Jiangxi Normal University introduced a student exit approval system before the “May Day” holiday, requiring all outbound travels to undergo hierarchical approval and to fill out an application form that includes information such as ID number, WeChat ID, and QQ number. This practice of including student travel in the purview of management has raised concerns about the boundaries of management in Chinese Communist Party-run universities.
According to documents and related information circulated online, on April 17th, the Education International Cooperation and Overseas Studies Office of Jiangxi Normal University, in conjunction with the Student Affairs Office, issued a notice titled “Reminders for In-school Students Traveling Abroad Privately.” The notice stated that as the “May Day” holiday approached, some students planned to travel abroad or participate in study tours, and the university required them to complete the exit approval process before traveling and “comply with” relevant regulations. This statement is seen as having mandatory enforcement nature.
A recent graduate from Jiangxi, Wu Hao (pseudonym), interviewed by Epoch Times, expressed that discriminatory notices like this are becoming more prevalent for students. According to Wu Hao, in the eyes of the school, students are required to accept their control, whether it’s for overseas visits or leisure travel, all must undergo approval. This is no longer just a simple safety record but a scrutiny of student behavior.
Wu Hao mentioned that every time the school asks students to fill out forms and sign commitments, claiming it’s for student safety, it’s actually an attempt to shift responsibility: “In case something happens to you abroad, such as being kidnapped or falling victim to fraud, the school can wash their hands of it, saying you signed and agreed. On the other hand, through your application to travel abroad, they get access to your accounts and know your thoughts.”
The scope of exit approval information is extensive.
The “Jiangxi Normal University Student Exit Application Form,” issued alongside the notice, shows that the so-called exit approval covers a wide range of information. In addition to basic personal information, students are required to submit WeChat ID, QQ number, language proficiency, destination country, receiving institution, and detailed itinerary. Personal means of communication are included in the approval process, which is considered a violation of personal privacy.
Beijing scholar Feng Ji (pseudonym), in an interview, stated that the university’s requirement for students to submit personal WeChat accounts blatantly infringes on citizens’ privacy: “The university’s actions are not normal management practices. WeChat and QQ accounts are private social tools. By asking students to hand over their accounts, what are they trying to find out? Who do students communicate with regularly, and how? Claiming to care for students is actually promoting their own surveillance system. This is the current state of affairs in the country.”
The application process shows that students must go through layers of approval by the college and the university before being allowed to exit. Although the documents do not explicitly list penalties for non-compliance with the exit approval process, various sources indicate that failure to comply may result in disciplinary action.
Feng Ji believes that this kind of “implicit punishment mechanism” is a manifestation of institutional pressure: “It uses the approval authority to create fear, gradually acclimating students to self-censorship. In essence, it’s bringing back the ‘political review’ system from the ‘Cultural Revolution’ era.”
Stricter control in universities sparks discussions.
Following the spread of related screenshots on social media platforms, netizens have raised questions. Some commented, “Having to go through an exit approval process for international travel makes it seem less like a university and more like a management unit.” Others pointed out, “Even requiring submission of WeChat is not about security but surveillance.”
In recent years, the Chinese Communist Party has noticeably tightened management in universities, from classroom content and online speech to student mobility, all falling under stricter regulations. Epoch Times previously reported that authorities have extended exit approvals from official matters to personal travel.
A student counselor at a Jiangxi University, Ms. Zou, told reporters, “Many universities now have similar mechanisms internally, just with different names. Some call it record-keeping, some call it exit approval. If you don’t fill it out, the school will consider you a problematic student and have ways to control you, the most direct being penalties, or not allowing you to participate in certain activities.”
Ms. Zou also mentioned that the Chinese Communist Party has always been concerned with the ideological dynamics of university students. Facial recognition cameras are installed in classrooms not only to monitor students’ behaviors but also to watch over teachers: “The security department not only monitors the words and actions of students but also teachers. Now, teachers hardly say more in the classroom. They communicate outside the classroom, reminding students to watch what they say and do, otherwise their graduation may be affected.”
Some public opinions suggest that these actions reflect the CCP gradually including students’ daily behaviors in what they term as maintenance of stability, with related boundaries continually extending into personal lives.