China's universities are eliminating 12,200 degree programmes and launching 10,200 new ones to align education with AI and tech development, addressing a severe graduate jobs crisis.

What happened: Between 2021 and 2025, China's higher education institutions revoked or suspended 12,200 undergraduate degree programmes while introducing 10,200 new ones. More than 30 per cent of the nation's university programmes underwent adjustments during this period, according to Ministry of Education data cited by Xinhua.

Why it matters: China's universities face pressure to adapt because graduate numbers have soared to record levels, yet many graduates struggle to find work. The reshuffling is intended to align higher education with the nation's development goals and create jobs in sectors Beijing prioritizes, such as embodied intelligence (integrating next-generation AI into the real economy).

What to watch: Nine universities have already added new majors in embodied intelligence. The pace and scale of this curriculum shift—affecting nearly one-third of all university programmes—signals how directly Beijing is trying to reshape the workforce to match its tech and AI ambitions.