The number of applicants for the 2024 National Master's Admission Examination will be 4.38 million, a decrease of 360,000 compared with 4.74 million in 2023. The underlying reasons for this decline can be analyzed from the following aspects:
1.*Employment situation**: In recent years, with the improvement of the economic situation and the increase of employment pressure, more and more students choose to continue their studies, and the number of applicants for postgraduate entrance examination has shown a trend of increasing year by year. However, even after graduating with a master's degree, they will face the problem of difficulty in finding employment, which makes some students more inclined to find employment as soon as possible rather than go to graduate school.
2.*Candidates' rational choice**: The decline in the number of applicants for postgraduate entrance examinations also reflects the fact that candidates are becoming more and more rational. They began to evaluate their career plans and academic interests more carefully, and no longer blindly pursued graduate degrees.
2023 Annual Stocktake
3.*Changes in Education Policies and Master's Admissions**: The country's enrollment for master's programs seems to be declining faster than the number of master's students. This may reflect changes in education policy and shifts in market demand.
4.*Increase in Acceptance Rate**: Despite the decrease in the number of applicants, the acceptance rate has increased, which may have also influenced the selection of candidates to some extent.
To sum up, there are many reasons behind the decline in the number of graduate students, involving multiple factors such as the socio-economic situation, employment situation, education policies, and candidates' personal choices. This phenomenon reflects the complex interaction between higher education and social development.