CUHK-Shenzhen Releases 2025 Employment Quality Report
On February 28, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen released its Employment Quality Report for the 2025 cohort of domestically enrolled undergraduates. Despite an increasingly competitive global landscape and rapid technological shifts, these graduates have delivered outstanding outcomes. They achieved steady gains across overall placement rates, the caliber of postgraduate destinations, and starting salaries. Notably, they marked a historic breakthrough with a "dual-track" pattern for both domestic and international postgraduate studies, perfectly exemplifying the University's educational philosophy of "combining tradition with modernity and bringing together China and the West."
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Key Highlights of the 2025 Graduate Employment Outcomes
- Despite challenging market conditions, the overall graduate placement rate reached 95.69%, maintaining a leading position among Chinese universities.
- The proportion of graduates pursuing further studies remained high at 83.64%. The quality of these destinations reached a new record: 81.58% secured places at the world's top 50 universities—a 2.86 percentage point increase from the previous year, surpassing the 80% mark—while 18.42% gained admission to the world's top 10 universities.
- In 2025, the University was officially granted the postgraduate recommendation qualification (exemption from the National Postgraduate Entrance Examination). As one of the first Sino-foreign cooperative universities to receive this Ministry of Education approval, it opens a new avenue for domestic progression, offering students diverse options for both domestic and international postgraduate studies.
- Among graduates entering employment (12.05%), the average annual salary reached RMB 178,200. Of those employed by enterprises, 68.70% secured positions with leading organizations, including Fortune Global 500 companies, Fortune China 500 companies, listed firms, and multinational corporations.
- Nearly 90% of employed graduates chose to build their careers in first-tier cities and provincial capitals, including Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, and Hong Kong SAR. The computer, internet, telecommunications, and electronics sector was the top choice (39.58%). Driven by the new School of Artificial Intelligence and deeper Shenzhen-Hong Kong talent integration, graduates are actively engaging with regional and national development.
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Academic Excellence on the Global Stage
With 83.64% of the 2025 cohort pursuing further education amidst intense global competition, CUHK-Shenzhen students continue to be highly sought after by top-tier institutions worldwide, reflecting their solid academic foundations and global perspectives.
According to the 2026 QS and 2025 U.S. News World University Rankings, 81.58% of these graduates gained admission to the world's top 50 universities, and 18.42% to the top 10. Acceptances encompass world-renowned institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Harvard University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, National University of Singapore, and ETH Zurich.
Regarding destinations, the United States (28.91%) and Hong Kong SAR (27.48%) remained the primary choices, with the proportion heading to Hong Kong increasing by 8.39 percentage points year-on-year. The Chinese Mainland, the United Kingdom, and Singapore were also popular destinations.
In this cohort, 71 graduates were directly admitted to doctoral programs, accounting for 6.77% of those pursuing further education—a 1.11 percentage point increase year-on-year. They secured fully funded offers from prestigious programs, including Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, and Computer Science at both the National University of Singapore and the University of California, Berkeley. These emerging scholars are advancing towards the academic frontier with firm conviction.
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Professional Excellence in the Workplace
In the 2025 cohort, 151 graduates entered the workforce, achieving an average annual salary of RMB 178,200. This demonstrates the exceptional competitive advantage of CUHK-Shenzhen graduates in the employment market.
The employment quality remains high. Among those employed by enterprises, 68.70% joined Fortune Global 500 companies, Fortune China 500 companies, listed firms, or multinational corporations. Industry leaders such as Tencent, Huawei, JD.com, Meituan, P&G, JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, and Deloitte were the primary destinations. Employer surveys highly commend our graduates for their professional competencies, foreign language proficiency, innovative mindset, and professional ethics.
Sector-wise, 39.58% of graduates entered the computer, internet, telecommunications, and electronics industries—a 9.73 percentage point increase year-on-year. This closely aligns the University's academic layout with national strategies for the digital economy and artificial intelligence.
Geographically, 55.56% of graduates chose to remain in Shenzhen, with nearly 90% concentrated in major cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong SAR. With the accelerated integration of Shenzhen and Hong Kong, more graduates are capitalizing on the expanded Immigration Arrangement for Non-local Graduates (IANG) visa policy to work in Hong Kong, contributing as a vital force to the Greater Bay Area's development.
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The exceptional performance of the 2025 cohort highlights the University's strength in talent cultivation. From prestigious university admissions to high-quality employment, and from securing the postgraduate recommendation qualification to adapting to the AI era, these graduates have proven their competitive edge cultivated within an international education system.
Looking ahead, President Xu Yangsheng's words at the graduation ceremony resonate deeply: "Life is like climbing a mountain; the peak is not what matters most. What truly counts is taking each step steadily on solid ground."
President Xu reminded students that in an era emphasizing "intelligence," it is even more crucial to cherish "courage"—to dare to take risks and make bold attempts. He urged them to maintain "resilience" under pressure, and to understand that when facing choices, "doing the right thing" is far more important than "doing things right."
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