"Proportion of Liberal Arts Freshmen Lowered to 20%... Even Prestigious Universities Yield to the 'AI Craze'"

Universities Expand Science and Engineering with Government Support
Concerns Raised Over the "Humanities Uselessness Theory"

Shanghai Fudan University, a prestigious institution in the humanities and social sciences, has announced plans to reduce the proportion of liberal arts freshmen and expand its engineering college.

Among China's prestigious universities, Fudan University recently announced a reform plan to reduce the recruitment ratio of liberal arts freshmen from the current 30-40% to 20% and to divide the existing School of Engineering into six 'Innovation Institutes.' Getty Images

On the 18th, Hong Kong's Chengdu Daily reported that Fudan University recently announced a reform plan to lower the current recruitment ratio of liberal arts freshmen from 30-40% to 20%, and to divide the existing School of Engineering into six 'Innovation Institutes.' Additionally, a new 'New Liberal Arts' program will be established in the humanities field.

Jinli, President of Fudan University (Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences), stated, "In a mature society, the humanities are more important than the sciences, but given the current era, how many university students are really needed in the humanities?"

Fudan University. Official website of Fudan University

Recently, major Chinese universities have been shifting their focus toward advanced fields such as AI. Earlier this year, the Chinese AI model DeepSeek attracted global attention, reaffirming the Chinese authorities' strategic commitment to fostering AI development.

Tsinghua University, the alma mater of President Xi Jinping and a top institution in science and engineering, increased its undergraduate enrollment by about 150 students this year. It also established a new liberal arts college to cultivate talent that integrates AI with various disciplines. In September last year, Xi'an Jiaotong University in Shaanxi Province launched an interdisciplinary AI program. Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications introduced a new AI robotics program. Fudan University also added approximately 100 new AI-related courses.

The Chinese Ministry of Education launched the 'AI 101 Plan' last year, an AI talent development project involving 15 universities, 2 research institutes, and 2 publishing houses. Recently, Du Zhangfeng, president of Zhejiang University?a prestigious engineering school that produced DeepSeek founder Liang Yuanfeng?was appointed as a vice minister.

Chengdu Daily reported that the reduction in liberal arts enrollment is a result of universities embracing smart technologies amid the AI wave. However, it also conveyed some concerns. Hu Wei, a political scientist who has been with Fudan University for 18 years, wrote in a recent article, "We must be cautious of the 'humanities uselessness theory.' It is shortsighted and very harmful. Fudan University is a key stronghold of the humanities in Chinese universities and must abandon utilitarianism. The current issue is not reducing the humanities but cleaning up the academic waste within the humanities."