After years of continuous growth, the number of applicants for graduate school has finally begun to decline. According to the latest statistics, the number of applicants for the national master's degree entrance examination in 2024 will be 4.38 million, a decrease from the previous two years. This downward trend is particularly significant after excluding the impact of the demographic situation, because according to the Ministry of Education, the number of college graduates in China exceeded 10 million for the first time in 2022, reaching 10.76 million, this figure reached 11.58 million in 2023, and is expected to reach a record 11.87 million in 2024. It can be seen that the number of graduates has not decreased, while the number of applicants for graduate school has decreased.
This trend is not surprising, as postgraduate entrance examinations have been a great success in the past few years as a way to improve their academic qualifications, increase their incomes, and achieve class mobility. However, with the change of the employment situation, the demand for "master's degree or above" in large cities has begun to become the basic standard for recruitment, and the threshold for various highly competitive positions such as public examinations and examination editors is also constantly increasing. At the same time, the number of new graduates is also reaching new highs, making postgraduate entrance examinations an increasingly unattractive way to postpone employment. Therefore, many students choose to work first at the undergraduate level, rather than taking the postgraduate entrance examination as an inevitable choice.
It is important to note that the decline in the number of graduate students does not mean that students have become more relaxed or less stressful Xi studying. On the contrary, many students choose other tracks, such as taking the national civil service examination. According to the data, the number of applicants for the national public service in 2024 will be as high as 2.91 million, an increase of 410,000 over the same period last year and a record high. This shows that students are more rational in their choices for graduate school, rather than being more relaxed.
In addition, there have been reports that many graduates of the class of 2024 have experienced "first degree" discrimination in the job search process. Some companies do not recruit "undergraduate double non-graduate" graduates, which also leads to a decrease in students' enthusiasm for graduate school entrance examinations. This phenomenon shows that the postgraduate entrance examination is no longer a reliable path for some students, and they are beginning to look for other ways out.
The decrease in the number of graduate students may lead to the blockage of the ascending channel. As a way to provide opportunities for academic advancement, income enhancement and class mobility, postgraduate entrance examination is of great significance to those students who want to change their destiny through Xi. The decline in the number of graduate students shows that this "certainty" is gradually disappearing, and many students no longer believe in the path to better opportunities through reading, exams, and upgrading their academic qualifications.
However, the reality is that regardless of whether they are admitted to graduate school or not, job search is still the biggest consideration and variable for students. For those students who did not choose to go to graduate school, they faced a more competitive job market. Therefore, whether it is graduate school entrance examination or employment, it is an important decision for students. Students need to make a choice based on their own circumstances, career plans and other factors.
Finally, it should be clear that a decrease in the number of graduate students does not mean that the value of the graduate school entrance examination has decreased. For those students who are truly interested in scientific research, education or related majors, the postgraduate entrance examination is still an important way to provide more in-depth academic research and professional ability cultivation. But for students who pursue other careers and have other development directions, it is also a rational choice to choose other development paths. Regardless of the path chosen, the key is that students are able to make informed decisions based on their interests and career plans, and work hard to achieve their goals.