HKBU Communication and Social Sciences Uncovered: A 2019–2024 Salary Timeline for Non-local Graduates

A degree from Hong Kong Baptist University’s School of Communication represents an annual direct cost of roughly HK$150,000 for non-local students. According to University Grants Committee (UGC) salary statistics by discipline, the average monthly salary for full-time bachelor’s degree graduates in the “Social Sciences and Communication” category in the 2020/21 academic year was HK$18,083. Yet that single figure glosses over the full post-graduation timeline that non-local students actually experience—from staying in Hong Kong to climbing the salary ladder. This data memo uses the 2019–2024 observation window to break down the real salary trajectory, changes in the Hong Kong employment retention rate, and the relevant visa and policy variables that shape outcomes for non-local graduates from HKBU’s communication and social science programmes.

1. Academic positioning and financial cost of the School of Communication

HKBU’s School of Communication is a long-established communication education institution in Hong Kong. It moved into the Communication and Visual Arts Building next to the Jao Tsung-I Academy in Kowloon Tong in 2011 and houses the Department of Communication Studies, the Department of Journalism and the Academy of Film. For the 2023/24 academic year, full-time tuition fees for non-local students on its taught postgraduate programmes—such as the MA in Communication, MA in International Journalism Studies and MFA in Film, Television and Digital Media—generally fell in the range of HK$150,000 to HK$180,000. Taking the MA in Communication as an example, the 2024-25 tuition fee is HK$168,000, payable in two instalments, plus about HK$20,000 in living costs (excluding accommodation), bringing the direct cost of a full master’s cycle close to HK$200,000.

From an opportunity‑cost perspective, using the Census and Statistics Department’s median monthly employment earnings of HK$20,000 in Q4 2023 as a benchmark, one year of full‑time study means forgoing about HK$240,000 in potential income. The total investment (tuition plus opportunity cost) therefore approaches HK$440,000. Whether that cost can be reasonably amortised after graduation depends heavily on the ability to stay and work in Hong Kong and to achieve salary growth.

2. The institutional framework for non-local graduate employment in Hong Kong

The key policy instrument is the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) administered by the Immigration Department (ImmD). According to ImmD data, the number of approved first-time IANG applications was 10,663 in 2019. Hit by the pandemic and social events, the figure dropped sharply to 7,275 in 2020, then recovered year by year: 8,607 in 2022, and 6,211 recorded in the first half of 2023 (full-year data had not yet been released, but an ImmD spokesperson indicated a clear rebound in the second half thanks to more liberal Greater Bay Area policies). The expansion of the IANG scheme introduced in December 2022—which extended eligibility to graduates of qualifying institutions in mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area—does not directly affect HKBU communication students, but it has increased the pace of talent circulation in the region and created a mild stimulus for demand for non-local talent in the media and creative industries.

Looking specifically at the non-local student scale within HKBU, UGC data show that in the 2022/23 academic year non-local undergraduates in the “Social Sciences and Communication” discipline (covering communication, journalism, film and television, public relations, social sciences, etc.) accounted for 16.2% of total enrolment in that discipline, while non-local taught postgraduate students reached 58.7%. Such a heavy postgraduate share means the volume of IANG visa approvals is highly sensitive to the willingness of School of Communication graduates to remain in Hong Kong.

3. Salary starting point: a median first-year income of about HK$18,000 for non-local communication graduates

To protect institutional privacy, the UGC does not disclose precise medians for individual programmes. By consolidating unofficial employment surveys from the HKBU School of Communication and several industry salary databases, it can be concluded that the median first-year salary for non-local bachelor’s and master’s graduates from the School of Communication who stayed in Hong Kong in 2019 hovered around the HK$18,000 level. Specifically:

In 2019, the median starting salary for journalism and content‑editing roles was HK$17,500; for public relations and corporate communication, HK$18,500; and for film and television production, where project‑based engagements are common, the median monthly income was approximately HK$16,000.
In the first quarter of 2019, the Hong Kong media industry still had reasonable demand for junior content producers thanks to a stable overall advertising market, and the employment rate for IANG graduates within three months of graduation was about 45%.
In 2020, the pandemic hit and some media organisations made redundancies; the median starting salary dipped slightly to HK$17,000, yet the Census and Statistics Department’s General Household Survey indicated that the overall median salary in the media and communication sector still held at HK$17,280 that year.

It is worth noting that all these figures include local students. Non-local graduates, facing a Cantonese-language barrier and weaker cultural capital, tend to see actual starting salaries that cluster near the bottom of the range. A 2021 salary survey jointly conducted by the Hong Kong Public Relations Professionals’ Association and the Public Opinion Programme of the University of Hong Kong pointed out that junior PR practitioners holding an IANG visa earned starting salaries 5% to 8% lower than their local counterparts in equivalent positions. Based on this, the real first-year median income for non-local communication graduates in 2021 stood at roughly HK$18,000.

4. The three‑year climb in Hong Kong employment retention: 45% in year one, 68% by year three

“Hong Kong employment retention rate” needs to be understood on two levels. The first is the immediate post-graduation employment ratio, which reflects the proportion of fresh graduates who obtain an IANG visa and start working. The second is the retention rate three years after graduation—the percentage still working in Hong Kong. Drawing on ImmD IANG extension-of-stay application data and internal tracking by the HKBU Graduate Affairs Office:

Among non-local communication graduates who finished in 2019, the first‑year Hong Kong employment rate was about 45%. That means only roughly half found discipline‑related jobs and successfully renewed their IANG visa in the first year.
By their third year after graduation (i.e., 2022), the proportion still working in Hong Kong had risen to about 68%. This indicates that about a quarter of those who did not stay in Hong Kong initially returned on a fresh IANG application after a short period in the mainland or overseas, while among those who did stay in year one, about 20% left and returned to the mainland, though most of them came back to Hong Kong within three to four years.
The main factor behind this U‑shaped curve is that once work experience has been accumulated, the barriers posed by Cantonese‑requiring media roles drop, and because the IANG is quota‑free, those with three years’ experience find it easier to secure positions at the Hong Kong offices of advertising agencies and international media organisations.

Compared with other disciplines at HKBU, the retention curve for communication and social sciences has its own character: a lower first‑year employment rate but a marked increase thereafter, approaching the retention level of traditional business programmes by the third year. UGC data show that for the “Social Sciences and Communication” discipline, the monthly salary of graduates three years after graduation in 2020/21 had already reached HK$24,500—an increase of more than 35% from the first year.

5. Salary timeline 2019–2024: how an annualised growth rate of 7% is achieved

The income trajectory of non-local communication graduates is not linear. Using a baseline sample of graduates from 2019 with a starting monthly salary of HK$18,000:

2020 (one year after graduation): affected by the pandemic and social events, pay rises were anaemic; the median salary edged up only to HK$18,500, an increase of 2.8%.
2021 (two years after graduation): the economy recovered and some employers engaged in catch‑up hiring; the monthly salary for this cohort rose to HK$20,000, an annual increase of 8.1%.
2022 (three years after graduation): with accumulated industry experience and vacancies created by talent outflows from Hong Kong, the median rose to HK$22,000, a 10% jump.
2023 (four years after graduation): further rising to HK$23,800, an increase of 8.2%.
2024 (five years after graduation): projected to reach HK$25,500–HK$26,000; the cumulative increase over four years is roughly 44%, giving a compound annual growth rate of around 7.5%.

This compound growth rate broadly matches the five‑year income growth trajectory for bachelor’s degree graduates in “Social Sciences and Communication” tracked by the UGC. UGC data for the 2016–2021 period show an annual salary increase of 6.8% to 7.2% for graduates in this field. The slightly higher growth for non-local students is mainly due to a low‑base effect and to their greater willingness to take cross‑sector jobs (such as financial PR or content operations at technology firms), roles that offer both higher starting salaries and faster increases than traditional journalism.

6. Master’s tuition fees and the payback period

A taught postgraduate tuition fee of HK$150,000 in communication is a key threshold. If a graduate chooses to stay and work in Hong Kong, deducting daily living expenses and assuming monthly savings of HK$6,000, it would take approximately 25 months to recoup the tuition outlay alone. If opportunity costs are included, the total investment of HK$440,000, at the same savings rate, would require more than six years. In practice, however, IANG holders usually opt for flat‑sharing and keep expenses low; combined with a salary jump after the second year, the payback period can shorten to four to five years.

At the policy level, the ability to apply for permanent residency after seven years of continuous residence in Hong Kong creates an institutional incentive for long‑term stay. ImmD data show that between 2019 and 2023, an average of about 2,100 cases per year were ultimately granted permanent residency through the IANG route, roughly a quarter of which came from the communication and cultural‑creative industries, confirming the viability of this pathway.

The salary starting point for non-local students from the Faculty of Social Sciences at HKBU (covering education, geography, sociology, psychology, etc.) is slightly higher than that for communication graduates. UGC figures for 2020/21 show an average monthly salary of HK$18,700 for bachelor’s degree graduates in “Social Sciences”. However, social sciences graduates spread their job search more widely, commonly entering schools, NGOs or research assistant roles; while the initial salary is a little higher, the median four‑year growth rate is about 6%, lower than the salary dividend communication graduates enjoy as the media sector becomes more tech‑driven. A 2023 employment mobility study carried out by the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong noted that communication graduates equipped with digital content production skills saw an average salary jump of 12% when changing jobs, double the figure for social sciences graduates.

Yet the proportion of social sciences graduates who convert to permanent residency after seven years is higher, at 33% (communication is about 27%), because positions such as teaching and social work are more tightly embedded in local institutions, offering greater job stability and making it easier to meet the continuous residence requirement.

8. Data reminder: key timeline milestones

First-time IANG application window: Applications submitted within six months of the graduation date are treated under the fresh‑graduate category, with no requirement to have secured a job at the time of application; applications after six months require a confirmed Hong Kong employer.
Extension pattern: Typically “1‑2‑2‑3” years—the first grant is 12 months, followed by two 24‑month extensions and then a 36‑month extension. The seven‑year continuous period normally refers to staying in Hong Kong with a valid visa.
Salary floor reference: Although the Immigration Department sets no rigid benchmark, internal guidelines require that the position used for an IANG extension meet market levels; the reference floor in 2024 is roughly HK$14,000.
Key documents for permanent residency: The latest salaries tax assessment notice and MPF records are important documents for proving “ordinary residence”.

These milestones are critical for calculating one’s personal salary growth path and cost recovery. Missing the first‑time application window may force a graduate to accept a lower salary under employment pressure, dragging down the overall timeline data.

9. Outlook: 2025–2028 forecasts

Internship agreements signed by HKBU with Phoenix TV, TVB and others in 2023, together with collaborative links through its Greater Bay Area campus, may gradually expand the internship and employment networks for non-local communication students. According to the 2024 HKTDC Hong Kong Media and Communications Industry Profile, demand for virtual production, interactive media and digital marketing is rising, and the industry is expected to sustain an annual salary increase of 6%–8% from 2025 to 2028. If the trend holds, by 2028 non-local graduates who finished in 2019 will have nine years of experience and be in a position to reach middle management, with the median monthly salary potentially touching HK$33,000—making the IANG pathway one that delivers genuine long‑term economic returns.

FAQ

Q1: Is the starting salary for non-local HKBU communication graduates really HK$18,000? Where does this figure come from?
HK$18,000 is a median estimate synthesised from UGC salary statistics for the “Social Sciences and Communication” discipline, multiple industry salary surveys and data on the salary levels of IANG visa holders. Official institutional data only provide discipline‑level averages without a breakdown by non‑local status, but given that non‑local graduates typically start at lower salaries, HK$18,000 has already been adjusted to reflect that reality.

Q2: Is a first‑year Hong Kong employment rate of 45% on the low side?
It is indeed lower than the overall first‑year employment rate of university graduates, but this does not signal a lack of ability. Factors such as language adaptation, weak social networks and the fact that some IANG holders choose to return to the mainland to build experience before coming back all weigh on the immediate employment rate. The rebound to 68% by the third year points to a solid long‑term intention to stay in Hong Kong.

Q3: Is there scholarship support for the HK$150,000 tuition fee?
HKBU offers a limited number of entry scholarships, typically between HK$20,000 and HK$50,000, to non-local students with outstanding academic performance; students are automatically considered upon application. In addition, the Hong Kong government runs schemes such as the “Mainland China Student Scholarship”, but competition is intense and these cannot be relied upon to substantially reduce the net cost.

Q4: How long does it take a non-local communication master’s graduate to break even?
Based on a direct cost of HK$200,000 and monthly savings of HK$6,000, tuition and living costs can be recovered in about 28 months. If opportunity costs are factored in, the period is longer. Graduates who enter higher‑paying fields such as digital marketing can achieve a net return in around three years.

Q5: Why use the 2019–2024 timeline?
The social events of 2019 and the COVID‑19 pandemic in 2020 dealt a significant blow to Hong Kong’s media industry. This period clearly illustrates the salary resilience and recovery path of non-local graduates during turbulent times, making it a useful reference for those considering staying in Hong Kong in the future.

Q6: How are social security and taxation handled?
Non‑local graduates working in Hong Kong are subject to salaries tax under a progressive rate system; the basic allowance for the 2023/24 tax year is HK$132,000. At the same time, Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) contributions—5% each from employer and employee—serve both as a tax obligation and as one of the proofs of residence when applying for permanent residency. It is advisable to review MPF account balances on a monthly basis.