In light of the widespread unemployment among Chinese youth, recent data has revealed that the total number of postgraduate students in many mainland universities has surpassed that of undergraduate students in the past two years, sparking discussions among netizens.
According to a report by Pengpai News on September 16, Lanzhou University recently announced that in 2024, the total number of postgraduate students on campus exceeded that of undergraduate students for the first time. In recent years, the enrollment of postgraduate students at Lanzhou University has been expanding annually, with the number of postgraduate students exceeding undergraduate students in the 2019 annual enrollment.
It was reported that in early September this year, Zhejiang University of Technology enrolled more new postgraduate students than undergraduate students for the first time, with 5,382 postgraduate students and 5,342 undergraduate students admitted, making the postgraduate-undergraduate ratio exceed 1:1. In 2023, the number of postgraduate graduates from Beijing surpasses that of undergraduate students.
According to the official media China News Weekly’s compilation, in 2023, several key universities in Shanghai experienced similar situations. For instance, Tongji University had about 4,400 undergraduate graduates and around 6,500 postgraduate graduates in 2023; Shanghai International Studies University had about 3,200 graduates with postgraduate degrees accounting for about 1,700 people; Shanghai Jiao Tong University had 3,928 undergraduate graduates in 2022, while the number of postgraduate students reached as high as 6,422. East China Normal University had 3,485 full-time undergraduate graduates in 2022 and 4,139 postgraduate students. It is known that as early as 2021, nearly one-third of universities in Shanghai had more postgraduate graduates than undergraduate graduates.
The aforementioned Lanzhou University authorities stated that this development is an important step towards building a “high-level research university,” mentioning that the demand for high-level talents in the market is constantly increasing. Official media quoted Fan Xiudi, director of the Tongji University Education Evaluation Center, suggesting that the increase in postgraduate students is related to the growth in disposable income of households and the emphasis on education.
However, many Chinese netizens feel saddened by these circumstances, pointing out a correlation with the unemployment wave. Due to the inability to find employment, individuals are forced to pursue further studies, resulting in oversupply of postgraduate graduates:
“An indirect form of living off parents.”
“Large investment in talent development: some with genuine skills and knowledge, some deceitful – ending up delivering food! The national scientific research achievements are lying dormant in safes – huge investments in scientific research with little to no practical returns!”
“This situation is far from the normal undergraduate-to-postgraduate ratio at universities, illustrating how the value of university diplomas has deteriorated!”
“Are these postgraduate students useful? Failure in scientific research eventually leads to oversupply of postgraduate graduates.”
“Scarcity enhances value. By expanding enrollment, such a situation is bound to occur!”
“Undergraduates face difficulties in securing jobs, hence they must continue with postgraduate studies, feeling helpless.”
“An education bubble.”
“What was initially an embarrassment is now being treated as an achievement.”
“It’s essentially postponing graduation to reduce employment rates. Feeding on your own kind – how long can this last!?”
“Jobs that could be handled by undergraduates or even vocational students are now prioritizing the recruitment of postgraduate students. What does this signify? It’s not about respecting talent but rather a waste of talent, as nurturing postgraduate students requires a substantial amount of time and financial investment, and the outcome is merely raising the educational threshold.”
“Undergraduates graduate but can’t find jobs, so they pursue postgraduate studies, leading to the possibility of postgraduate unemployment in the future. After postgraduate graduation, entering society with low wages that are unacceptable, staying at home, and continuing to rely on parents. Society simply does not require that many highly educated talents; it’s all driven by interests.”
“Such attitudes left unchecked will lead to endless troubles!”
In June 2023, the youth unemployment rate in Chinese towns and cities among individuals aged 16 to 24 reached a record high of 21.3%. At that time, experts predicted that the unemployment rate would continue to rise when the 2023 graduates joined the job market. However, the Chinese Communist Party began concealing the unemployment situation, ceasing to publish this data in August of last year. In the job data released from January this year, full-time enrolled students are no longer included.
On August 16 this year, the National Bureau of Statistics of China released data stating that in July, the unemployment rate among 16-24-year-old non-students in urban areas rose to 17.1%, excluding students, increasing by 3.9 percentage points from the previous month’s 13.2%, reaching the highest level since the restoration of youth unemployment rate data disclosure in January. Netizens have questioned this data, suggesting that the actual situation could be even worse.
In recent years, an increasing number of Chinese universities have extended the duration of postgraduate programs from 2 years to 3 years. This move is seen as a makeshift measure to alleviate employment pressure. Education consultants also suggest that the extension of postgraduate programs not only indirectly prolongs students’ job-seeking period but also increases the university’s tuition revenue.