Kazakhstan has recorded the largest student population and fastest enrolment growth at Hong Kong’s public universities among Central Asian countries in recent years, according to official data, while students from the country say the city is the most preferred regional higher education destination in Asia among their peers.Among Hong Kong’s tertiary education institutions, City University (CityU) enrolled the largest share of Kazakhstani students.CityU council chairman Michael Ngai Ming-tak told the South China Morning Post that students from Kazakhstan were among the university’s top-performing undergraduates and that the country’s government was committed to educating its young people.According to University Grants Committee (UGC) figures, Kazakhstan accounts for the largest number of students studying at Hong Kong’s publicly funded universities among the five countries that make up Central Asia.The number of Kazakhstani students at the universities rose from 97 in the 2017-18 academic year to 493 in 2025-26, an increase of 408 per cent – the highest growth rate among Central Asian countries.CityU enrolled 203 Kazakhstani undergraduates this year, a record 49 per cent rise from 135 the previous academic year.CityU signed a memorandum of understanding with Kazakhstan in 2023. Photo: Silvia Siu
Hong Kong emerges as leading Asian study destination for Kazakhstani students
Hong Kong universities attracting growing number of students from Central Asian country, with enrolment up by 408 per cent in eight years.
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