2018-12-24
A total of 2.9 million Chinese students take the 2019 entrance exam for postgraduate studies from Saturday to Monday , the highest number in the past 40 years ,according to recent report .
There are 520000more applicants this year compared to last year ,up 21.8 percent . Nearly half of those taking the exam this year have already finished thir undergraduate degree , while the other half are txpected to graduate in 2019 ,said the report released by China Education Online ,www.eol.cn.
After a 12-year suspension , the country resumed the entrance exam for postgraduate studies in 1978,admitting 10,708 students.
In 2017 ,enrollment (注冊) exceeded (超出) 806,000,74 times more than in 1978,the report said , adding that the number continues to rise as part-time postgraduate study programs were incorporated into the national entrance exam system in 2017.
Some prestigious universities have expanded postgraduate enrollment since China initiated a project in 2017 that aims to elevate 42 of the country's higher education institutions to a world-class level.
Some 28 out of the 42 universities expanded their enrollment for 2019 programs ,it said , citing that Fudan University will recruit 700 more postgraduates than the previous year.
Beijing a more competitive job candidate is the top motivation for many people to pursue postgraduate studies , the report noted .
"People say we further our studies because we don't want to work .In fact ,we just want a more ideal job ", said Lu Ying ,a post-grad computer science major at a Hebei-based university ,who has sat the exam twice .
