Summary

In a speech on February 25th, Chinese premier Li Keqiang said that universities should expand their recruitment of students on master's degree programmes and diploma-to-degree top-up courses, particularly in the areas of basic medicine and social services.

The speech was followed on February 28^th by an announcement from the Ministry of Education that recruitment to master’s degree programmes in 2020 would increase by 189,000 compared to the number in 2019. Meanwhile, the number of top-up places will also increase by 322,000 compared to last year.

The increase in master’s degree places is equivalent to 25 per cent of the number of new students at this level in 2018 (official statistics for 2019 are not yet available). The MoE’s announcement stated that these new places would be mainly concentrated in areas that serve China’s social needs and strategic development priorities, and specifically named three areas: medicine, public health and artificial intelligence.

Aside from increasing HE enrolment, Li Keqiang also encouraged employers to extend their timelines for recruitment of new graduates to take into account delays to the academic year, and said that the government should provide more support to small businesses employing new graduates and to students who are unable to find work after graduation.

Analysis by Kevin Prest, Senior Analyst, British Council International Education Services

China currently has too few postgraduate places to meet demand and entry is highly competitive. The country’s universities have been expanding their provision at this level for some years, but this year’s increase is particularly large.

The context of Li’s speech made it clear that this move is aimed not only at meeting demand for postgraduate study but also at improving graduate employment. The ongoing coronavirus crisis has had a heavy effect on China’s economy and there is concern that graduating students may not be able to find jobs. Expanding postgraduate and degree top-up places will take these graduates out of the job market until the economy has had time to recover.

From a UK point of view, this may make the market for international postgraduate study more competitive as the lack of local places is a major driving factor in Chinese students’ decisions to go abroad. However, the increase in local postgraduate students will have a positive effect on prospects for partnerships and research cooperation.

Source

1. Gov.cn - Li Keqiang chairs executive meeting of the State Council to introduce measures to encourage the employment of college graduates and migrant workers (in Chinese): http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2020-02/25/content_5483215.htm

2. Sina - This year's postgraduate recruitment to increase by 189,000 (in Chinese): https://news.sina.com.cn/c/2020-02-28/doc-iimxxstf5064727.shtml