- Hong Kong’s Education Bureau urged local universities to attract global talent after Harvard University’s ban on admitting foreign students for the 2025-2026 academic year, following allegations of antisemitism and ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
- The Education Bureau reached out to the Harvard Club of Hong Kong to assist affected students and ensure their rights and interests are protected while offering measures to attract top international scholars.
- Hong Kong's University of Science and Technology (HKUST) made an open offer to Harvard students, providing unconditional admission and simplified procedures to facilitate a smooth transition for those interested in continuing their studies in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong's Education Bureau has urged local universities to recruit the best global talent in the wake of Harvard University's prohibition on taking foreign students, according to Reuters. The Trump administration has stripped Harvard of its capacity to admit global students, compelling existing foreign students to switch to other institutions or lose their legal status. This 2025-2026 academic year ban is justified on the grounds that Harvard is alleged to promote antisemitism and work with the Chinese Communist Party. Significantly, in 2024, Chinese nationals constituted roughly one-fifth of foreign student admissions at Harvard.
The Education Bureau immediately called on all Hong Kong universities to implement facilitation measures for eligible persons with a view to protecting the legitimate rights and interests of students and scholars, and to wooing top talent, the bureau said in an email. The bureau also reached out to the Harvard Club of Hong Kong to provide assistance to students who have been admitted to Harvard to pursue further studies, the report noted.
We will remain vigilant about keeping students' needs in mind amid the changing global education scenario", it stated, and would look into support measures as part of the city's contribution to being an 'international education hub'.
Hong Kong, which has a population of 7.5 million and is home to five universities that are ranked among the top 100 of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, was previously regarded as being one of Asia's most liberal academic communities. But schools and universities in the territory must now integrate national security and patriotic elements into their curriculum, following more closely mainland China's education system.
Hong Kong's University of Science and Technology (HKUST) made an open invitation to international undergraduate and postgraduate students at Harvard University, including those with confirmed offers, to pursue their studies at HKUST. "The university will make unconditional offers, simplify admission procedures, and academic assistance to ensure a smooth transition for interested students".
