China's top universities expand enrollment with focus on AI and interdisciplinary studies

(ECNS) -- Several of China's top-tier universities have recently announced plans to expand undergraduate enrollment, with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary studies, artificial intelligence (AI), and foundational disciplines.

This trend spans institutions across the country, including Tsinghua University, Peking University, Sichuan University, and the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC).

Tsinghua University has established a new undergraduate liberal arts college aimed at cultivating interdisciplinary talent in AI and related fields. Similarly, Renmin University of China is focusing on the forefront of digital era development, with plans to expand enrollment in cutting-edge areas like AI and smart governance. Wuhan University is also prioritizing the cultivation of interdisciplinary talent in emerging technologies and industries.

Additionally, the UESTC announced that it will increase its undergraduate enrollment in 2025 by 100 students, targeting key areas such as electronic information technology, AI, and interdisciplinary innovation.

This move aligns with the Chinese government's broader strategy to reform higher education, enhance the quality of undergraduate programs, and accelerate the development of "Double First-Class" universities.

This year's government work report emphasized the continued promotion of the 'AI+' initiative, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary studies and AI as future trends.

Zhao Xin, deputy director of UESTC's undergraduate admission office, said by 2025, the university plans to break down barriers between colleges and disciplines, implementing new talent cultivation models such as the "Elite Innovation Talent Training Program in Core Areas of Electronics and Computer Engineering" and the "AI+ Interdisciplinary Innovation Talent Dual-Degree Program."

As some disciplines in the country continue to admit more students, some are cutting or cancelling enrollment scale, mainly in liberal arts disciplines, sparking online debates about the "decline of the humanities."

For example, Sichuan University has discontinued 31 undergraduate programs, including musicology, performance, and animation. However, the university has introduced new programs in fields such as aircraft control and information engineering, as well as Chinese classical studies. This year, it plans to expand enrollment by 101 students in high-quality, distinctive programs in foundational, emerging, and interdisciplinary fields.

Current adjustments at Chinese universities are primarily driven by national strategies and market demand, aiming to promote educational equity and allow more talented students to attend top institutions, said Liao Aimin, deputy director of Sichuan University's admission office.

"The expansion of high-quality undergraduate programs and the reduction of enrollment units are essentially structural adjustments to disciplinary offerings, not merely a number game," he said.