The Ministry of Education released statistics stating that 1.649 million graduate students have enrolled in China's national postgraduate program in 2015. This figure, the ministry added, is 65,000 less from the figures last year.
The ministry said that about 7.49 million graduates are set to leave schools this year. Recently, a growing number of fresh graduates have flooded the streets looking for work. This increasing volume of students have saturated the job market, making it harder and harder for people to find jobs. Because of this, many students opt to enroll in post-graduate studies.
A survey released by Renren.com states that a third of university graduates choose to enroll in postgraduate studies to improve their chances in the already saturated job market. The survey also indicated that most of the students opting for postgraduate studies will be enrolling in Beijing.
Liu Li, a student from Renmin University admitted that she is studying for the national postgraduate exams while looking for work. "Comparing me to the many postgraduates students also looking for work, companies see that I only have a bachelor degree; I have no advantage in the job market," she said.
Another student, this time from the University of International Relations, admitted that he applied in graduate school of Renmin University of China because apparently, the name and reputation of a famous school add weight to the job seeker's credentials. To find their ideal jobs, Chinese students are willing to do anything to outpace each other in the job market.