Market overview
According to the Hong Kong Education Bureau, Australia is the second most
popular overseas English-speaking study destination with 15 per cent of the
market share, with the United Kingdom in first place at 19%. This
places Australia as a leading study destination ahead of the United States
(7%) and Canada (4%). In 2017, there were 17,772 student
enrolments from Hong Kong to Australia, representing a 1.5% growth.
In terms of transnational education, Australia has a strong presence with
around 150 Australian programs currently being delivered in Hong Kong (Hong
Kong Education Bureau Non-local Course Registry). Australia is the second
largest transnational education provider behind the United Kingdom in a
highly competitive, open and high cost market.
Competition will continue to be fierce for at least the next five years,
due to the decreasing number of school students, new undergraduate student
subsidies from the Hong Kong Government and aggressive promotion from
competitors including Taiwan, Mainland China, and Korea. Other macro
factors impacting the market include a shifting political landscape
resulting in a greater number of Hong Kong residents seeking Postgraduate
study abroad and migration opportunities, a Free Trade Agreement being
negotiated between Australia and Hong Kong, a Hong Kong Government
economy-wide Smart Cities ambition which includes a focus on technology and
STEM, and increased concern about safety in Europe and the United States.
It also worth noting there is increasing interest from Hong Kong investors
in education investment into Australia, such as establishing bilingual
(English-Chinese) schools with links to Australian universities. Hong Kong
continues to be one of Australia’s top markets for borderless education.