Summary

China held its delayed Gaokao university entrance exams on July 7 and 8 this year, after a one-month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. Candidate statistics show that the number of students taking the exam reached 10.7 million, up from 10.3 million in 2019 and surpassing 2008’s record of 10.5 million.

As noted in previous articles from the British Council's International Education Services team, China's HE enrolment has continued to increase despite a declining student-age population. There has been a particular increase in places on three-year higher vocational diplomas, whose entrants exceeded those on degree courses in 2019 for the first time since 2008.

For most Chinese students, admission to universities is based entirely on Gaokao scores. Recent adjustments put in place by China's Ministry of Education have made this even more true, reducing non-Gaokao recruitment channels. A small number of students had previously been recruited on the basis of provincial excellence awards or excellence in sports; the former programme has now been cancelled and the latter will end by 2021. In addition the scope of arts subjects that are able to recruit students through portfolios has also been narrowed. The "independent recruitment" system allowing a few top universities to choose students independently has been replaced with a new "strong base" plan which reduces the number of participating institutions, restricts the subject scope to a number of key subjects mainly in the STEM area, and requires that Gaokao scores be given a weighting of at least 85 per cent in these decisions.

Analysis by Kevin Prest, Senior Analyst, IES 

The increase in Chinese students taking the Gaokao has been an ongoing trend over the last few years and is probably related to Chinese government efforts to increase higher vocational education provision. This will limit the effect that it has on international student recruitment to the UK, as higher vocational courses do not usually compete with overseas degree programmes or lead to further study at the master's degree level. However, the increased competition for local HE courses may still have some effect on interest in overseas higher education.

The factors driving the trend suggest that competition for university places may become stronger over the next few years. According to UN forecasts the number of 18-year-olds in China will start to increase once more from 2022 and will continue growing for almost a decade, although it will not reach the number seen in 2016.

The decreased flexibility in university admissions may also create opportunities for UK institutions in recruiting students with strong talents in particular areas that are not well-reflected in Gaokao scores.

Sources

1. News in Chinese: https://news.eol.cn/yaowen/202007/t20200707_1736838.shtml
2. British Council International Education Services: China's higher education entrance rate exceeds 50 per cent for the first time, boosted by an increase in higher vocational diplomas - https://education-services.britishcouncil.org/news/market-news/chinas-higher-education-entrance-rate-exceeds-50-cent-first-time-boosted-increase