Secretary for Education Christine Choi said on Saturday local universities are using different ways to make available more facilities in an effort to attract more non-locals.

This came as Chief Executive John Lee said in his Policy Address last month that the government will lift the cap on self-financing non-local students at publicly funded universities to 50 percent of local student places from 40 percent.

Speaking on an RTHK programme, Choi indicated facilities at universities could be “crowded” in the short term but that they had been resorting to different ways to improve the situation, such as buying up buildings outside campus to increase lecture halls.

She also said the government had received more than 10 applications for a scheme that permits the conversion of commercial buildings and hotels into student hostels.

Choi said approvals had been given for several projects, which will provide around 2,600 accommodation places for students at post-secondary institutions.

“We have seen a very enthusiastic market reaction to converting commercial buildings and hotels into student accommodation," she said.

"At the same time, we have also noticed that there has been active participation from the private sector and enterprises.

“Compared to the past, when universities had to rely on the government to provide funding to build accommodation from the ground up, now the conversion approach is much quicker and also encourages further involvement from private enterprises."

Choi also said the government has reserved sites in Hung Shui Kiu in the Northern Metropolis for self-financing tertiary institutions or universities of applied sciences.