In recent years, an increasing number of Hong Kong students have applied positions in the universities in Chinese mainland, due to the limited quota in local colleges.

In many higher education institutions, universities in Guangdong province, such as Sun Yat-sen University and Jinan University, have become the most popular destinations for Hong Kong applicants. At the same time, traditional Chinese medicine tops the list of hot majors.

According to statistics, by the end of March, more than 3,000 Hong Kong students had applied various majors in mainland universities by the exam-free policy, which was inspired by Premier Li Keqiang to boost academic exchanges between mainland and Hong Kong back in 2011. Previously, a joint entrance examination had been mandatory for students from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

Deputy Director General of Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange based in Hong Kong, Gong Wan says a total of 3,468 Hong Kong students had registered on the registration website, and confirmation ratio has reached 86%, up 6% compared to that of last year.

Gong adds that due to the reasons of geography, climate and culture, students from Hong Kong are willing to study in the universities in Guangdong province. Besides, Peking University, Tsinghua University and Fudan University are also attractive to them.

Data also shows since 2011, more than 3,600 students from Hong Kong have been admitted by Chinese mainland universities over the past four years.