China expands university admissions to develop human resources for new technology industries, increasing enrollment quotas at top universities.
In 2025, many top universities in China will continue to expand their enrollment scale to train more high-quality human resources for emerging technology fields, including artificial intelligence. This policy is expected to help China meet the growing demand for human resources in important strategic industries.
The focus of the expansion will be on “dual first-class” universities—a group of 147 elite Chinese universities. They account for about 5 percent of China’s nearly 2,900 higher education institutions. “Dual first-class” schools added 16,000 students in 2024, and the number of new students is expected to increase by 20,000 by 2025, according to Zheng Shanjie, director of the National Development and Reform Commission.
The “dual first-class” policy was initiated in the 1990s with the aim of building world-class universities and disciplines. Selected schools receive additional state funding and other resources for development. While most other universities have expanded their enrollments over the past two decades, “dual first-class” schools have maintained strict enrollment limits to ensure quality education.
Tsinghua University, China. IG.
Several prestigious universities have announced plans to increase enrollment. Tsinghua University, one of China’s top schools, announced it would increase its enrollment by 150 students this year. It also plans to establish a new undergraduate school to develop interdisciplinary talent for artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technology.
Similarly, Peking University has also confirmed that it will increase its enrollment by 150 students in 2025. Many other prestigious universities such as Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Renmin University of China and Huazhong University of Science and Technology have also announced similar plans, with increases ranging from 100 to 500 students.
New direction in human resource training strategy
The expansion of enrollment is not only aimed at increasing student numbers, but also at focusing on cutting-edge technology fields. Universities participating in the expansion will prioritize cutting-edge technology fields such as artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, biomedicine and interdisciplinary studies. The plan is in line with the direction of the Chinese Ministry of Education, which has set a goal of “optimizing” emerging fields of study by 2025, with a focus on fields that are of strategic significance or urgent need for the country’s economy.
China has been implementing a policy of expanding university enrollment since the late 1990s. However, according to Zhou Zhaohui, a researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences, previous expansions have focused mainly on local universities and vocational colleges. In China's higher education system, students attending vocational colleges account for about 45 percent, while students attending local universities account for about 30 percent. Therefore, the number of students trained at "first-class dual" schools is still quite limited.
One of the major problems facing China’s higher education system today is rising unemployment among graduates from less prestigious universities. Meanwhile, high-tech industries are still facing a severe shortage of human resources. According to Zhu Zhaohui, the demand for highly skilled workers is still very high, especially in the technology and biomedical fields, where China is trying to build globally competitive corporations.
Source: https://danviet.vn/trung-quoc-dai-hoc-hang-dau-banh-truong-the-luc-20250311154852192.htm
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