"Jobs Disappearing... Chinese Youth Have No Time to Build Specs, Avoiding Graduate School"

Once a "Sure Bet for a Good Job"... Sharp Decline in Applicants
"I'd Rather Prepare for Employment Sooner Than Earn a Degree"

In China, where there is a significant salary gap between new employees depending on whether they hold a degree, the number of graduate school applicants has sharply declined for the second consecutive year. Analysts attribute this trend to the economic downturn, which is prompting young people to enter the job market as quickly as possible.

On the 22nd, Money Today cited major Chinese media outlets reporting that the Chinese Ministry of Education announced on the 21st that the number of applicants for the nationwide master's degree entrance exam, the ‘National Postgraduate Entrance Examination,’ scheduled for December 21-22 this year (2025 academic year), was counted at 3.88 million. This exam is mandatory for those wishing to enter a master's program in China.

The subjects of the master's entrance exam generally consist of English, politics, basic major subjects, and specialized major subjects. Only applicants who pass the exam can choose their desired university and major to apply for. The exam is usually conducted over two days, but for majors requiring additional testing, an extra day is added. Subsequently, each university comprehensively evaluates the results of its own additional screening and the entrance exam to select the final successful candidates.

According to the ‘2024 China Undergraduate Employment Report,’ among students who entered graduate school in 2023, 48% responded that they did so ‘for good employment,’ and 45% ‘for career development.’ As China has experienced economic growth, there is a significant salary difference for new employees depending on whether they hold a degree, indicating that many young people pursue graduate studies to secure better jobs.

Young Chinese people lining up to take the national master's degree entrance exam Photo by Yonhap News

Reflecting this, the graduate school enrollment rate, especially in science and engineering fields, steadily increased. The number of applicants for graduate school entrance exams rose significantly from 1.649 million in the 2015 academic year to 2.01 million in 2017, and 4.57 million last year. It continued to increase, surpassing 4 million in the 2022 academic year and reaching 4.74 million in 2023. This is the highest number ever, close to half of all university graduates.

However, in the 2024 academic year, the number decreased to 4.38 million, marking the first decline in eight years, and in the 2025 academic year, it dropped again to 3.88 million, falling below the 4 million mark. This is interpreted as a result of Chinese students avoiding graduate school due to a reduction in overall jobs amid a prolonged economic downturn. Zhu Jiaohui, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Education Sciences, diagnosed, “Many students are realizing that it is better to enter the job market quickly than to pursue graduate studies.”

Moreover, as companies facing financial difficulties reduce hiring, cases of graduates with master's or doctoral degrees unable to find employment are increasing. In 2022, Suichang County in Zhejiang Province, a small city with a population of only 150,000, recruited 24 new public officials, and it became a hot topic as many master's and doctoral graduates from prestigious universities such as Shanghai Jiao Tong University were accepted. At that time, social media platforms like Weibo were filled with comments such as “Even master's and doctoral graduates can't find jobs,” and “There is no reason to spend money and time building academic credentials if you end up as a low-level public official.”

With the recession lowering the profitability of graduate schools, support for students is also shrinking. As the number of students decreases, the tuition burden per student increases, leading some universities to extend the master's degree program from the usual two years to three years. The supply of dormitories for graduate students is also decreasing, increasing the burden on students. Experts pointed out, “From the students' perspective, pursuing graduate studies may no longer be a good choice economically or time-wise.”