(Yicai) July 1 -- Science and engineering majors dominate China’s university admissions preferences this year, according to a big data site run by internet giant Baidu, as students increasingly align their degree choices with national industrial policy and perceived employment opportunities.

Seven of the 10 most popular majors applied for after this year’s fiercely competitive annual national college entrance examination, known as the gaokao in Chinese, were in the fields of science and engineering, per Baidu’s artificial intelligence-driven Gaokao Big Data platform. It features a Hot Search function that lists real-time search popularity for universities and majors.

The 10 most sought-after majors were electrical engineering and automation, AI, electronic information engineering, computer science and technology, communication engineering, law, economics, psychology, biopharmaceuticals, and digital media technology.

Electrical engineering and automation has remained among the most popular majors for several years. The discipline has been designated a “green major” for four consecutive years, with an employment satisfaction rate of 87 percent, ranking third nationally among undergraduate programs, according to the 2026 China Undergraduate Employment Report released by My China Occupational Skills.

“Green majors” are related to jobs that see salaries and employment rates increase over time. Ongoing investment in new power systems, renewable energy development, and the digitalization of power grids has been a key driver of sustained demand for electrical engineering talent.

AI was the most popular new major. Between 2020 and 2024, there were four undergraduate majors with more than 200 new specialties nationwide, namely AI, digital economy, intelligent manufacturing engineering, and big data management and application, according to figures from the Ministry of Education. AI added 406 new specialties, ranking first.

AI is increasingly permeating multiple academic disciplines and is expected to produce a growing number of interdisciplinary graduates with expertise spanning fields such as economics and management, Ding Changfa, an economics professor at Xiamen University, told Yicai, adding that the number of “AI+” hybrid degree programs will go on expanding across universities in the coming years.

High-paying technical jobs, such as in integrated circuit engineering, semiconductor processing, and automotive electronics engineering, are closely linked to the electronic information engineering major, which is strongly competitive in the jobs market thanks to the development of the chip, electronic manufacturing, and auto electronics industries, according to MyCOS.

While science and engineering majors dominate student preferences, high popularity does not always translate into strong employment outcomes, MyCOS noted. Some fields, including AI and digital media technology, show increasingly polarized outcomes for graduates. Those with strong technical skills and relevant practical experience tend to secure clear advantages in the jobs market, while those with weaker training face tougher competition.

Editor: Futura Costaglione