In 1957, the three colleges formed the Chinese Colleges Joint Council, chaired by Dr F.I. Tseung, President of United College, with the aim of gaining degree-awarding status for the three colleges. In 1958, the government accepted the proposal for the establishment of a Chinese university, and in the following year, officially announced its subvention to the three colleges, which were to become the founding colleges of the new university.
The period between 1959 and 1963 saw the transition of the colleges to a university in status and form. New Asia College, Chung Chi College and United College worked jointly to develop the curricula and improve the facilities in each college.
In 1960, Sir John Fulton, who was the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex at the time, was invited to come to Hong Kong as a consultant on the project. In his Report on the Development of Post-Secondary Colleges in Hong Kong, he emphasized the importance of academic freedom and research, and endorsed the new university’s use of Chinese as the medium of instruction as well as its role as a bridge for cultural exchange. In 1961, the government appointed a University Preparatory Committee, chaired by Sir Cho-yiu Kwan, to advise on sites and buildings for the University. Fulton returned in 1962, to chair a committee comprising international academics to examine the standard of the three colleges and lay down the structure of the new university.
