Not Philosophy or History Majors! 2026 University Admissions' Hardest-Hit Departments: 'Students Don't Want to Enroll, Professors Face Unemployment' – Professors Lament True Decline in Popularity

On the morning of the 3rd, the 115th academic year's subject examination results and five performance benchmarks for each subject were announced, marking the beginning of the志愿 selection phase for examinees. However, with the rapid development of AI technology and structural changes in industry, the popularity of university departments has undergone significant shifts. According to the latest enrollment data released by the University Selection Committee, the Foreign Language cluster, Law and Politics cluster, and Humanities and Philosophy cluster have become the three clusters with the lowest quota utilization rates in this year's application-based admissions. In contrast, fields such as Information, Engineering, and Earth and Environment continue to attract strong interest from students.

In response, Wang Wen-jen, a professor at the Language Teaching Center of National Huwei University of Science and Technology and a writer, acknowledged that humanities and foreign language-related departments have faced increasingly difficult recruitment in recent years. Not only has student enrollment declined, but some schools are even facing departmental mergers and reductions in faculty hiring. He advised students interested in these fields to thoroughly understand future job markets and career development before selecting their志愿, and to carefully evaluate their personal plans.

115th Academic Year Enrollment Data Released: Foreign Language, Law & Politics, and Humanities Have Lowest Quota Utilization

The University Selection Committee recently released the quota utilization rates for each academic cluster in the 115th academic year's application-based admissions. The Earth and Environment cluster ranked first with 92.69%, followed by the Engineering cluster at 92.55%, and the Information cluster at 90%. This indicates that departments related to AI, semiconductors, and the technology industry remain the most popular choices among students.

In contrast, humanities and social sciences performed relatively weakly in recruitment, with the three clusters having the lowest quota utilization rates being:

- Foreign Language cluster: 70.96% - Law and Politics cluster: 72.95% - Humanities and Philosophy cluster: 73.41%

Lien Chao-wen,组长 of the University Selection Committee, analyzed that Taiwan's industrial development has recently focused on AI, semiconductors, and information technology, leading students to prefer departments in Information and Engineering with higher job market demand. This trend is directly reflected in the enrollment outcomes.

Professor Analyzes Three Key Reasons: AI Rise Changes Students' Department Selection Mindset

Wang Wen-jen, professor at the Language Teaching Center of National Huwei University of Science and Technology, recently shared his observations on Facebook, pointing out that the cooling of recruitment in Foreign Language, Law & Politics, and Humanities and Philosophy clusters did not begin this year but has been an ongoing trend in recent years.

He stated that he had long noticed the Foreign Language cluster's quota utilization rate consistently hovering among the bottom three. For example, in the 114th academic year, the Law and Politics cluster had a utilization rate of only 71.7%, the lowest among all clusters; both the Foreign Language and Humanities and Philosophy clusters stood at 73.74%, indicating that recruitment pressure for related departments has persisted for years.

Wang Wen-jen believes there are three main reasons behind this trend.

First, the rapid advancement of AI technology and translation software has significantly lowered the barrier to language proficiency. In the past, foreign language skills were considered a key competitive advantage, but today, artificial intelligence and real-time translation tools can assist in completing many language-related tasks, altering corporate talent demands.

Second, societal values are gradually changing. Wang pointed out that while modern people still need foreign language skills, humanistic literacy, and knowledge of history and philosophy, they may not necessarily need to spend four years earning a degree in these fields. Many students now prefer to choose career-oriented majors and develop language and humanistic skills through double majors, interdisciplinary learning, or self-directed study.

Third, salary levels and job opportunities are also critical factors. He admitted that graduates from humanities, philosophy, and foreign language departments generally face lower salaries and limited job options in today’s job market, accelerating the trend of departmental mergers or even discontinuation.

Wang Wen-jen encouraged young people interested in law, politics, foreign languages, and humanities to pursue their passions but also reminded them not to ignore the realities of the current environment.

He noted that in recent years, many related departments have been merged or discontinued due to insufficient enrollment, affecting not only student numbers but also faculty hiring and teaching positions. Therefore, he hopes students will fully understand industry demands and future career directions before committing to these fields. He frankly stated: "We all dislike reality, but reality is truly harsh."

In fact, this trend is not unique to Taiwan. In recent years, many universities in China have also reported insufficient enrollment in language-related departments, with some schools gradually reducing enrollment quotas, merging departments, or even laying off faculty, indicating that under the influence of demographic changes, AI technological development, and industrial transformation, humanities and language-related disciplines are all facing new challenges.

Top-Tier Universities Still Attractive: NTU's Chinese, Philosophy, and Anthropology Departments Fully Enrolled This Year

Although overall enrollment in the humanities cluster has cooled, top-tier universities still demonstrate certain brand advantages. Taking National Taiwan University (NTU) as an example, its performance in this year's application-based admissions was quite impressive. The Philosophy Department, which had nine unfilled spots last year, successfully filled all quotas this year; the Chinese Literature and Anthropology departments also had no vacancies, successfully overcoming last year's recruitment pressure.

However, the departments with the most vacancies at NTU this year were actually some traditionally popular ones. The Medical and Health cluster had a total of 36 unfilled spots, and the Political Science Department, across its three groups, had 23 unfilled spots, making them the departments with the highest number of vacancies within the university. Li Hong-sen,组长 of NTU's Registration Office, analyzed that the vacancies in the Political Science Department were mainly due to applicants being accepted into multiple groups simultaneously, causing internal competition; as for the Medical and Health cluster, some students may have been accepted into other medical or dental schools or chose to decline after being admitted to other related departments, thus affecting quota utilization.