Hong Kong universities are on a stellar trajectory, having made significant strides in recent years. They have climbed global rankings, earning accolades in prestigious lists like QS and the Times Higher Education rankings, while researchers have gained recognition in various scientific rankings. Our scholars are celebrated as global leaders, frequently cited among the world’s most influential academics.

Yet for all this institutional excellence, a quiet, troubling paradox persists: Our lecture halls and campuses lack the vibrant, global diversity that should define a world-class education hub. The city has not fully realized its potential as a global education hub.

In a bid to address this gap, Hong Kong is set to raise its self-financing nonlocal student quota to 50 percent of the local-student admissions — just one year after doubling the cap from 20 percent to 40 percent. However, recent enrollment data reveals a worrying countertrend: Admissions of nonlocal students — excluding those from the Chinese mainland and Macao — dropped to just 1,365 in the last academic year, down from 1,571 in 2018-19.

This raises a critical question: How can Hong Kong attract more international students and fulfill its aspirations? While our universities have mastered the science of climbing global league tables, they have yet to capture the global imagination. The challenge now is not just about achieving excellence but about conveying a compelling experience. How does Hong Kong translate its academic prestige into a captivating human story?

First, to enhance its appeal as a global education hub, Hong Kong needs to implement a nuanced undergraduate student admission strategy tailored to different regions. For students from the Global South, such as those in Jakarta, Astana, and Dubai, university rankings are a significant factor. Hong Kong’s universities should actively showcase their academic achievements and groundbreaking research to attract these students. According to the University Grants Committee, the largest numbers of nonlocal undergraduate students in Hong Kong come from Indonesia, South Korea, and Kazakhstan, after excluding those from the mainland. Promoting the city’s academic strengths and research innovations can help draw more students from these regions.

For Hong Kong to thrive in the global education landscape, the government, universities, and various organizations must collaborate and implement these strategies in tandem. Through concerted efforts, Hong Kong can enhance its appeal to international students, enrich its academic environment, and solidify its position as a leading global education destination

However, attracting students from Western countries requires a different approach. Simply outranking a midtier European university is insufficient to entice students from their cultural comfort zones. The core issue lies in a perception gap. For many Western students, choosing a university involves more than just league tables; it encompasses cultural familiarity, career pathways, lifestyle, and the perceived “adventure” of studying abroad. Despite its strengths, Hong Kong can seem distant, expensive, and professionally opaque compared to the more familiar education destinations of the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia.

Thus, a blanket strategy is ineffective. Instead, a targeted, empathetic approach is needed, focusing on regions where Hong Kong’s value proposition aligns with student aspirations. Prioritizing Southern European countries such as Spain, Portugal, and the Balkan nations, as well as Eastern European countries, is strategically sound. For these markets, Hong Kong should position itself as a premium yet accessible option — offering world-top-100 quality at a more competitive price point than its Anglo-Saxon counterparts.

Second, to truly establish itself as a global education hub, Hong Kong must cultivate a global talent ecosystem that targets high-quality talent pools with international ambitions. The competition for global talent is fierce, and while a high university ranking is a valuable asset, it’s merely the price of entry. For Hong Kong to distinguish itself, it must shift its perception from being a prestigious academic destination to becoming an indispensable career incubator.

This requires a fundamental change in messaging: Hong Kong is not just offering a world-class education; it is providing a strategic gateway to the Asian century and a lifelong affiliation with a dynamic global network. Hong Kong should be seen as a launchpad, not just a lecture hall. This proposition resonates deeply with two key demographics: ambitious youth from emerging economies, and top graduates from Europe’s talent-rich but opportunity-constrained nations.

For brilliant students in the Global South, a degree is a direct investment in their family’s socioeconomic future. They are seeking more than just a classroom; they are looking for a runway. Similarly, graduates from cities like Madrid, Warsaw, or Prague — despite receiving excellent education at home — often face a competitive but saturated European job market with limited high-growth opportunities. Hong Kong’s unique selling point to both these groups is its unparalleled position as the gateway to the Asia-Pacific’s growth story.

While high university rankings are influential globally, they are particularly impactful in emerging markets where education is viewed as a powerful vehicle for socioeconomic mobility. Hong Kong’s strategy must transcend merely listing its rankings by articulating a compelling value proposition. This involves actively highlighting the concrete outcomes of a Hong Kong education: successful career trajectories of alumni in multinational corporations, and groundbreaking research opportunities for postgraduates.

With domestic job markets in countries like Spain, Poland, and the Czech Republic often being limited, many students actively seek international careers. For them, Hong Kong can position itself as the ultimate springboard to Asia-Pacific opportunities, a narrative that is less compelling for students whose primary goal is to work in London or New York.

The common thread uniting the ambitious student from Hanoi and the talented graduate from Lisbon is their desire for agency in their global narrative. They are not passive recipients of education; they are active architects of their futures. Hong Kong’s task is to prove that it is the best possible partner in that endeavor. By meticulously crafting a value proposition that seamlessly blends academic rigor with tangible career pathways and a lifelong professional network, Hong Kong can shift from competing solely on rankings to winning on impact. The goal is to invite the world’s best and brightest not just to study here, but to launch their careers from here, ensuring that no matter where their paths take them, they remain stakeholders in the continued success of the Hong Kong story.

Third, to attract today’s ambitious students, Hong Kong must move beyond the simplistic metaphor of a “bridge” — a passive structure one crosses once — and instead position itself as a “synergy platform”. This is a place where global and Chinese systems don’t just meet but actively fuse, creating unparalleled academic and professional value.

Hong Kong’s most compelling narrative in the global education arena is one that no other competitor can authentically claim: It is the world’s only global city that is also an integral part of China’s most dynamic economic engine, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. With four universities from Hong Kong establishing campuses in Dongguan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Zhuhai, Hong Kong universities are uniquely positioned to provide a cross-border learning experience, enriching students with a broader perspective.

Hong Kong should also leverage its unique position to connect with the West. One powerful strategy is to establish dual-degree programs with prestigious Western universities. These programs offer students the best of both worlds, providing international exposure and enhanced employability. They are not merely marketing tactics but represent a fundamental reengineering of the international education model, aiming to create “dual-domain” graduates — those credentialed in both Western and Asian contexts.

For Hong Kong to thrive in the global education landscape, the government, universities, and various organizations must collaborate and implement these strategies in tandem. Through concerted efforts, Hong Kong can enhance its appeal to international students, enrich its academic environment, and solidify its position as a leading global education destination.

The author is a professor in globalization and business at the City University of Hong Kong.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.