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China is reforming its graduate school education system this year to make it available to more students and more valuable in the increasingly competitive job market. But will these changes have their intended effect?

My colleague Zhong Shi joins me in the studio now with more details.

Q1. Zhong Shi, what are some of the main changes taking place this year?

A1. James, for starters, the country has removed its age cap on prospective¹ students. You no longer have to be under 40 years old to apply to grad school. But another policy that’s been phased out is free grad school tuitions. With state-approved funds, universities used to cover the cost of graduate school for a portion of applicants² with good academic histories. But starting in the fall of 2014, that will no longer be offered. Also, the country is encouraging grad schools to focus their programs on turning out professionals rather than scholars. Currently, most of the country’s grad schools are theory-based. This often results in students graduating without the practical and professional skills needed to land a job. Universities in Beijing are already seeing more applicants for their professional-oriented grad programs.... 38.3% of all applicants, to be exact, compared to 14.3% in 2010. And that proportion is expected to rise in the coming years.

Q2. And what other effects have these changes had on applications?

A2. James, in 1999 education officials decided³ to expand graduate school access to more Chinese. Since then, the number of applicants in China has been growing steadily⁴. Taking just a quick look at the statistics. The number of grad school applicants has grown about 5 fold, from 319,000 in 1999 to 1.8 million in 2013. In the meantime, the number of admitted students has grown from just 72,000 in 1999 to 539,000 in 2013. And with the removal of the age cap, applications to enroll⁵ in 2014 were expected to rise further. But, it turns out, the total number of applicants this year is down 40,000. And a number of provinces have recorded their first drops in applications in years, as well as the capital Beijing, which has seen 20,000 fewer applicants than last year. The main cause is believed to be the elimination⁶ of free tuitions.