In recent years, the most favored majors among Chinese bachelor students and short-cycle degree students were finance, civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, international trade, economics, accounting, clinical medicine, law, and the English language. Meanwhile, archeology, veterinary medicine, translation, transport engineering, and physics were among the least desirable subjects. However, even the popular, highly competitive fields of study do not always guarantee quick and successful employment after graduation.
What are the labor market prospects for graduates?
The graduate employment rate within half a year after graduation has been generally stable in China over the past seven years, exceeding 90 percent on average. Those that struggle to find a job are usually graduates from less technical, quantitative majors who often lack both practical “hard skills” and “soft skills” such as communication, critical thinking, and managerial abilities. Engineering, technology, IT and science majors top employment rates as well as secure higher-starting salaries. The average monthly salary of a university graduate in China has increased more than 120 percent in the last ten years. However, high rent and costs of living in cities like Beijing or Shanghai often force young graduates to return to their hometowns or to seek employment in the second and third tier cities.
Number of graduates from public colleges and universities in China between 2013 and 2023
(in 1,000s)
Characteristic
Bachelor graduates
Short-cycle degree graduates
Bachelor and short-cycle graduates*
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National Bureau of Statistics of China. (October 16, 2023). Number of graduates from public colleges and universities in China between 2013 and 2023 (in 1,000s) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 08, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/227272/number-of-university-graduates-in-china/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2wZ1I4qEFnMDvfivdXdhoA0CPbewbwNtqznJF193pjINlhs2VlH-GGk5Q_aem_7mkXZ6vKsswdB1ExqKPcDg
National Bureau of Statistics of China. "Number of graduates from public colleges and universities in China between 2013 and 2023 (in 1,000s)." Chart. October 16, 2023. Statista. Accessed September 08, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/227272/number-of-university-graduates-in-china/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2wZ1I4qEFnMDvfivdXdhoA0CPbewbwNtqznJF193pjINlhs2VlH-GGk5Q_aem_7mkXZ6vKsswdB1ExqKPcDg
National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2023). Number of graduates from public colleges and universities in China between 2013 and 2023 (in 1,000s). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: September 08, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/227272/number-of-university-graduates-in-china/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2wZ1I4qEFnMDvfivdXdhoA0CPbewbwNtqznJF193pjINlhs2VlH-GGk5Q_aem_7mkXZ6vKsswdB1ExqKPcDg
National Bureau of Statistics of China. "Number of Graduates from Public Colleges and Universities in China between 2013 and 2023 (in 1,000s)." Statista, Statista Inc., 16 Oct 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/227272/number-of-university-graduates-in-china/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2wZ1I4qEFnMDvfivdXdhoA0CPbewbwNtqznJF193pjINlhs2VlH-GGk5Q_aem_7mkXZ6vKsswdB1ExqKPcDg
National Bureau of Statistics of China, Number of graduates from public colleges and universities in China between 2013 and 2023 (in 1,000s) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/227272/number-of-university-graduates-in-china/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2wZ1I4qEFnMDvfivdXdhoA0CPbewbwNtqznJF193pjINlhs2VlH-GGk5Q_aem_7mkXZ6vKsswdB1ExqKPcDg (last visited September 08, 2024)
Number of graduates from public colleges and universities in China between 2013 and 2023 (in 1,000s) [Graph], National Bureau of Statistics of China, October 16, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/227272/number-of-university-graduates-in-china/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2wZ1I4qEFnMDvfivdXdhoA0CPbewbwNtqznJF193pjINlhs2VlH-GGk5Q_aem_7mkXZ6vKsswdB1ExqKPcDg