China’s vocational degrees rising as students seek skills over prestigious universities

When the results of China’s gruelling National Higher Education Entrance Examination – or gaokao – were released last summer, Lin Gangming was surprised to learn that he had scored high enough to attend some of the country’s top universities.But instead of chasing prestige, the student from Yangjiang, a small coastal city in Guangdong province, chose a different path: Shenzhen Polytechnic University – a public undergraduate vocational college in the province.Stories like Lin’s, covered by the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily and other publications last year, have become increasingly common in domestic media. Lin was quoted while speaking at a symposium in July for the university’s incoming freshmen.Amid an oversupply of traditional college graduates, China’s undergraduate vocational track – once seen as a backup plan for underperforming exam-takers – is now a strategic choice for some.While these institutions grant bachelor’s degrees, their curriculum is geared towards equipping students with technical skills – a major draw for students seeking a more reliable pathway to employment.“China is making an effort to integrate rather than segregate the academic and vocational-technical components of higher learning,” said Gerard Postiglione, a professor specialising in education in China at the University of Hong Kong. He noted that the recalibration follows economic diversification and accelerating technological development.