Reasons for this drop include the cost1 of living in Taiwan rising to levels as high as in Europe and America, decreases in Taiwan's overseas Chinese student quotas, and the rapid improvement of standards at local Hong Kong universities, along with the booming Chinese economy. All of this led pragmatic Hong Kong students to consider Taiwan a less beneficial option for their futures.
其中原因，除了台灣物價逐年增高，費用已直逼歐美、僑生名額縮減、香港本地大學水準快速提升外，近年中國經濟起飛，務實的港生認為到台灣讀大學對未來就業幫助不大。