In 2025, the number of high school entrance exam registrations in China decreased by 70,000 compared to 2024, totaling 13.35 million. This marks the first decline in the past eight years. Analysts attribute this drop to a declining population of eligible candidates and the devaluation of degrees leading to job-seeking difficulties.
The Chinese Ministry of Education disclosed on Wednesday (28th) that the number of high school entrance exam registrations for 2025 was 13.35 million, a decrease of 70,000 from the previous year’s 13.42 million, marking the first decrease since 2017.
Historical data from the Ministry of Education shows that from 2015 to 2017, the number of high school exam registrations in China remained around 9.4 million, with a steady increase from 2018 to 2021. The years 2022 to 2024 witnessed a significant surge in registrations, with respective increases of 1.15 million, 980,000, and 510,000.
Notably, recent years have not only seen changes in the number of university applicants but also shifts in the trend of postgraduate entrance exams. According to “Beijing Evening News” media outlet “Beijing Evening Online”, the number of postgraduate exam applicants was 1.649 million in 2015, reaching a peak of 4.74 million in 2023. The following two years saw a consecutive decline, dropping to 4.38 million in 2024 and 3.88 million in 2025, down by 500,000 from 2024.
One significant factor contributing to the decline is the shrinking pool of eligible candidates. Analyzed by “Shanghai Observer News”, most of the high school entrance exam takers in 2025 were born in 2006 and 2007, and the decrease in registration numbers is related to the natural fluctuation in the population born in these two years.
According to data from the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics, the number of births in China from 2000 to 2005 were as follows: 17.65 million, 16.96 million, 16.41 million, 15.94 million, 15.88 million, and 16.12 million. The births in 2006 and 2007 were 15.81 million and 15.91 million, significantly lower than the previous years.
Additionally, the ratio of 18-year-olds taking the high school entrance exam (excluding repeaters) increased annually from 2018 to 2025 as follows: 55.2%, 60.8%, 65.3%, 67.6%, 75.1%, 80.1%, 84.9%, 83.9%.
The past seven years have seen a gradual increase in this ratio, peaking in 2024, but it began to decline this year, indicating the weakened desire of students to take the exam due to the economic downturn and job scarcity.
Another reason is the devaluation of degrees, compounded by the deteriorating economic environment, leading to difficulties for university graduates in finding jobs.
A report released by the well-known Chinese online recruitment platform “Zhaopin” revealed that the employment rate of Chinese university graduates in 2024 was 55.5%.
Citing Associate Professor Wu Qiuxiang from the School of Education at Renmin University of China, World News Network pointed out that the job market has long relied on “degree dependence” as a “low-cost screening tool”, showing excessive preference for prestigious academic backgrounds and degree labels.
However, the significance of degrees in job-seeking has greatly diminished. Professor Wu noted that the sight of highly educated individuals engaging in jobs like food delivery or becoming internet celebrities has sparked debates in society, forcing individuals to prove their worth through alternative means beyond degrees. As university education transitions from a privilege for a few to a fundamental qualification for many, the traditional equation of “degree equals social status” has been disrupted.
On April 18, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued a notice to include unemployed college graduates in the minimum living security system. The merging of “university graduates” and “minimum living security” terms has led to the university diploma being equated with applying for welfare. Netizens expressed that the “cost-effectiveness of a university education is shattered”.
Statistics indicate that the expected total number of university graduates nationwide in China in 2025 will reach 12.22 million, marking the highest record in over 40 years of reform and opening up.
An analysis conducted by “Qunxue College”, founded by scholars from Nanjing University, pointed out the recent popular saying in China, “China doesn’t lack university students now, what it lacks are people who can pay tuition fees,” albeit sharp in tone, reflects the underlying concerns behind the current expansion of higher education in China.