Why are mainland DSE pupils willing to pay up to HK$22,000 for university advice?

Mainland Chinese students taking Hong Kong’s university entrance exams are willing to pay up to 20,000 yuan (US$2,785) for advice on which tertiary institution to apply to, a consulting company has said.

Teachers also observed that mainland students tended to place greater emphasis on the global ranking of institutions than their Hong Kong counterparts, who were more likely to choose undergraduate programmes based on their interests.

A university application adviser on the mainland charges between 10,000 and 20,000 yuan (HK$11,000 and HK$22,000) for each candidate who sat Hong Kong’s Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) examinations.

Issac Liang Weiyi founded his Shenzhen-based consulting company, Winning Star, in 2024 for students applying to overseas universities. He already had 50 clients.

The demand for consultancy services was in line with the rising number of mainland students sitting the DSE exams.

According to a check by the Post, at least 72 schools on the mainland offer the DSE curriculum, four of which are designated for Hong Kong children who live across the border. The rest are for both mainland and Hong Kong students.