Local youth show strong preference for engineering and tech studies

An education non-governmental organization has analyzed the final admission list for the 2026 joint recruitment of Macau students by mainland universities, revealing a strong interest among local students in pursuing engineering and technology studies, along with a growing enthusiasm for the development of the technology industry and new, high-quality productive forces.

The Macau Youth Elite Association recently released an analysis of the results from the 2026 joint admission program for local students to mainland universities on its social media platform.

The analysis evaluated the distribution and trends of majors, as well as the affiliation of institutions, drawing from the comprehensive list of admitted students published earlier this year by the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ).

The association also utilized line charts to illustrate the distribution and trends of majors among students admitted through the direct admission program over the past three years.

The data reveals a notable increase in admissions to engineering programs. Specifically, the charts indicate a rise in enrollments for related subjects – such as information technology, engineering technology, and science -among students planning to study in mainland China.

Admissions have grown from 224 in 2024 to 234 this year for information technology, from 47 to 142 for engineering technology, and from 60 to 74 for science.

“Macau students are increasingly demonstrating an interest in the development of the technology industry and innovative productive forces,” the group stated on its official Facebook page.

The charts indicate that while business, medicine, and information technology continue to be the three most popular majors, there has been a decline in the number of students admitted to fields like medicine and public health, dropping from nearly 300 in 2024 to just 236 in 2026.

The education sector also experienced a decline, falling from 130 admissions in 2024 to fewer than 100 this year. The association suggests this trend “may be linked to concerns about a saturated job market for teachers.”

The charts show that the number of students admitted to business and management programs increased to 242 in 2026, up from 205 in 2024.

Additionally, the association systematically compiled data, ranking institutions from highest to lowest based on actual enrollment numbers and comparing these figures to each school’s allocated quota for direct admission.

It found that Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou admitted the most Macau students in this joint direct admission program, with enrollment figures reaching twice those of Wuhan University, which ranked second. Among the universities with the highest enrollment numbers, the 985 institutions – a top-tier Chinese government initiative launched in May 1998 to build world-class universities, consisting of 39 elite institutions – represented a significant portion, approximately half of the total admitted students.

The association noted that many universities had filled their quotas, with actual enrollment figures at some institutions even exceeding their projected limits.