DSE admissions declined by 7%, from 12,355 in 2019-20 to 11,503 in 2025-26. Non-DSE students come from various international and private schools, overseas institutions, and the School Nominations Direct Admission Scheme (SNDAS). The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) was the only outlier with a rising DSE intake (86% from 84% seven years ago).\n\nEducation consultant Ng noted that students from non-DSE curricula often come from affluent families with better resources, leading universities to prefer admitting them. He suggested that future candidates may need higher marks to gain entry into public universities. Lee Yi-ying, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Subsidised Secondary Schools Council, called for a benchmark quota to protect local interests, recommending at least 80% of places be reserved for DSE candidates. The Education Bureau dismissed any direct correlation with the DSE's appeal, attributing the trend to changes in students' study destination preferences.",
  "summary": "Hong Kong public universities have admitted a record number of students applying outside the local exam system, with the intake surging by 63 per cent over seven years to account for nearly 30 per cent of the 15,000 government-funded places, the South China Morning Post has found. Meanwhile, the intake of home-grown students taking the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exam has dropped by 7…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Record non-DSE admissions to Hong Kong’s universities spark calls for quotas",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/record-non-dse-admissions-to-hong-kongs-universities-spark-calls-for",
        "published": "2026-08-24T00:30:12.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}