More than 12,000 degree programs cut as China modernises universities

China’s universities are undergoing a large-scale restructuring of academic programs as part of a national effort to better align higher education with the country’s development priorities. The initiative is removing thousands of what authorities describe as outdated or obsolete degree programs, while expanding new, technology-focused fields.

The policy reflects China’s push to become a global leader in emerging “future industries,” as well as its attempt to address a severe graduate employment challenge that has left millions of young people struggling to find jobs.

According to data from China’s Ministry of Education cited by SCMP, between 2021 and 2025, higher education institutions in China revoked or suspended 12,200 undergraduate degree programs, while introducing 10,200 new ones. Overall, more than 30% of university programs nationwide were adjusted during this period.

The cuts have primarily affected disciplines such as arts, humanities, foreign languages, and management fields, increasingly viewed in China as outdated or oversaturated, particularly amid structural changes in the labour market and rising youth unemployment, which exceeds 16%. The job market is also being reshaped by rapid advances in artificial intelligence.

At the same time, many of the newly introduced programs are closely tied to national development strategies. For example, nine universities have launched majors in embodied intelligence, a field aligned with China’s efforts to accelerate the integration of next-generation artificial intelligence into the real economy.

Universities across the country have come under sustained pressure in recent years to adapt to rapid economic and technological change, as record numbers of graduates enter the labour market but often find that traditional degrees provide limited employment opportunities.

By Tamilla Hasanova