After she graduated last summer, Aroma Wu quickly realised that if she wanted a career in China’s tech industry, she would need to go back to school: her bachelor’s degree simply was not enough.

“I saw how competitive it was – most people had a master’s,” the 24-year-old said.

To boost her credentials, Wu decided to apply for a graduate programme in the United Kingdom, and she soon received an offer. But within weeks, she was growing worried by news coming out of Britain – and starting to rethink her decision.

In May, the UK government proposed an “education levy” of about 6 per cent on international students’ tuition fees. It also began talking tough on migration, with a new white paper suggesting tighter rules on post-study work visas and permanent residency qualifications.

“It was too much all at once,” Wu said. “Tuition fees are rising, visas might be cut, and now there’s a new tax? I felt overwhelmed.”

Wu, who describes herself as financially cautious, ultimately decided to study in Hong Kong instead. The programme will cost more than 300,000 yuan (US$41,000), but that is still about 100,000 yuan less than what she would have paid to study in the UK, she estimated.