Hong Kong media outlet Hong Kong 01 reported on the 9th that while the number of students who completed master's degrees in China last year exceeded 1 million for the first time, not a few people are forced to become delivery drivers due to the severe job shortage.

According to the "2025 National Education Development Statistical Bulletin" recently released by China's Ministry of Education, the number of students admitted to graduate schools nationwide in 2025 reached 1,438,500 (201,600 for doctoral programs, 1,236,800 for master's programs). Meanwhile, the number of graduate school completers was 1,166,500, of whom 112,900 completed doctoral programs and 1,053,600 completed master's programs. This was the first time that the annual number of master's degree completers in China exceeded 1 million.

On the other hand, China continues to face a severe job shortage, and currently, even master's degree holders from prestigious universities are struggling to find employment. Liu, who obtained a master's degree in accounting from a "Shuangfei" university in Beijing, submitted her resume to a joint recruitment fair for state-owned enterprises in the city during this year's spring hiring season, and was told by a recruiter, "We are sorry. Our company only hires graduates from 'Double First-Class' universities." Liu reportedly has had such experiences 4 to 5 times already.

"Shuangfei" universities refer to general universities that have not been designated under the "Double First-Class" initiative, a national project for ranking universities in China. "Double First-Class" universities are those designated under a higher education policy to cultivate "first-class universities" and "first-class disciplines" that are world-class, and in terms of numbers, "Shuangfei" universities are overwhelmingly more numerous. However, in Beijing, where 8 "Project 985 universities (top-tier, most difficult universities)" and 26 "Project 211 universities (target schools for a key education project for the 21st century)" are concentrated, master's degree holders from "Shuangfei" universities are at the bottom of the hierarchy in the job market.

All the students Liu saw at the resume review booth at the joint recruitment fair were master's degree holders from "Project 985" or "Project 211" universities, and they also had internship experience at major companies. At the interview reception of one company, all more than 20 applicants were master's degree holders from "Project 211" universities. Liu initially thought that graduates from "Project 985" or "Project 211" universities would not have trouble finding jobs, but in reality, even those from such prestigious universities faced a tough situation in securing job offers.

Wang, who graduated from the School of Journalism and Communication at Communication University of China, one of the "Project 211" universities, and also interned at several famous media outlets during graduate school, was no exception. Wang took a written recruitment exam for a reporter position offered by a public institution in Beijing. The number of recruits was 4, and the eligibility criteria were master's degree holders specializing in journalism, sociology, etc., who could also handle night shifts. However, on the day of the exam, more than 200 candidates gathered at the venue, and graduates from prestigious universities were everywhere.

Wang, who said, "I realized I was very ordinary, and everyone else had what I had," ultimately failed this exam. Afterward, in an online group interview conducted by a provincial-level broadcasting station, all the candidates in the same group were from Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, or prestigious overseas universities, and he also failed this interview. In the recruitment process for China Media Group, he could not even pass the resume screening. Despite having the brand of Communication University of China's School of Journalism and Communication, Wang has sent countless resumes and taken more than 10 exams, but has yet to receive a job offer.

Master's degrees are no longer a rare commodity in the job market. An, who works for a major real estate company in Beijing, revealed that for the company's general positions (management trainee candidates), only master's degree holders are eligible to apply. She added that master's degree holders from "Shuangfei" universities or applicants whose undergraduate alma mater was not highly regarded are all rejected during the initial resume screening stage.

Candidates who advance to the interview stage all have extremely excellent academic backgrounds at both undergraduate and graduate levels. In one group interview of 8 people, everyone had internship experience at a major IT company. An said, "We have no choice but to select even more outstanding talent from among the already excellent talent," and when asked during an interview, "What has been your biggest setback so far?", the answer is invariably, "This year's job search."

According to data from China's Ministry of Education, from 1999 to 2002, the enrollment capacity for master's programs expanded at a rate of over 20% annually. Afterward, the number of graduate school admissions continued to increase, with particularly significant expansions in 2009, 2018, and 2020. In 2020, the number of graduate school admissions exceeded 1 million for the first time, an increase of about double compared to 10 years prior.

According to Li Jie, who joined JD.com in 2018, most of her colleagues at that time were undergraduate graduates. However, since 2020, interns joining the company have been exclusively master's students from prestigious universities. Although the intern's duties, such as simple document organization and data entry, have not changed from before, the increase in master's students has meant that undergraduate students have few opportunities left.

While the number of master's students is rapidly increasing, recruitment opportunities in the job market are shrinking, intensifying competition for limited positions. As a result, not a few master's degree holders abandon their pursuit of academic qualifications and take jobs such as food delivery drivers. On the social media platform Xiaohongshu (RED), a woman with a master's degree posted about working as a delivery driver, and her words, "In an era where the value of academic qualifications is rapidly declining, getting a master's degree doesn't necessarily put you ahead of others," resonated with many.

A sense of "betrayal" and loss is spreading as higher education no longer leads to stable jobs commensurate with one's qualifications. On a Chinese bulletin board site, there is a group called "Association of Regret for Attending Graduate School," with over 9,000 members. Many participants reportedly lament, "Even after studying for 2-3 years in graduate school, we didn't gain substantial growth, and during that time, we missed out on job opportunities available after undergraduate graduation." (Translation/Editing by Kitada)