In 2024, a record high of around 10.59 million students graduated from undergraduate programs at public colleges and universities in China. That number was more than double as high as the number of degrees earned at all levels of higher education in the United States. The vast number of graduates from Chinese universities originates from the increasing enrollment in colleges and universities across the country. Of the 10.47 million Chinese graduates of 2023, around 4.94 million earned a bachelor's degree, whereas 5.53 million earned a more practically oriented short-cycle degree. On a graduate and postgraduate level, around one million master's and doctor's degree students graduated from public colleges and universities in China in 2023. What are the popular majors? In recent years, the most favored majors among Chinese bachelor students were engineering, management, literature, and arts, while short-cycle degree students chose majors such as finance and economics, medical health, and information tschnology. Meanwhile, philosphy, history, and agriculture, as well as biolological engineering, textile, and water resources 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 by around 70 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.

The statistic shows the number of secondary school graduates in China between 2013 and 2023. In 2023, the number of senior high school graduates in China amounted to around 8.6 million.

The graph shows the employment rate of university graduates in China from 2008 to 2018. The employment rate of bachelor graduates who graduated in 2018 had ranged at 91 percent.

The statistic shows the total number of graduates from short-cycle and bachelor programs at public colleges and universities in China in 2023, by region. In 2023, around 504,940 students graduated from colleges and universities in Hubei province earning a bachelor's or more practically oriented short-cycle degree.

In 2023, the gross enrollment rate in tertiary education in China reached 60.2 percent of the respective age cohorts. The total number of enrolled degree students in tertiary education increased to 47.63 million that same year. The great expansion of tertiary education in China is shown by the fact that the enrollment rate ranged at only 3.4 percent in 1990.

In 2023, around 153,750 students graduated from bachelor's programs at public colleges and universities in Beijing in China. The number of students enrolled in and graduating from post-graduate programs has increased more strongly recently than the number of students and graduates from undergraduate programs.

In 2022, approximately 4.7 million students graduated from bachelor's degree programs at public colleges, universities, and research institutes in China. Of these students, around 1.6 million graduated from courses in engineering, while only 2,413 graduated from courses in philosophy.

In 2022, around 778,000 students graduated from colleges and universities in China's Henan province. Henan is one of the most populous provinces in China. It is located in China's middle region, next to Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Anhui and Hubei.

In 2022, more than 3.6 million students were enrolled in master's and doctor's degree programs at colleges and universities in China. Female students accounted for almost 53 percent of master's degrees enrolment, significantly higher than that of doctor's degrees.

In 2023, the gross enrollment rate in senior middle school education in China reached 91.8 percent of the respective age cohorts. The enrollment rate in senior middle school education had ranged at only 26 percent in 1990.

In 2018, 33 percent of bachelor graduates from universities and graduates from vocational colleges and higher vocational colleges quit their job within six months on average. The rate of graduates from vocational collages quitting their job was noticeably higher than that of bachelor graduates.

The statistic shows the highest unemployment rates among university graduates in China in 2010, by degree course. In 2010, the unemployment rate among financial administration graduates amounted to 12.6 percent in China.

In 2023, around 3.9 million students were enrolled in master's and doctor's degree programs at colleges and universities in China. This figure increased steadily in recent years. Besides these graduate and postgraduate students, around 37.75 million undergraduate students were enrolled at colleges and universities in China in 2023.

The number of graduates from master's and doctor's degree programs at public colleges, universities, and research institutes in China has been constantly increasing in recent years. In 2023, around 927,600 students graduated from master's degree courses at public colleges, universities, and research institutes in China.

In 2023, there were around 860,800 graduates from colleges in China's Guangdong province. The number of college graduates in Guangdong has increased significantly over the past 20 years.

In 2022, approximately 3.65 million students were enrolled in different master's and doctor's degree programs at public colleges, universities, and research institutes in China. Of these, around 3.1 million were enrolled in master's degree programs, whereas 0.56 million were enrolled in doctorate degree programs. While around 1,092,400 master students were enrolled in engineering programs that year, only 179 studied military science.

This statistic shows the share of university graduates staying in the same city after graduation in China in 2021. The survey revealed that almost 86 percent of the Chinese respondents stated that after graduation they stayed in the same city as they studied.

This statistic shows the number of undergraduate engineering graduates in China from 2013 to 2022 with an estimate for 2023. In 2022, about 1.57 million students graduated from undergraduate science programs in China.

Colleges and universities in the United States are still a popular study destination for Chinese students, with around 277 thousand choosing to take courses there in the 2023/24 academic year. Although numbers were heavily affected by the coronavirus pandemic, China is still the leading source of international students in the U.S. education market, accounting for 24.6 percent of all incoming students. The education exodus Mathematics and computer science courses led the field in terms of what Chinese students were studying in the United States, followed by engineering and business & management programs. The vast majority of Chinese students were self-funded, wth the remainder receiving state-funding to complete their overseas studies. Tuition fees can run into the tens of thousands of U.S. dollars, as foreign students usually pay out-of-state tuition fees. What about the local situation? Although studying abroad attracts many Chinese students, the country itself boasts the largest state-run education system in the world. With modernization of the national tertiary education system being a top priority for the Chinese government, the country has seen a significant increase in the number of local universities over the last decade. Enrolments in these universities exceeded 37 million in 2023, and a record of more than ten million students graduated in the same year, indicating that China's education market is still expanding.

The graph shows average monthly salaries of college and university graduates in China until 2023. In 2023, the average monthly salary of bachelor graduates in China had ranged at 6,050 yuan.