http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0328/c90000-20295208.html

An article by LU Ping in China Daily features Fudan University’s decision to slash its humanities enrollments by up to half and expand its technology-focused programs and discusses global trends.

According to the author, the strategic pivot by the Shanghai-based university mirrors moves by Peking and Tsinghua universities to boost undergraduate intakes in AI and related fields. This is despite Fudan being celebrated as a traditional stronghold of the humanities.

At this year’s annual session of the National People’s Congress in Beijing, Fudan University President Jin Li, who is also an NPC deputy, revealed plans to restructure the engineering departments into six innovation colleges specializing in integrated circuits, intelligent robotics, and advanced manufacturing. Although new humanities programs will emerge, their overall share of admissions will be reduced from 30 to 40 percent to 20 percent, he said.

Public reaction to the announcement has been divided. Supporters have applauded the tech-oriented shift, arguing that AI dominance leaves mediocre humanities graduates uncompetitive in the jobs market. Others mourn the potential erosion of Fudan’s humanities legacy. The debate encapsulates China’s developmental crossroads: balancing immediate tech demands with preserving the humanities’ “soul” of its elite education tradition.

Qiu Xin, Party Secretary of Fudan University, said at an earlier work conference that the university’s humanities programs remain ‘cornerstone’ advantages, and their foundations won’t be compromised. The reforms aim to elevate educational quality while meeting national priorities, he said.

The trend extends beyond Fudan, with elite higher education institutions like Tsinghua University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University recently announcing plans to expand student enrollments this year, heavily favoring strategic science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, including AI, robotics, and digital economy programs. Zheng Shanjie, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a recent news conference that there are plans to increase the total enrollment at elite universities by 20,000 this year.

Tsinghua was the first university to announce its enrollment expansion, which will see it increase its undergraduate enrollment by 150 this year. The university is actively pushing to cultivate AI talent, and expansion is a major step toward realizing the goal, the university said. Peking University announced that it will also enroll 150 more undergraduate students this year, with a focus on information technology, engineering, and medicine. In the past five years, the two universities have enrolled around 3,500 undergraduate students annually, making the 150 jump a notable increase.

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