Young People in China Face Job-Hunting Challenges, Leading to a Surge in Graduate Applicants and Resulting in Insufficient Dormitory Space

New Campuses Are Also Insufficient

At the beginning of the 21st century, it was popular for many Chinese universities to build new campuses in remote suburbs to share and alleviate the teaching and accommodation pressure of the old campuses. These new campuses are generally far from the city center and cover a large area.

According to incomplete statistics from the Economic Observer, including Shanghai Songjiang University Town, Fengxian University Town, Beijing Liangxiang Higher Education Park, Beijing Changping Shahe Higher Education Park, and Nanjing Xianlin University Town, all were built between 2000 and 2005. Nearly 20 years have passed, and these new campuses are also nearly at “full capacity.”

Shanghai Fengxian University Town is located in Haibin Town, Fengxian District, adjacent to the sea, and more than 50 kilometers away from the city center’s People’s Square. Shanghai Fengxian University Town gathers three universities: East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai Normal University, and University of Applied Technology. Due to its remote location, it is jokingly referred to by students as “Fengda Wilderness.”

Even this “sparsely populated” university town in the eyes of teachers and students is facing a shortage of dormitories.

A teacher from Shanghai University of Applied Technology explained that since last year, the school’s dormitory buildings have begun large-scale renovations and modifications, converting 4-person dormitories into 5-person dormitories. “There are more than 20 buildings, and 1-10 buildings have all undergone the 4-to-5 conversion.” Shanghai Normal University also expanded and renovated some dormitory buildings in the Fengxian campus, converting some 4-person dormitories into 8-person dormitories.

Similar situations have also occurred in other suburban university towns in Shanghai. Located in the northwest corner of Songjiang New Town, Songjiang University Town covers an area of approximately 8,000 acres and is one of the larger university parks in China. Songjiang University Town houses new campuses for seven universities, including Shanghai International Studies University, Donghua University, East China University of Political Science and Law, and Shanghai University of International Business and Economics.

Lin Fan’s project had not yet opened when the responsible persons from three universities in Songjiang University Town approached him. Lin Fan said the schools’ needs were straightforward—renting an entire park or building to the school for use as student apartments.

A responsible person from one of the well-known institutions visited three times in a short period of time, eagerly looking for dormitories for undergraduate students starting in September 2024. Lin Fan learned from this that Songjiang University Town, built nearly 20 years ago, houses students from 7 universities in 6 dormitory areas within Songjiang University Town, and is currently almost fully occupied.

Similarly located outside the outer ring, the dormitory buildings of East China Normal University’s Minhang campus are also facing certain pressures. A staff member from East China Normal University Minhang campus told the Economic Observer that since 2023, ECNU Minhang campus has begun investigating and relocating students who have delayed graduation but are still living in the school. If there are special circumstances requiring accommodation, it needs to be reported to the school by the counselor.

At the same time, the school consolidated some dormitories originally provided to young teachers and counselors, encouraging teachers to move out and converting these rooms into student dormitories. To encourage some doctoral students to vacate their dormitories, the school even offered cash subsidies to doctoral students willing to move out.

In recent years, universities have adopted a few methods to solve the dormitory shortage problem.

Some schools have repurposed dormitories for faculty and staff for student use, renting off-campus accommodations for faculty and staff; or directly renting off-campus dormitories for students; some schools have renovated and expanded dormitories, trying to squeeze out more rooms and beds.

Schools with the means have started building new dormitories in the past two or three years. The Economic Observer noted that since 2023, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai University of Technology, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, and other schools have announced the start of new student dormitory buildings. Shanghai University of Technology recently stated that over 10 years, through the construction and renovation of student dormitories, an additional 4,100 beds were added, significantly alleviating the student accommodation shortage problem.