"We're Not Looking for Consultants"... Chinese Parents Turn to AI for College Admissions Counseling

From College Admissions to Major Selection,
AI Chatbots Field Students' Inquiries

Admissions Consultants Lower Fees to Attract Clients

Chinese parents are utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to help their children choose college majors.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on July 11, following the announcement of Gaokao results—the Chinese equivalent of the Korean College Scholastic Ability Test—at the end of last month, 12.9 million exam takers had only a few days left to decide on their majors, triggering nationwide confusion. In China, obtaining a degree from a prestigious university is highly valued, so the choice of university can determine both life and employment prospects.

Mr. Zhang, a ride-hailing driver in Guangzhou, began using artificial intelligence to help his son choose a college major. While middle-class families often spend significant sums to hire educational consultants to guide their children’s educational paths, Mr. Zhang could not afford such services. Instead, he created a “new, free advisor” by using several Chinese AI chatbots.

Mr. Zhang said, “AI chatbots are not as good as human consultants, but they are still extremely helpful.” He explained, “In the past, I only knew about universities near our home, but now, thanks to AI, I can find out which majors at which universities across the country my son’s scores would allow him to enter. We have always been too busy making a living to provide much help to our child.”

Not only in Mr. Zhang’s case, but AI has become a significant factor in the Chinese college admissions process this year. Already, millions of households are using chatbots to get advice on the optimal university and degree programs.

Alibaba's AI assistant Qwen logo. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

In particular, for working-class families like Mr. Zhang’s, these platforms are appealing because they offer an equal opportunity to compete against middle-class families who spend large sums and use every possible resource for the entrance exams. According to Alibaba Group, as of the end of June, more than 14 million people had used the college admissions counseling service of Alibaba’s AI assistant, Qwen. Baidu announced that about 15 million students had used its own AI college application helper by the end of June, and Tencent Holdings reported that, during a similar period, its Yuanbao chatbot had answered about 80 million admissions-related inquiries.

This trend has the potential to disrupt China’s highly profitable college admissions consulting market. According to a recent report by iMedia Research, this market was worth 1 billion yuan (about 220 billion won) last year and is expected to grow to 1.22 billion yuan (about 270 billion won) by 2027. However, the report did not compare the growth rate before and after the emergence of AI-based admissions agents.

Despite the rapid rise of AI, admissions consultants remain confident. Wu Rui, an admissions consultant in Guangzhou, stated, “AI is putting pressure on basic consulting services,” but added, “Demand for personalized advice from humans is actually increasing.” Wu lowered the price of the standard consultation package from around 5,000 yuan (approximately 1.11 million won) to 2,999 yuan (about 660,000 won) this admissions season, in response to the popularity of AI admissions agents. While his business has been affected this year, he said demand remains strong because many families are still looking for experts to help interpret recommendations provided by AI chatbots.

However, the results of AI admissions counseling do not benefit all families equally. Users who know how to write detailed AI queries and how to judge the responses are more likely to achieve better outcomes than those who simply enter their child’s test scores. On this point, Mr. Zhang said, “Before you know what to ask AI, you need to understand how China’s job market and society function.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.