"The weak increase in the number of students applying to take the entrance examination for graduate schools this year suggests a turning point, indicating that graduates will be less interested in post-grad studies in the future," said a story appearing on influential websites like www.xinhuanet.com.cn after the national entrance examination ended on January 21.
According to data provided by the Ministry of Education, though the absolute number of students signing up to take the examination is increasing, the rate of increase dropped precipitously this year compared with last year. This year,1,282,000 people registered to take the exam, only 7,000 more than last year, representing an increase of only 0.5 percent. In the years following the reinstatement of graduate applications in 1981, the number of students applying for the exam skyrocketed year by year. Last year 1,275,000 students signed up for the entrance examination, 100,000 more than in 2005, representing a year-on-year increase of 9 percent.
Tian Zhihui, vice-dean of the Graduate School of Communication University of China, said, "This year’s slight increase shows that students are becoming more realistic in thinking about whether to take the entrance examination or not. Because they have seen post-graduate degree holders losing their competitive edge in the job market in recent years."
Because of the boom in master’s graduates, many have found it difficult to find the kind of job they would had expected after investing so much time, energy and money in getting their degrees. The situation looks even worse for those without any work experience.