Robert Lam, Academic Registrar of Hong Kong Baptist University, one of the eight academies, which have formed a group for the recruitment of mainland students, noted that the universities plan a total enrollment of no more than 580 students this year, with a view to actively fulfilling the quota set by the Hong Kong government of non-Hong Kong students occupying no more than 4 percent seats in the bachelor's course.

According to Jeff Leung, secretary general of the University Grants Committee which funds the eight universities - the others being University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, City University of Hong Kong, Lingnan University, Open University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Institute of Education - the rate stood at 1.7 percent for the 2002-03 school year.

The universities cooperating in attracting inland students this year, the first of its kind, can make better use of their resources and improve work efficiency, Lam said, adding that the schools will work together to publicize enrollment information and put forward unified written tests for applicants.

Lam said that the move to admit mainland students constitutes a positive influence on local students, as the two sides can complement each other in appreciating and learning from the other's strong points.

Lam said that high-school graduates from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Fujian provinces as well as Beijing and Shanghai are eligible to apply for universities in Hong Kong. The tuition fee for each student is HK$42,000 (US$5,385) a year.

The applicants must take the mainland's college entrance examination scheduled in the first half of June. In addition, they are required to take written tests and interviews organized by the eight universities, who will take into consideration their combined performance before making final decisions in early July.

(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2003)