China’s top universities are aggressively recruiting Chinese undergraduates studying abroad for direct PhD admissions, bypassing traditional academic pathways. This move, spearheaded by Fudan University, comes as the US tightens funding for graduate studies due to financial strain and geopolitical tensions.
The initiative, launched in 2022 but expanded for the 2025 academic year, allows students from the world’s top 100 universities to enter PhD programs without a master’s degree or domestic university endorsement. It covers 18 disciplines, including computer science, biomedical engineering, and humanities. Analysts say this reflects Beijing’s strategy to attract young academics back from the US.
A Fudan faculty member, Wang, described the initiative as “uncommon” in China but emphasized its importance in fulfilling the university’s social duty. Meanwhile, as American institutions scale back graduate programs, China is positioning itself as an alternative academic powerhouse.
