CUC latest university to overhaul admissions

The Communication University of China in Beijing has announced a major overhaul of its undergraduate art admissions for 2027, scrapping both provincial-level unified art examinations and university-organized professional tests for eight majors and admitting students solely based on their national college entrance examination, or gaokao, scores.

The university announced on Aug 3 that eight programs — including screenwriting, radio and television editing, directing, intelligent imaging art, cinematography, environmental design, art and technology and production — will be moved to the regular undergraduate admission batch.

Students applying to these programs will no longer need to take either provincial-level unified art examinations or the university's own professional tests. Instead, admission will be based entirely on gaokao scores.

Meanwhile, six other programs — including game art design, recording arts, musicology and composition — will still require provincial-level unified art examination scores but will no longer require CUC's school-level professional tests.

Eight programs will continue to require CUC's own professional tests, including broadcasting and hosting, acting, musical theater and music performance (vocal).

The reform aligns with a Ministry of Education guideline issued in 2021 and implemented from 2024. The policy calls for strictly controlling the scope of universities and majors that organize school-level tests, expanding provincial-level unified examinations, and gradually raising cultural course score requirements for art students.

CUC is part of a broader trend across China's art education sector, with universities significantly reducing school-level tests in recent years.

The Central Academy of Fine Arts announced in its 2026 undergraduate admissions notice that its fine arts major had canceled school-level tests, while its art and design programs use provincial-level unified examination scores for initial screening.

Nanjing University of the Arts stopped organizing school-level tests for its dance and music education programs in 2026, instead relying on provincial-level unified examination scores.

Shandong University of Arts retained school-level tests only for its sculpture program in 2024, and by 2025 had canceled school-level tests for all fine arts and design programs.

Xiong Bingqi, director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said the reform has two core objectives: substantially reducing school-level tests while expanding provincial-level unified examinations, and raising cultural course score requirements to curb the tendency of using art admissions as a shortcut to enter top universities.

"Many parents believe that if their child performs poorly in high school, they can choose art as an easier way to enter a good university with lower gaokao scores," he said. "This is a utilitarian approach."

By raising cultural course score requirements, the reform aims to discourage such practices while improving the overall cultural literacy of art students, Xiong said.

He acknowledged that gaokao scores do not fully reflect a student's overall abilities, but said they remain an effective way to raise admission standards and reduce the number of students who pursue art solely to gain university admission.

The policy shift has sparked heated discussion online, becoming one of the top trending topics on Sina Weibo on Wednesday, with many netizens applauding the move. One widely shared comment read: "Cultural workers must be cultured."