Hong Kong’s student-hostel scheme had 45 applications confirmed as eligible by October 28, covering about 11,450 proposed beds, according to a written reply from the Secretary for Development. The Education Bureau had received 52 applications in total: six were still being processed, and one was not confirmed because its design did not meet safety and liveability requirements.
Four completed projects were in operation during the 2026/27 academic year, providing about 700 beds for post-secondary students. A further five cases had secured all development-control approvals and were undergoing conversion. Those projects involve about 740 beds, with works expected to finish within roughly a year.
Most applications involve converting whole commercial buildings in urban areas. Two of the eligible proposals involve converting existing hotels, either in full or in part. In five cases, applications had been made to the Lands Department for waivers or lease modifications requiring a land premium; another seven still needed to submit the relevant applications.
The government launched the scheme in July 2025 to encourage the conversion or redevelopment of existing commercial buildings as student hostels. The Secretary for Development said it was intended to ease development-control procedures, but the decision to convert or redevelop a building remained a business one. The government therefore did not plan to set a specific target for the number of beds.
The government plans to offer a site at Siu Lek Yuen, Sha Tin, for sale in the third quarter of the current fiscal year. Its preliminary estimate is that the site could provide about 600 beds. Whether and when to offer sites in Kai Tak and Tung Chung East will be considered in light of the sale.