An increasing number of Hong Kong students are choosing to pursue their further education overseas, with Australia ranking as the third most popular destination after Mainland China and the United Kingdom. Official data reveals that among more than 39,000 secondary school graduates who continued full-time studies last year, approximately 92% stayed in Hong Kong for further education, while 7.8% opted to study abroad. A significant portion of these overseas-bound students chose Mainland China as their destination, followed by the UK, Australia, and Taiwan.
According to the Hong Kong Education Bureau’s “2024 Secondary School Graduate Pathways Survey,” out of 41,385 secondary school graduates who reported their academic and employment status to the authorities, 39,129 students chose to pursue full-time studies, accounting for 94.5% of the total. Among them, 3,061 students decided to study outside of Hong Kong, representing 7.8% of all graduates. Of those studying abroad in 2024, 2,676 enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs, 238 in higher diploma courses, and 147 in other full-time programs.
Breaking down the destinations further, among the 3,061 students studying overseas, 1,339 went to Mainland China for further education, followed by 647 students in the United Kingdom, 338 in Australia, 309 in Taiwan, 149 in Canada, and 67 in the United States.
The survey also indicated that 923 graduates entered full-time employment, while 878 balanced part-time work with study. Meanwhile, 455 graduates were neither working nor studying. The proportions of graduates pursuing full-time education, full-time employment, part-time work or study, and those not engaged in either work or study in 2024 remained largely consistent with figures from 2023.
In total, the number of full-time secondary school graduates in 2024 stood at 39,129, with 19,025 enrolled in bachelor’s degree courses, 13,160 in higher diploma programs, 6,870 in other full-time courses, and 74 choosing to repeat their final year of secondary school (Form 6).
Related Topics
