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Recently, with the release of the 2024 college entrance examination admissions information in various places,#The admission scores for finance majors plummet# #The finance major is becoming less and less popular#The discussion heated up again.

When it comes to financial colleges,“Two Finance and One Trade” (Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Central University of Finance and Economics, University of International Business and Economics)Comparing the admission rankings of these three universities in various provinces in recent years, we can find that whether it is Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Central University of Finance and Economics, or University of International Business and Economics,The admission rankings have continued to decline over the past five years, especially in the past two years.

Taking Guangdong Province as an example, the lowest admission ranking for physics at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics this year was 13,602, 7,755 last year, 5,295 in 2022, and 2,525 five years ago.

At the Central University of Finance and Economics, the lowest ranking for admission to physics majors has dropped from 5,127 five years ago to outside the top 10,000, to 11,370 in 2023 and 13,853 in 2024.

Similar to the Central University of Finance and Economics, the lowest ranking for admission to physics majors at the University of International Business and Economics dropped from 5,474 five years ago to 13,448 in 2023, and further dropped to 15,363 this year.

In Beijing, Shanghai, Henan, Shandong and other regions, the admission rankings of the above-mentioned financial and economic colleges have dropped by more than 1,000 places compared with last year.

From the data, we can see thatIn the past five years, the admission rankings of the "Two Finance and One Trade" in most regions have continued to decline, especially in the past two years, there has been a sharp decline!

Financial schools and financial subjects no longer seem to be as popular as before.

Not long ago, the news that securities firms' "average annual salary of one million" was a thing of the past was hotly discussed in the media and on the Internet, triggering discussions on the employment prospects of financial schools and majors.

In fact, as early as the 2019 college entrance examination, "the admission scores of financial colleges have plummeted" made headlines. Before that, securities, banks, insurance, funds and other financial companies attracted a large number of outstanding students due to their attractive high salaries. Many high-scoring candidates would rather give up the majors with average development prospects in Tsinghua, Peking University, Fudan University and Jiaotong University, and choose the financial majors of "two finance and one trade", which made the score lines of financial majors rise.

In recent years,Affected by the economic situation, finance majors in financial schools and universities have fallen from grace.Admission scores and rankings began to decline, especially in the past two years, with a "steep slope" decline.

undoubtedly,The "cold reception" of financial schools is due to the slowdown in economic growth in recent years, and the financial industry has cut salaries.The overall environment has a lot to do with it. After all, employment prospects are the biggest consideration in choosing a major. As the financial industry enters a downward cycle, it is not surprising that finance-related majors and financial schools are not popular.

Is it true, as some self-media people say, that studying finance is "pushing children into the fire"?

"Compared to the 'pessimism' and 'alarmism' of some media,We need to look at this phenomenon more rationally.First, we need to remove some of the untrue or misleading parts in media reports," said Chen Zhiwen, editor-in-chief of China Education Online.

“The decline in admission scores for financial institutions first reflects a phased trend in the industry.This is also a kind of social progress. Every stage of social development has a special industry bonus period.

For example, from the 1980s to the 1990s, China gradually became the "world's factory" and Western companies entered China in large numbers, urgently in need of talents who knew foreign languages ​​and economics and trade. During this special period, there were few people in China who were proficient in foreign languages, and foreign trade talents who were proficient in foreign languages ​​and economics were very popular. As a result, the University of International Business and Economics became China's most famous star school. Around the 1990s, especially in the 1990s, it was home to many top liberal arts students.

"I remember one year, almost half of the top scorers in liberal arts in the country went to the University of International Business and Economics, and famous universities such as Peking University and Renmin University could only divide up the rest. This is almost unimaginable now," said Chen Zhiwen.

Tsinghua University, Peking University, Renmin University of China, netizens made their own promotional pictures for the University of International Business and Economics

(Image source: Internet)

With the improvement of the level of reform and opening up, Chinese companies began to enter the mainstream stage of the world economy. English became a basic skill configuration for talents, and the University of International Business and Economics began to decline. Although its admission score is still among the top universities, it is far from comparable to Peking University and Tsinghua University.

"Another reality is that now in many banks, 80% of new graduates need to work as tellers or salespeople in business halls, and their salaries have dropped significantly, which is a significant change compared to the past.With the decline in job satisfaction, it is understandable that finance and related majors are no longer popular."Chen Zhiwen analyzed.

at the same time,The financial and banking industry's demand for professional talent structure has also changed significantly.Twenty years ago, the financial banking industry needed more financial accounting professionals, but with the development of the Internet, smart banking, AI technology and other technological means have begun to be widely used in the banking industry, reducing the demand for front-line tellers and front-line marketers. The demand for technical developers, maintenance personnel, and product developers has increased rapidly, and the demand for talent has gradually shifted to science and engineering talents such as computer science, mathematics, and statistics.

“This may overturn everyone’s traditional cognition and concept. Now even the financial banking industry itself isPrefer talents in science and engineering such as computer science and mathematics, rather than traditional mainstream financial professionals." Chen Zhiwen said.

The transformation of demand will inevitably bring about professional transformation and adjustment.While financial schools and majors are not popular, various schools are also actively adjusting and optimizing related majors and talent training models to better meet the current and future talent needs of the financial industry.A typical example is the integration with related professional fields such as mathematics, computer science, big data, etc. to cultivate cross-disciplinary talents in "intelligence/digital + finance".For example, in 2023, Zhejiang University announced the launch of a double bachelor's degree program in "Digital Finance" (Finance-Mathematics and Applied Mathematics); in 2024, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics established a new major in "Digital Economy"; the University of International Business and Economics added a new major in "Data Science"... I believe that with the gradual improvement of professional adjustments, financial schools and majors will still attract a large number of outstanding talents who are willing to engage in related work.

“In addition, as higher education enrollment grows,Today, as more and more emphasis is placed on general education and the cultivation of cross-disciplinary talents, the significance of school background is becoming greater than that of major.The threshold is getting higher and higher, and a 985 university brand may be more important. Therefore, more and more people have given up the pursuit of narrow majors and turned to pursue school background, especially 985 in developed areas, and are no longer keen on professional schools such as financial schools. This has become a trend. "

"But even if there is a short-term 'cold reception', there is no doubt that financial industries such as banking and securities are still the mainstream industries in a mature society and will still attract the best talents. These will not change because of the decline in scores of financial and economic colleges. What will change is the way and category of our selection," said Chen Zhiwen.

Original work from China Education Online. Please indicate the source when reprinting: Reprinted from China Education Online

Author: Huang Zhuo