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Millions appeared for this year's national postgraduate entrance examination over the weekend, but the number of candidates taking the test has been declining over the past three years, a trend that experts said reflects a more rational and deliberate approach among students toward further education.
周末，数百万考生参加了今年的全国硕士研究生招生考试。但近三年来，报考人数持续下降。专家表示，这一趋势反映出学生在是否继续深造的问题上，正采取更加理性、审慎的态度。
The message is clear, the expert said. Today's students are thinking twice before committing to further studies, instead making choices that are more calculated, calm and self-aware than before.
专家指出，这一信号十分明确：当下的学生在决定是否继续深造前会反复权衡，其选择较以往更加理性、冷静，也更具自我认知。
According to the Ministry of Education, 3.43 million candidates appeared for the examination this year, down from 3.88 million last year and continuing a downward trend since the 2023 peak of 4.74 million.
教育部数据显示，今年共有343万人参加研究生招生考试，低于去年的388万人，自2023年474万人的峰值以来持续回落。
Experts said the sustained decrease reflects a cooling of what was once a "postgraduate exam fever", with students becoming more rational and less inclined to follow the crowd.
专家表示，报考人数的持续下降意味着曾经的“考研热”正在降温，学生不再盲目跟风，而是趋于理性选择。
Wang Shutao, a professor at Xiamen University's Institute of Education, told China Youth Daily that in the past, students were either swept along by the crowd or sought a master's degree as a default option. "Now, students are weighing postgraduate studies against other career paths with clearer personal and professional goals in mind."
厦门大学教育研究院教授王树涛在接受《中国青年报》采访时表示，过去不少学生要么随大流报考研究生，要么将攻读硕士视为“默认选项”。而如今，学生在更明确的个人发展和职业目标指引下，将考研与其他职业路径进行理性比较。
Chen Zhiwen, editor-in-chief of education website EOL, noted that this is the first significant three-year decline since the start of the century. "Some of the impulsive applicants have stepped back," he said, attributing the drop partly to students refraining from blindly following the herd.
教育网站中国在线教育主编陈志文指出，这是本世纪以来首次出现连续三年的明显下降。他表示，一部分冲动型考生已经“退场”，人数回落在一定程度上源于学生不再盲目从众。
Experts said the sustained decrease in the number of examinees is not merely a quantitative change but also an opportunity for structural optimization and quality enhancement in postgraduate education.
专家认为，考研人数的持续下降不仅是数量变化，更为研究生教育结构优化和质量提升提供了契机。
Hu Xiangdong, a professor at Central China Normal University's measurement and evaluation research center, said: "The adjustment over the past three years is not just a fluctuation in numbers. It represents a critical turning point for postgraduate education, transitioning from scale expansion to structural refinement and quality improvement."
华中师范大学测评研究中心教授胡向东表示：“过去三年的调整不仅是人数波动，更标志着研究生教育从规模扩张转向结构优化、质量提升的关键转折点。”
He added that this shift presents an opportunity to better align talent cultivation with societal needs, enhance the value of a postgraduate degree, and strengthen the employability of graduates.
他补充说，这一转变有助于更好地实现人才培养与社会需求的对接，提升研究生学历的含金量，并增强毕业生的就业竞争力。
Wang Chuanyi, deputy director of Tsinghua University's Research Institute for Graduate Education Strategy, said universities are implementing stricter quality control in postgraduate training, with rigorous entry and graduation standards becoming the norm. This has led to some students with weaker academic foundations reconsidering their options, he told China Education Daily.
清华大学研究生教育战略研究院副院长王传毅在接受《中国教育报》采访时表示，高校正在加强研究生培养的质量把控，严格的招生与毕业标准逐渐成为常态，这也促使部分学术基础相对薄弱的学生重新审视自身选择。
In this context, Wang Shutao from Xiamen University said that he believes the decline in the number of candidates carries positive significance for those still intent on pursuing higher studies. "When taking the exam is no longer a choice driven by herd mentality, but a decision based on genuine academic interest and career planning, postgraduate education can better cultivate talent with both broad knowledge and professional depth," he said.
在这一背景下，厦门大学的王树涛认为，报考人数下降对真正有志于深造的学生而言具有积极意义。他表示：“当考研不再是出于从众心理，而是基于真实的学术兴趣和职业规划作出的决定时，研究生教育才能更好地培养兼具广博视野与专业深度的人才。”
This trend also sends a positive signal for postgraduate education in China, which is transitioning from expanding enrollment numbers to optimizing structure and enhancing quality, he added.
他补充说，这一趋势也向外界释放出中国研究生教育正从“重规模”向“优结构、提质量”转型的积极信号。
Parallel to the decline in application numbers has been a shift in candidates' motivations. According to a survey conducted in late October by the measurement and evaluation research center of Central China Normal University, the primary reason cited by students for pursuing postgraduate studies is increasingly shifting from "obtaining a higher degree" to "enhancing career development prospects".
与报考人数下降并行的，是考生动机的变化。华中师范大学测评研究中心10月底开展的一项调查显示，学生选择读研的首要原因正逐步从“获得更高学历”转向“提升职业发展前景”。
The survey questionnaire, which allowed multiple choices, found that while 55.87 percent of undergraduates surveyed still consider postgraduate study the main option after graduation, a significant proportion — 51.4 percent — are leaning toward direct employment, with others considering civil service exams (23.24 percent) or studying abroad (6.7 percent).
该问卷为多选形式。结果显示，尽管仍有55.87%的本科生将考研视为毕业后的主要选择，但已有相当比例的学生——51.4%——更倾向于直接就业，另有23.24%考虑参加公务员考试，6.7%计划出国深造。
Such diversified planning indicates that most students are keeping their options open rather than rigidly committing to a single path. Hu from Central China Normal University said it reflected a more prudent evaluation of the returns of postgraduate education.
这种多元化规划表明，大多数学生并未将自己限定在单一路径上。华中师范大学的胡向东表示，这反映出学生对研究生教育回报的评估更加审慎。
The cooling interest in postgraduate studies also coincides with gradual changes in the labor market's evaluation criteria.
考研热度的降温，也与劳动力市场评价标准的变化相互呼应。
Survey data from the center indicated that while about 20 percent of employers still regarded a master's degree as a significant advantage, a majority — 70.83 percent — believed its relative edge in actual recruitment has diminished.
该中心的调查数据显示，约20%的用人单位仍将硕士学历视为明显优势，但多数雇主——70.83%——认为其在实际招聘中的相对优势已经减弱。
"This suggests that in a considerable number of recruitment scenarios, a higher degree is no longer the decisive factor it once was," Hu said.
胡向东表示：“这说明在相当一部分招聘场景中，更高学历已不再像过去那样具有决定性作用。”
Wang from Xiamen University said that although academic credentials remain a useful screening tool in an information-asymmetric job market, competencies such as innovative thinking, adaptability and complex problem-solving are gaining prominence as new benchmarks for talent.
厦门大学的王树涛指出，尽管在信息不对称的就业市场中，学历仍是重要的筛选工具，但创新思维、适应能力以及复杂问题解决能力，正日益成为衡量人才的新标准。
national postgraduate entrance examination
全国硕士研究生招生考试
postgraduate exam fever
考研热
rigorous entry and graduation standards
严格的准入与毕业标准
herd mentality
从众心理
blindly follow theherd
盲目跟风