Slots opened to cultivate talent pool

Top universities in China are increasing undergraduate admissions in cutting-edge technologies and emerging industries, with artificial intelligence and interdisciplinary studies among the most sought-after programs.

Earlier this month, Tsinghua University announced that it will add about 150 undergraduate slots and establish a new college to cultivate interdisciplinary talent with a solid foundation in AI. Other leading universities in China's "Double First-Class" initiative, a program to enhance higher education quality and global competitiveness, have followed suit.

Days later, Shanghai Jiao Tong University said it will enroll 150 more undergraduates this year in disciplines including AI, integrated circuits, biomedicine, healthcare and new energy. On Saturday, Peking University announced it will add 150 admissions in fields that align with its academic strengths, such as information science and technology, engineering and clinical medicine.

The Renmin University of China, Wuhan University and China Agricultural University are also expanding undergraduate enrollment to cultivate talent in fields that integrate AI with other frontier disciplines.

The moves are part of China's broader effort to restructure higher education and align academic programs with the country's high-level socioeconomic development needs. Last year, China opened 1,673 academic programs deemed critical to national strategies, while eliminating 1,670 programs that did not align with the country's development priorities, Wu Yan, vice-minister of education, said at a news conference in September.

AI and interdisciplinary studies are seen as promising fields as China seeks to make AI a core driver of economic transformation and establish itself as a global AI innovation hub, according to goals outlined in its next-generation AI development plan issued in 2017.

"Promoting talent cultivation in emerging disciplines and interdisciplinary studies is essential," Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng said during a recent ministers' passage interview at the third session of the 14th National People's Congress. "Efforts should be made to accelerate talent development in alignment with technological transformation and industrial revolution, including in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, new energy and new materials."

China's plan to build an educational powerhouse from 2024 to 2035, issued by the State Council in January, also calls for the orderly expansion of undergraduate admissions at leading universities.

"To continuously improve and upgrade higher education involves expanding undergraduate admissions at "Double First-Class" universities," Zheng Shanjie, director of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a news conference during this year's National People's Congress session.

"Last year, by expanding undergraduate admissions, top universities and programs added 16,000 enrollment slots. This year, the goal is to increase the number of these slots by another 20,000," he said.

The expansion is part of a broader structural adjustment in higher education, said Liao Aimin, deputy director of the admissions office at Sichuan University.

"The expansion of undergraduate enrollment and closure of certain programs are not simply about adding and subtracting numbers. They are structural adjustments to align academic programs with national strategies and market demands while promoting educational equity," Liao was quoted as saying by China News Service.

xunuo@chinadaily.com.cn