This year marks the 15th anniversary of Hong Kong opening its colleges to students from the Chinese mainland in 2002.

Over the years, many top performers in China's ferociously competitive national college entrance examination have opted to study at Hong Kong universities rather than top colleges in the Chinese mainland, such as Peking and Tsinghua University.

Let's take a look at some of the major universities in Hong Kong allowed to enroll students from the mainland.

1. The Chinese University of Hong Kong

A file photo of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. [Photo/VCG]

The Chinese University of Hong Kong was among the first batch of colleges in Hong Kong to open its doors to students in the Chinese mainland.

Founded in 1963, the Chinese University of Hong Kong has become a comprehensive research university with a global reputation.

Over the past years, as many as 2,000 students from the Chinese mainland have studied in the university.