UM to transfer 4,000 students to Hengqin campus by 2029

The University of Macau’s (UM) Hengqin campus project is expected to be fully completed by 2029, when it will accommodate around 4,000 students, rector Yonghua Song said yesterday during a media visit by the “Opportunities in Macau” delegation.

Speaking to the press, he added that nearly 1,000 postgraduate students will begin studying at the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone’s Macau–Hengqin International Education (University) Town transitional campus as early as August this year.

Song said the Hengqin project is a key initiative under China’s 15th Five-Year Plan support framework and will adopt an “extension-based” model, under which UM will not establish a separate legal entity in the mainland.

Instead, the university will operate in an integrated manner across its Macau and Hengqin campuses under a “one university, two campuses” cross-border arrangement.

He said the campus will “help advance the development of a higher education demonstration zone in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.”

On admissions, Song said UM has launched 23 science and technology-related programmes at the Hengqin transitional campus this year, covering microelectronics, artificial intelligence, robotics, smart grids, and big data.

Although the initial target was 800 students, demand exceeded expectations, with more than 900 postgraduate and doctoral students ultimately admitted.

These students will study at the transitional campus in phases, while laboratory-based courses will continue at the main Macau campus.

The Hengqin campus project was approved by the Ministry of Education in November 2024, with land handover and groundbreaking completed in December.

After a year of preparatory work, construction officially began last December, with foundation works now underway.

Structural topping-out is expected to begin in the second half of 2027, while parts of the residential colleges and teaching facilities are scheduled to open in 2028, ahead of full completion in 2029.

Song also said UM’s postgraduate and international student intake will expand significantly in the second half of the year, with many students coming from APEC economies to study fields such as artificial intelligence, data science, global public health, and financial technology.

Meanwhile, Secretary for Social and Cultural Affairs, O Lam, stated that phase three of the project will house the Macao Polytechnic University and Macao University of Tourism campuses.
Once fully developed, the university town will have a capacity of up to 20,000 students.