Hong Kong student numbers at UK private schools have hit a five-year low after Britain imposed a 20 per cent VAT on fees. Enrolment fell 17 per cent and new admissions dropped 26 per cent. The Independent Schools Council annual census captured the full impact.
The Independent Schools Council annual census, conducted each January, showed total overseas pupils fell 7 per cent from 61,750 to 57,214.
The decline in Hong Kong students outpaced the global average and most other regions. Hong Kong recorded the largest drop in absolute numbers and the second-largest percentage decline, behind only Russia.
“Pupil numbers from Hong Kong have also fallen, continuing a downward trend in recent years, with a marked decrease in the latest year,” the ISC said.
A consultant specialising in student recruitment for British private schools said enrolment had returned to levels seen before Hong Kong’s emigration wave, with parents becoming more selective as costs rose.