China: Private schools struggle due to lack of quotas

The student shortage in 2025 is estimated to be the most serious in many years.

After the gaokao, many private universities in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Shandong, and Shaanxi (China) reduced their admission scores by up to 30 points, three times the average of last year. However, enrollment still did not meet the set target.

In Guangdong alone, 14 out of 23 private schools failed to meet admission standards, with a total shortage of more than 25,000 seats. A similar situation occurred in Shandong and Shaanxi, with thousands of seats remaining after the first round of admissions.

One reason for the decline is the reform of the gaokao system. Candidates can apply to multiple schools and majors, allowing for more flexibility and personal preferences. However, this also makes it harder for less popular majors and less prestigious private schools to compete for students.

Previously, candidates could be transferred to less popular majors if they failed their favorite choice. Now, the transfer restriction has made “hard-to-sell” majors almost unpopular, exacerbating the imbalance in enrollment.

In addition, financial factors are a major barrier. Tuition fees for private universities in China are 5-10 times higher than those for public universities, ranging from 20,000 to 40,000 yuan per year, while public universities are only about 3,000 to 8,000 yuan. This level of spending does not come with a firm commitment to employment, causing parents and students to question the true value of private degrees.

In contrast, public vocational colleges with lower tuition fees and practical training programs are attracting a large number of students. In Hunan, one vocational college reported higher than usual enrollment this year, indicating a growing trend of shifting to vocational education .

In addition, the Chinese Ministry of Education has also upgraded some vocational colleges to undergraduate training institutions. In 2024, 188 vocational majors were licensed to train at the university level, further consolidating the position of vocational education in the national training system.

Experts warn that lowering entrance scores is only a temporary measure. Mr. Xiong Bingqi, Director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, commented: “If private universities do not improve the quality of training and do not build their own strengths, they will continue to be left behind.”

The rapid growth of private schools in the past decade is a direct result of the higher education boom. However, as China’s birth rate falls and society changes its view of the value of a bachelor’s degree, schools may have to close. According to the China Non -Governmental Education Association, 17 private universities have closed between 2020 and 2025 alone.

According to Sixth Tone

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/trung-quoc-truong-tu-thuc-lao-dao-vi-thieu-chi-tieu-post743247.html