Hong Kong’s Lingnan University Students’ Union disbands after 59 years

The student union at Hong Kong’s Lingnan University has announced it has disbanded, citing “changes in circumstances inside and outside school” as it becomes the latest student group in the city to fold.

Hong Kong’s Lingnan University in May 2025. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

The Lingnan University Students’ Union (LUSU) posted the announcement on social media platforms on Thursday, saying a resolution of disbandment was passed at a meeting this week.

LUSU said it had promoted Lingnan University students’ wellbeing and raised awareness of wider social issues and Hong Kong’s development since its founding in 1967.

“But there have been changes in circumstances inside and outside school in recent years, and after balancing different factors, the union has made the difficult decision to disband,” it said in the Chinese-language statement.

The group thanked students for their support and urged them to continue paying close attention to campus affairs.

Following the disbandment of the LUSU, only two Hong Kong publicly funded universities – the City University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology – still have active students’ unions.

‘Democratic exercise’

Student unions in Hong Kong had a history of participating in the city’s pro-democracy movements, including the 2014 Umbrella Movement and 2019 protests, before a Beijing-imposed national security law in 2020 all but snuffed out dissent.

Since the 2020 security law was enacted, some universities have distanced themselves from their student unions.

Hong Kong’s Lingnan University in May 2025. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

In July last year, Lingnan University issued a statement declaring it had no affiliation with the LUSU, calling it an “externally registered society,” which was not endorsed by or associated with the university.

Lingnan University said at that time that LUSU’s statements and acts were “inconsistent with the core values” of the university and “caused damage” to its reputation.

Prior to the July 2025 statement, four members of a newly elected cabinet of the LUSU told HKFP that they wished to continue a “democratic exercise,” despite growing pressure from university management.

HKFP has reached out to Lingnan University for comment.