Ninety percent of this year’s DSE candidates hoped to continue their education in Hong Kong, according to a survey conducted by the Quality People Resources Limited between November and January this year.

It polled 3,236 DSE takers from 41 secondary schools across Hong Kong, aiming to examine students’ preferences in continuing education and taking up employment.

The company’s director Edward Chan on Thursday said students hoped to stay in the city mostly due to convenience and the fact that they view Hong Kong as their home.

“For local students, convenience, parent’s expectations, or scholarship, sponsorship, or Hong Kong is their home…[these are why they would prefer to stay in Hong Kong],” Chan said.

Four percent of candidates hoped to continue their education on the mainland, and six percent overseas.

Chinese University and Polytechnic University were the most popular choices among students, with 22.4 percent and 16.4 percent of students hoping to be admitted respectively.

Nursing was the most desirable subject among students at 13.5 percent, followed by education at 12.44 percent and psychology at 12.41 percent.

This echoes with the most preferred job industry among students, with education at 16.4 percent and nursing at 13.4 percent.

It found that students tend to select subjects according to their DSE results and personal interests, followed by industry trends related to their preferred majors.

The study also saw an increase in preference in selecting Hong Kong as the future working location for graduates, with a rise from 76 percent last year to 81 percent this year.

It found that personal interests, at 58.9 percent of candidates, remained the top priority among students this year when choosing their career, followed by salary and benefits at 54.9 percent.

“The living cost in Hong Kong is very high. Students can see the high cost of rent, transport and food, therefore they will consider this first [when choosing their subjects]. Therefore students are indoctrinated with the thought that they will need to acquire a certain salary level to live in Hong Kong,” Chan said.

The company said it would consider the increase of university tuition fees starting from the 2025/26 academic year for their survey next year.

Around 50,800 DSE candidates will receive their exam results next Wednesday.