In China, as the economy continues to decline and job pressure increases, the youth unemployment rate remains high. Against this backdrop, the enthusiasm for taking the national postgraduate entrance exam, known as the “gaokao,” has been waning in recent years. The number of exam takers has been declining for three consecutive years, dropping from 4.5 million in 2025 to 3.43 million in 2026. Concurrently, the number of candidates taking the civil service exam has been steadily increasing, reaching 3.718 million in 2026, surpassing the number of gaokao applicants for the first time.
On November 24, the Chinese Ministry of Education announced that the national entrance exam for postgraduate students in 2026 will be held on December 20th and 21st, 2025. According to statistics, a total of 3.43 million candidates registered for the national postgraduate entrance exam in 2026.
Since 2015, China has experienced a surge in the number of individuals taking the postgraduate entrance exam, peaking in 2022 at 4.57 million before beginning to decline in 2024.
In 2015, there were 1.65 million exam takers, which escalated to 4.57 million in 2022, an increase of 800,000 from the previous year. In 2023, the number rose to 4.74 million but with a reduced growth rate. However, in 2024, after eight consecutive years of growth, the number of applicants decreased for the first time to 4.38 million, a decrease of 360,000 from the previous year. In 2025, the number of applicants dropped significantly to 3.88 million, down by 500,000.
In 2026, there was a further decline in the number of exam takers, down by 450,000 to 3.43 million, returning to the levels seen during the period of lockdowns and restrictions in 2020 (3.41 million) and 2021 (3.77 million). Compared to the peak in 2023, the decrease was 1.31 million, representing a 27.6% drop.
It is noteworthy that as the number of postgraduate exam takers has decreased for three consecutive years, the number of civil service exam candidates has significantly increased.
Public data indicates that the number of civil service exam candidates has been on the rise since 2019, with 1.3793 million candidates in that year, increasing to 2.123 million in 2022, representing a substantial growth of 547,000. In 2026, the number of civil service exam takers soared to 3.718 million, surpassing the number of postgraduate exam applicants for the first time.
On November 24, the topic labeled “3.43 million postgraduate exam takers in 2026” trended on Weibo, sparking online discussions about the changing trend between postgraduate and civil service exam takers.
Weibo influencer “Beautiful as Flowers Zouxia” commented, “The number of graduates is increasing while the number of postgraduate exam takers is decreasing. Have they all started working? I asked a classmate for her thoughts, and this is perhaps the reality… She said: Because even if you pursue postgraduate studies, it just delays employment for three years. Postgraduates are becoming less valuable now. After entering the workforce, they might not even be able to access the same job opportunities as undergraduate students, as most companies prefer undergraduates due to their lower salary expectations and lower training costs. If a postgraduate were hired, they would undoubtedly demand higher salaries, still need training, and as they age, their cost-effectiveness compared to undergraduates decreases.”
Esports blogger and Weibo influencer “Wang Weichen” remarked, “This year, with 3.43 million postgraduate exam takers, a decrease of 450,000 from the previous year, the numbers have been declining for three consecutive years. Meanwhile, the number of civil service exam takers continues to surge, surpassing the postgraduate exam takers for the first time in history. Passing the civil service exam is a real achievement, while passing the postgraduate exam is akin to enduring another three years of hardship.”
Netizens chimed in, stating, “Many people have realized that pursuing postgraduate studies outside of the top universities has little meaning, especially in today’s job market where the unknowns after postgraduate studies for three years are too uncertain,” “I am currently pursuing postgraduate studies and regret not taking the civil service exam earlier,” “In my third year of postgraduate studies, finding a job has become challenging; I can’t even remember how many assessments and written exams I’ve done.”
Previously, according to data from Zhaopin Recruitment, among the 2024 graduates who had signed contracts, 36.8% of undergraduate students signed with micro and small enterprises, a figure 6 percentage points higher than that of postgraduates.