A number of leading universities under China's "double first-class" initiative have announced undergraduate enrollment expansions for 2026, with new slots concentrated in artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, new materials and other strategic sectors, according to official enrollment plans from multiple institutions.
The double first-class initiative is a national strategy launched by the Chinese government in 2015 to build world-class universities and disciplines by providing prioritized support to selected institutions and subject areas.
Southeast University in Jiangsu province will increase its enrollment by 600 students, while Xidian University in Shaanxi will add 400 and Xi'an Jiaotong University, also located in Shaanxi, will raise its intake by 360 compared with last year. Fudan University in Shanghai, Nanjing University in Jiangsu and Lanzhou University in Gansu will each expand enrollment by 300 students, while Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications has planned an additional 180 places, according to a report by China Central Television.
AI-related disciplines are a major focus. Nine universities, including Beihang University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, and Harbin Institute of Technology in Heilongjiang, have been approved to launch undergraduate programs in embodied intelligence. Tongji University in Shanghai is introducing new majors in future robotics and engineering internet, while many institutions are expanding existing programs in robotics engineering, computer science, big data and AI, the report said.
Engineering programs in core technologies continue to grow. Integrated circuits, semiconductors, new materials, telecommunications, cybersecurity, low-altitude technology, energy storage and electrical engineering are among the priority areas for expansion. The enrollment increase also covers new medicine, new agriculture and new liberal arts majors, the report added.
Niu Guowei, director of the admissions office at China Agricultural University, told China Daily that the university plans to add 320 places in 2026, with the increase allocated to top-notch innovative talent cultivation, international programs and fields of urgent national need.
The university has established three new innovation classes — smart plant protection, future food and molecular science, he said.
It is also launching two new Sino-foreign cooperative programs in AI and computer science with the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, marking its first engineering-focused international partnerships, Niu said.
Additional places will be allocated to veterinary medicine, computer science, sociology, biomass science and engineering, facility agriculture, and companion animal science to meet the demands of national strategies and market needs, he added.
Liu Zhaomiao, vice-president of Beijing University of Technology, said the university's total undergraduate enrollment for 2026 stands at 3,979, an increase of 200 from last year.
The new places are aimed at strategic emerging industries and future-oriented sectors such as integrated circuits, AI, quantum technology, new energy, new materials and biomanufacturing, he said.
The university has added new majors in quantum information science, cyberspace security, and data computing and applications, and is increasing admissions in mechanical engineering, materials science and engineering, optical engineering, and control science and engineering, he said.
Meanwhile, it is also expanding AI-empowered management programs and integrated economics-management majors, he said.
"The university will continue to deepen its educational reforms, driven by national strategies and the capital's development needs, to provide solid talent support for building a strong education system and Beijing's high-end industrial sectors."
Wang Jin, director of admissions at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, said the university's 2026 undergraduate enrollment plan is 3,690, up 90 from last year, with all additional places directed to new materials, integrated circuits and AI.
Two new majors are being introduced: integrated circuit design and integrated systems, which will enroll 30 students in their first year, and intellectual property, which aims to cultivate interdisciplinary legal talent with engineering knowledge in new materials, AI, green low-carbon technologies and information and communications technology, he said.
The university has in recent years launched several emerging majors, including AI, robotics engineering, intelligent manufacturing engineering, materials intelligence — the first of its kind in China — and carbon neutrality science and engineering, also a domestic first, he added.
