China’s Education Ministry Hosts Gaokao Guidance Live Event

Beijing — China’s Ministry of Education has organized a nationwide online live-streaming event called “Same Classroom” (同上一堂课) to help millions of students and parents navigate the critical college entrance exam application process, according to People’s Daily. The event, held on June 16, 2026, provided expert guidance on the Gaokao volunteer selection process — the system by which students rank their preferred universities and majors.

Context: The Gaokao Application Challenge

The Gaokao, China’s national college entrance examination, is taken by millions of students each year. After receiving their scores, students face the complex “志愿填报” (volunteer selection) process, where they list preferred universities and majors in order of priority. A well-planned application can determine admission to a top-tier institution, making guidance services critically important.

In recent years, the Ministry of Education has systematically improved volunteer application support. The “Sunshine Volunteer” (阳光志愿) information service system was launched in 2024, providing free, data-driven guidance. The system was upgraded in 2025 and again in 2026, with enhanced analytics and expanded consultation services, as reported by China Education Online.

Key Developments

According to the Ministry of Education, the live-stream was watched by provincial, municipal, and county-level admissions examination staff, high school principals, senior class homeroom teachers, and student development guidance counselors across the country.

The event deployed efforts to make volunteer application guidance services more detailed and thorough, requiring local admissions examination institutions to carefully conduct training for teachers, students, and parents. Authorities were instructed to provide authoritative data releases, public service SMS notifications, and to continue building out hotline networks and offline consultation service stations.

Experts invited to the event explained the basic principles and methods of volunteer selection, helping frontline teachers understand policies, procedures, and precautions. The training emphasized a scientific approach to volunteer selection, discouraging the “only prestigious schools” and “only popular majors” mentality.

“Establish a scientific concept of volunteer selection, break the misconceptions of ‘only prestigious schools’ and ‘only popular majors,’ and guide students to combine their interests, strengths, and long-term planning to find a development path suitable for their growth,” the Ministry of Education stated.

Digital Tools for Smarter Decisions

A key component of the event was the introduction of the “Sunshine Gaokao” (阳光高考) information platform and the upgraded “Sunshine Volunteer” information service system. These digital tools offer:

• Intelligent volunteer screening — matching student profiles with suitable institutions
• College and major search — comprehensive databases of accredited programs
• Career aptitude assessments — helping students align choices with their strengths
• Employment data and graduate evaluations — providing real-world outcomes for informed decisions

The People’s Daily print edition noted that these features are designed to help students start their application process from a solid foundation, using data rather than guesswork.

Analysis: Bridging the Guidance Gap

This initiative reflects China’s broader strategy to democratize access to higher education guidance. By leveraging live-streaming technology, the Ministry of Education can reach millions of students and educators simultaneously, particularly those in rural or underserved areas who may lack access to professional guidance counselors.

The event also serves as a countermeasure to the proliferation of paid, often fraudulent, volunteer guidance services that prey on anxious families. By promoting official channels — the Sunshine Gaokao platform and Sunshine Volunteer system — the government is working to ensure that all students have access to reliable, free guidance.

Furthermore, the emphasis on training frontline educators creates a multiplier effect. Rather than a single touchpoint, the guidance extends through teachers who can continue supporting students throughout the application period, which runs from June through July across China’s provinces.

What’s Next

As provincial-level volunteer application periods open across China in the coming weeks, the guidance provided through the “Same Classroom” event and the Sunshine Volunteer system will be put into practice by millions of students. The Ministry of Education has also launched a National Cloud Consultation Week, allowing students to interact directly with university admissions officers online.

With ongoing system upgrades and expanded offline consultation services, China continues to refine its approach to one of the most consequential decisions in a young person’s life — choosing where and what to study at university.