General · 16 June 2026
China cut 12,000 degrees to pivot toward AI
China discontinued or suspended around 12,200 university degree programmes between 2021 and 2025, with arts, humanities, foreign languages and management hit hardest. In their place, universities introduced roughly 10,200 new programmes focused on artificial intelligence, robotics, embodied intelligence and chip design. The shift affected more than 30% of the country’s degree offerings, as Beijing tries to match graduates to its industrial priorities and tackle youth unemployment above 16%.
Reported by South China Morning Post · How we write briefs