Chinese Universities Expand Enrollment, AI Leads New Majors

On June 23, 2026 — the day Chinese provinces began releasing Gaokao (college entrance exam) results — multiple “Double First-Class” universities announced significant enrollment expansions for the 2026 academic year, with artificial intelligence, embodied intelligence, and smart technology emerging as the hottest new majors, according to CCTV News.

The expansions are part of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which targets adding over 100,000 undergraduate places at Double First-Class universities. The move reflects China’s strategic push to develop domestic talent in cutting-edge sectors amid intensifying global technological competition.

Policy Background

The enrollment expansion follows a clear policy trajectory. In December 2024, the Central Economic Work Conference called for “solidly promoting high-quality undergraduate expansion.” The “Education Power Construction Plan Outline (2024-2035)” released in 2025 further mandated “orderly expansion of quality undergraduate education enrollment.”

During the 2026 Two Sessions in March, the expansion was written into the Government Work Report. National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) Director Zheng Shanjie confirmed at a press conference that the state would support Double First-Class universities in expanding undergraduate enrollment by more than 100,000 places during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, as China News Service reported.

University-by-University Expansion

Over 20 Double First-Class universities have announced expansion plans. Southeast University leads with an increase of 600 places — the largest expansion in its history — bringing total enrollment to 4,825. Xidian University is adding 400 places, Xi’an Jiaotong University 360, and Fudan University, Nanjing University, and Lanzhou University are each adding 300 places. Other notable expansions include Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (+180), Tongji University (+100), Nankai University (+100), and Shandong University (+100), according to China Youth Daily.

AI and Smart Technology Take Center Stage

Artificial intelligence and smart technology-related fields dominate the new programs being introduced. Nine universities — including Beihang University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, and Harbin Institute of Technology — have simultaneously received approval to offer a new major in Embodied Intelligence (具身智能). Tianjin University has launched China’s first “Brain-Computer Science and Technology” and “Biomanufacturing” majors.

“This is the largest expansion in our history,” said Zhang Yong, Deputy Director of Academic Affairs at Southeast University, as quoted by China Youth Daily. “We have significantly increased enrollment plans for integrated circuits, low-altitude technology and engineering, smart manufacturing and engineering, and robotics engineering — fields that are in urgent national need and high employment demand.”

Pedagogical Innovations

The expansion is accompanied by significant educational reforms. Beijing University of Technology’s Carbon Neutral Future Technology College has introduced a “3+1+X” integrated bachelor’s-master’s-doctoral training model, allowing students to potentially earn a PhD by age 25 or 26.

Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications has placed its Embodied Intelligence major within its Future College, the institution’s pinnacle of talent cultivation. “Through industry-education integration, we bring real problems from the industry into our classrooms,” said Yao Yuan, Executive Vice Dean of the Future College, as reported by China Youth Daily.

Multiple universities, including Nankai, Nanjing, and China Agricultural University, have also reformed graduation evaluation systems, moving beyond the traditional single-thesis model to recognize patents, competition awards, and other innovation outcomes.

Strategic Implications

The expansion is not an isolated education policy but part of a coordinated national strategy. The focus on AI, embodied intelligence, robotics, semiconductors, and new energy directly aligns with China’s goals of achieving technological self-reliance and developing “new quality productive forces” — a concept central to the 15th Five-Year Plan.

“‘Quality undergraduate expansion’ is not a temporary measure,” wrote Zhang Lin, Senior Researcher at Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance, in an analysis published by China News Service. “It is an important strategic move in the international innovation competition landscape, highlighting education’s foundational, pioneering, and overall position.”

Concerns and Outlook

Despite the ambitious expansion, analysts have noted potential challenges, including concerns about resource dilution, degree inflation, and whether universities have sufficient faculty and infrastructure to support the expanded enrollment. However, with over 20 Double First-Class universities already committed to the expansion and new research universities like Westlake University and the Greater Bay Area University also increasing their intake, China’s higher education landscape is undergoing its most significant transformation in decades.

As Gaokao results continue to be released across Chinese provinces this week, millions of students and their families will now have access to more opportunities — particularly in the technology fields that China has identified as critical to its future competitiveness.