Before paying 50 million yen over 4 years: Why Hong Kong, with 'top-tier universities at 1/5th the cost,' is being left out

Is blending into a white-majority region the only way to get a 'proper English education'? If you look at the faculty, IELTS standards, and university rankings, the premise that Asia equals weak English skills simply doesn't hold up.
Where did the assumption that high tuition equals good education come from? Hong Kong's universities are world-class, classes are taught entirely in English, and yet they don't even make the shortlist. I will calmly break down this sense of dissonance.

Hello, I'm Betty, a 'modern Mencius' who has moved abroad for education four times.
I lived in Hong Kong for 12 years, from 2009 to 2020.
Both of my daughters were born in Hong Kong.

When I talk to parents whose children attend international schools in Japan, their list of potential universities is almost always the same. I find that quite strange.

The United States
Canada
Australia
The United Kingdom

However, there is one thing that has been bothering me for a long time.

Why is Hong Kong almost never mentioned?
And this is despite the fact that there are universities like The University of Hong Kong and
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University that possess world-class rankings, research capabilities, and English-speaking environments.

Let's set aside our emotions for a moment and look at the 'numbers'.

If the reason you are excluding Hong Kong from your list of potential universities is
'just a vague sense of unease' or 'I can't picture it,'
I want you to try organizing it with numbers for once.

1. World University Rankings (2024–2025 standards)

• The University of Hong Kong (HKU)
  ▶ World around 26th
  (A regular in the top 30 for both QS and THE)

• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)
  ▶ World around 60th–70th
  (World-class in engineering, design, and hospitality)

For reference, here are Japanese universities:

• University of Tokyo: around 28th in the world

• Kyoto University: around 46th in the world

• Waseda/Keio: 100th–200th range

In other words, HKU is in the 'same tier as the University of Tokyo'
and PolyU is in the 'former Imperial University to top-tier national university class'.

Even so,
'because it's Hong Kong, it's not a candidate'
—what is the basis for that judgment?

2. Tuition: 'Too realistic' compared to North America

Tuition in Hong Kong (for international students, per year)

• The University of Hong Kong:
  approx. 1.8 to 2.2 million yen/year

• Hong Kong Polytechnic University:
  Approx. 1.7–2.1 million yen/year

On the other hand...

US Private Universities

• Tuition + fees:
  7–12 million yen/year

• 4-year total:
  Over 30–50 million yen

Canada/UK

• Per year 4–7 million yen

• Could go even higher depending on exchange rates

Hong Kong is in an exceptionally cost-effective zone of
'world-top universities × 1/3 to 1/5 the tuition.'

3. Career path after graduation: Actually, there are 'more branching points' than in North America

This is also often misunderstood.

• US/Canada
  → Graduation does not equal employment
  → Work visas are extremely hard to get

• Hong Kong
  → IANG visa available after graduation
  → Strong for employment and graduate school in Asia
  → Many track records of advancing to Western graduate schools

In other words, Hong Kong is,

• not a single bet on the US

• a place where branches extend to both Asia and the West

• 'a study destination with an escape route'

as well.

4. English environment: The reality that shatters the native-speaker illusion

The language of instruction at Hong Kong universities is entirely English.
Looking at where the faculty obtained their degrees:

• Stanford

• MIT

• Oxford

• Cambridge

• Harvard

...are all listed as standard.

As for the students' English proficiency,
IELTS 7.0–7.5 is the volume zone.

'You won't improve your English unless you're surrounded by Westerners'
'Asia equals weak English'

This premise does not hold up numerically.

The 'real reason' Hong Kong became a place where you can live on English alone

I think it's sloppy to just end the conversation about Hong Kong with
'English is spoken there, right?'

Hong Kong is
not a place where English just happened to remain.
It is a place that strategically kept English.

English is an 'economic infrastructure,' not a 'culture'

For Hong Kong,
English is neither an identity nor a liberal art, but

an infrastructure for driving the economy.

Why?

Because Hong Kong has long been a city that needs to:
• Maintain a stock market
• Serve as an international financial hub
• Attract Asian headquarters of global companies
• Continuously bring in high-level talent

That is why.

Stock markets and English are a set

Hong Kong has
one of the largest stock markets in Asia.

・Listed companies
・Investors
・Audit firms
・Lawyers
・Consultants
・Financial institutions

These need to operate at high speed in a single language.

That language is English.

・Legal documents
・Financial statements
・IR
・Contracts
・Dispute resolution

Global money will not gather in a city where these
are handled only in local Chinese.

That is why Hong Kong

has maintained a design where everything is completed in English,
rather than just 'being able to use' English

for decades.

The conditions for attracting the Asian headquarters of global companies

What Hong Kong has done is simple.

in English.

That is why
・Foreign-affiliated companies
・Multinational corporations
・Researchers
・Financial professionals
・University faculty

can come without language anxiety.

English is not used
'because it is friendly to foreigners.'

It is so that foreigners can 'work as immediate assets.'

The reason universities use English is the same

The fact that Hong Kong universities have
・Classes entirely in English
・Papers in English
・Evaluation criteria in English

is not just about colonial history and educational philosophy.

It is because they want to attract researchers and students from all over the world.

Many of the faculty members are
from top universities in the UK and US.

Students also
gather from Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America.

If English were not the common language here,
they could not maintain their university rankings or research capabilities.

That is why Hong Kong universities have

• English = Academic language
• Chinese = Regional language

a distinction that is fully established as a system.

Is it true that you can live on English alone?

The conclusion remains the same.

YES. And it is quite realistic.
In fact, my husband lived in Hong Kong for over 20 years using only English.

• Hospitals: English support is standard
• Banks: Accounts, investments, and loans in English
• Government: Everything can be completed in English
• Real estate: English contracts are official
• Public transport: English signage and announcements

This is on a different level from
“English is understood because it's a tourist destination.”
It is a different dimension.

It is an English environment that was developed because it was necessary as a financial hub.

A structure where you can 'add' English + alpha

Another educationally important point.

In Hong Kong,

• Making English the axis of thought and language
• And as needed,
'adding' Cantonese/Mandarin

This order is established.

This is
a structure that makes it easy to develop CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency) in English.

English is
“not just at school”
“not just at home”
but rather,

used throughout society

This difference is significant.

Why do Japanese parents overlook this?

In the Japanese international school scene, there is still a strong assumption:

・English = Western
・English = White society
・English = America/UK

However, the reality of English is no longer
about whose native language it is, but rather which markets it is used in.

Finance
Research
Academia
Business

In these fields, places where English functions as a 'living language.'

Hong Kong is firmly among them.

It is rational precisely because they are university-age

For elementary students, being cautious is fine. I understand that for junior high students, too. They are susceptible to external political ideologies, right?

But they are university students.

・They can judge for themselves
・They can acquire information
・They can maintain distance

At that age,

studying in a city where English is an institutional language

is not a risk, but
practical training before entering the world.

English is not a 'language to learn' but a 'language to use'

This is Hong Kong's strength.

English is not
・a subject to be graded
・an object of study

but rather,

a language to negotiate, contract, and take responsibility in.

You can experience that
in both your daily life and your studies.

That is why I think.

To exclude Hong Kong
because 'it's in Asia'
or 'it feels vaguely uneasy'
is,

a waste, both as an educational strategy and as a university advancement strategy.

English is not about where you learn it,
but
which economic sphere you use it in.

Hong Kong is the city that shows you that reality
most clearly.

Even so, the reason Hong Kong isn't chosen is probably the 'narrative'.

The rankings,
the tuition fees,
the reality of career paths,
and the English-speaking environment.

Looking only at the numbers,
Hong Kong is a destination where 'you can't find a reason to exclude it'..

If it is still not chosen, there is only one reason.

As a parent, I want to rethink
whether there is truly any meaning in paying tens of millions for that narrative.

Reason 1: 'Political risk' is being talked about too excessively

When the topic of Hong Kong comes up, the question 'Is it politically okay?' always arises.

I am looking at this quite calmly.

Certainly,if elementary to middle school studentswere placed in an environment where they were easily influenced by political ideologies on a daily basis, I could understand being cautious.

But,these are university students,right?

They are 18 or older, an age where they can gather information themselves, make choices, and keep their distance.
Classes are in English, and professors are researchers gathered from all over the world.

At the very least,
when thinking in the context of 'university advancement',
I do not have the sense that political ideology is directly eroding daily life or academic freedom.

If anything, Hong Kong today is

• Society has already 'settled down'

• While uncertainty has become the norm, public safety is stable

• The risks in daily life are quite low

To be honest,
Taiwan some people may feel that the geopolitical risks of studying in
Taiwan are harder to predict.

The quality of education in Taiwan is extremely high.
But if a 'what if' scenario were to occur, the impact could potentially be greater than in Hong Kong.

Reason 2: The assumption that 'English-speaking world = Western world'

I believe this is the most deep-seated issue.

In the Japanese international school community,
doesn't this premise still remain somewhere?

This is native-speaker worship.

Hong Kong universities have:

• Faculty members who are almost entirely from top universities in the UK, US, and Australia

• Classes conducted entirely in English

• A multinational (and super-talented) student body

But just because it is 'Asia,'
are we unconsciously lowering its rank?

Learning in English and
mixing into white society are not the same thing.

Reason 3: The illusion that 'high tuition = good education'

There is one more reason that no one talks about, but it definitely exists.

Spending tens of millions to go to an American university is, in itself, a 'success story' as an educational investment.

But let's look at the reality.

• Finding a job after graduation in the US or Canada is harder than you imagine

• Visas, work eligibility, and competition are all tough

• Graduating does not mean you can work in that country

On the other hand, Hong Kong is:

• An Asian hub for finance, research, and business

• A cluster of international companies and research institutions

• Tuition is more realistic than in North America

• Permanent residency can be obtained after 7 years of paying taxes

Yet, it doesn't even come up as an option.

That might be because people are choosing their paths based on a
narrative rather than rationality.

Hong Kong is not the 'only solution.' But there is little reason to 'exclude it' either.

This is what I think.

I am not saying that going to university in Hong Kong is the right answer.
However,

• It has world-class universities

• You can study in English

• Living risks are relatively low

• There are many branching paths for your career after graduation

It is quite a waste to exclude a place that meets all these conditions
just because it is in Asia.

• Families who used Hong Kong strategically

• Families who raised their children locally in Hong Kong

• Families that have gone all-in on English/multilingual education

will be exploredwith Yuriko-santogether.

Rather than theoretical discussions, I will share the voices of people who can speak to 'what it was actually like.'

When parents and children at international schools in Japan
are considering where to go for higher education.

You don't have to make Hong Kong
a 'must-go' destination.
However,I don't want you to make it a 'place you never even considered.'

As a prelude to that, I'll leave you with this question today.

If you are interested in the follow-up, please follow me and stay tuned.
I also look forward to your likes and comments.

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