^^^^ Exactly. A cheap undergrad from HKU, possibly with a bit of work experience, followed by a one or two year MS Eng progam in the US makes a lot of sense. It will cost a lot less money, and the jobs available to him with an MS Eng rather than a BS will be more interesting. He will have the same amount of OPT for either degree, but the MS degree will make it more likely that he can find a permanent position (if he wants to then) when the OPT ends.