Charts of the Day: Fewer Students Are Taking China’s College Entrance Exam
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China’s “Olympic babies” born in 2008 are facing an increasingly volatile college admissions landscape this year, as shifting employer demands and the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence disrupt both university curricula and the broader job market.
A total of 12.9 million students registered for China’s national college entrance examination, known as the gaokao, in 2026. This represents a drop of 450,000 from the 13.35 million applicants in 2025, marking the second consecutive year of decline.
Despite the dip in exam registrations, the overall number of senior secondary school graduates has been rising steadily since 2022. The graduation pool grew to 14.46 million in 2025, a 10.7% increase from the previous year. That figure included 9.24 million regular high school graduates and 5.21 million vocational high school graduates, representing year-over-year expansions of 3.8% and 25.6%, respectively.
Fewer applicants does not automatically translate into an easier path to a degree. According to data from the Ministry of Education, higher education institutions enrolled 10.7 million associate and bachelor’s degree students in 2025. This yielded a gross admission rate of 80.21%, edging up slightly from 79.65% in 2024.
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- 12.9 million students registered for China’s 2026 gaokao, a drop of 450,000 from 2025, marking the second consecutive decline.
- Bachelor’s admission rate fell to 36.51% in 2024, while universities restructure programs toward AI and emerging tech sectors.
- Higher education graduates reached 11.05 million in 2025, projected to hit 11.56 million by 2029, intensifying employment competition.
- Alibaba
- According to the article, Alibaba conducted a frenzied spring recruitment drive for interns, reflecting intensified competition in the tech sector as AI automation threatens entry-level tasks. This is part of broader labor market pressures facing Chinese undergraduates.
- 2008：
- China's 'Olympic babies' were born.
- 2018：
- The admission rate for standard four-year bachelor's programs began a downward trajectory.
- 2021-09：
- The 2025 graduating class cohort enrolled, with intakes totaling 10.01 million.
- 2022：
- The number of senior secondary school graduates began rising steadily; the gross admission rate for higher education fell for three consecutive years from this year to 2024.
- 2024：
- The admission rate for standard four-year bachelor's programs sank to 36.51%; the gross admission rate was 79.65%.
- 2025：
- Total gaokao applicants were 13.35 million; senior secondary school graduates grew to 14.46 million, a 10.7% increase from the previous year; higher education institutions enrolled 10.7 million associate and bachelor's degree students, yielding a gross admission rate of 80.21%; the number of higher-education graduates reached 11.05 million, a 4.3% increase from 2024.
- 2026：
- A total of 12.9 million students registered for the gaokao, a drop of 450,000 from 2025, marking the second consecutive year of decline; at least 11 institutions announced expanded enrollment plans and departmental restructuring as of May 28; the tech sector's intern recruitment drive at Alibaba was frenzied.
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