But a student representative on Thursday disagreed with lawmaker Lau Chi-pang, saying some of his peers would also have to support their families with their jobs on top of dealing with other expenses.
Authorities announced tuition fees would rise by HK$2,400 (US$307) to HK$44,500 in 2025-26 and another HK$2,500 in each of the following two years after a nearly three-decade freeze.
While the annual increase stood at 5.5 per cent on average, tuition fees would rise 17.6 per cent from the current level over three years.
Lau, also associate vice-president of institutional advancement and external affairs of Lingnan University, said the annual increase should not be a “very big problem” for students.
“On campus, the lowest hourly wage paid for part-time jobs is HK$60 to HK$65,” he told a radio programme.
“If you spread the increase out, it will only be HK$200 to HK$300 monthly, you can make it back if you work for two to three hours. I do not think this is a very big problem.”
Lau noted he did not believe that some students would find paying HK$200 to HK$300 more every month a “big burden”.
But Law Chun-yin, convenor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s joint college student unions, disagreed, saying students would also juggle other expenses even if they worked part-time.
“Students will have a lot of expenses while studying. Their part-time jobs can also be used to help with their expenses at home, paying an extra couple of hundred dollars every month can really add up,” he said.
Law also said that some students would consider taking out government loans to fund their college education, adding that some might face uncertainties and extra burdens amid the city’s sluggish economy and job market due to the hike.
He also suggested authorities consider not increasing the fees consecutively for three years.
According to the announcement, the tuition fees for publicly funded programmes subsidised by the University Grants Committee (UGC) will be increased from HK$42,100 to HK$44,500 in 2025-26, and further raised to HK$47,000 and HK$49,500 in the 2026-27 and 2027-28 academic years.
