Hong Kong wants to attract foreign students from Harvard University who will have to interrupt their studies to decide the US government. This step of Hong Kong comes in response to a regulation that plans to ban Harvard University to receive foreign students.
The US government’s decision was temporarily blocked by the federal judge Alison Burroughs. It has issued a regulation that pre -prevents the certification of the program for foreign students in the US (SEVP). This dispute between Washington and the University of Harvard was in the midst of political tensions between the US and China.
Call for students to accept
Hong Kong Minister of Education Christine Choi called on local universities to attract foreign students and thus simplify the conditions of admission. Universities can use government measures, such as the abolition of the maximum limits of accepted foreign students.
An immediate reaction was the initiative of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), which invites students of Harvard University and those who were offered to study Hkust as an alternative. Hkust promises a simplified acceptance process and significant academic support.
Differences between universities
While the University of Harvard leads the ranking of the world’s most prestigious schools, Hkust is located in the 105th place. However, this step signals Hong Kong’s ambitions to attract exceptional students and strengthen their international prestige in the field of education.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government has criticized this step of the American administration, describing it as “politicization of cooperation in education”. According to Beijing, a measure against Harvard University will damage the international image of the US.
Chinese students at Harvard
Approximately 1300 students from China are registered at Harvard University, which represents a significant proportion of Chinese students abroad. American universities, such as Harvard, are considered symbols of academic freedom in China and offer opportunities that exceed the home offer in several areas.
The desire of Chinese students to take advantage of these opportunities academically and professionally caused a long -term trend of study in the US, and the University of Harvard is one of the most sought -after destinations. Almost 6,800 foreign students from more than 100 countries are currently studying at this school.
