The majors facing the most severe labor shortage are here: 9 universities take the lead in enrollment, with only a few hundred admissions nationwide

The annual salary starts at a minimum of 15 million yuan, with no upper limit - this isn't the financial circle, nor is it a large Internet company. Instead, it's a new track that has attracted much attention this year:

Embodied Intelligence.

In 2026, only 9 universities across the country were approved to offer this new major. The enrollment quota is extremely limited:

Six out of the 9 universities only recruit 30 students nationwide.

On the other hand, the number of relevant enterprises has skyrocketed by 119% in a year, but the supply of industrial talents has seriously lagged behind - the shortage is as high as 1 million, and the median annual recruitment salary has exceeded 330,000 yuan.

The supply side is stingy, while the demand side is starving.

What kind of game are these 9 leading top - tier universities playing?

A small but elite new major, with more than half of the universities recruiting only 30 students nationwide

In April this year, the Ministry of Education released the "Catalog of Undergraduate Majors in General Higher Education Institutions (2026)", clearly stating its support for 9 universities, including Harbin Institute of Technology and Beihang University, to add the new major of Embodied Intelligence, aiming to promote the in - depth integration of the new generation of artificial intelligence and the real economy.

The 9 universities are:

Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Northeastern University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhejiang University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Beihang University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, and Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Without exception, they are all top - tier universities in China.

What is Embodied Intelligence? It is a cutting - edge branch of artificial intelligence, referring to the integration of perception, cognition, decision - making, and action through the real - time interaction between an intelligent agent (such as a robot, drone, or intelligent vehicle) and the environment via a physical entity.

Its physical form can be a robotic arm, a wheeled robot, a drone, an unmanned vehicle, or a humanoid robot, or a CNC machine tool.

Among the many ways to implement Embodied Intelligence, humanoid robots are regarded as one of the typical representatives and the best carriers of Embodied Intelligence.

Currently, there are already Embodied Intelligence enterprises in China, such as Zhipu Robotics and Unitree Technology, and the industrial scale is expected to exceed one trillion yuan in the future.

Image source: CCTV News

According to the application materials submitted by each school to the Ministry of Education, except for Beijing Institute of Technology, which has an enrollment of over 100 students, most of the other universities follow a "small but elite" enrollment strategy, and their training direction is mainly for further studies.

Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications is a national key university directly under the Ministry of Education and jointly built by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It is a university included in the national "Double First - Class" initiative, the first batch of the "211 Project", and the "Innovation Platform for Superior Disciplines of the 985 Project".

The Embodied Intelligence major at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications has a 4 - year program. In the first and second semesters, students are trained in the general category of artificial intelligence, which includes the majors of Information Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence + Financial Technology, and Embodied Intelligence.

In the second semester, based on the students' own wishes and their first - semester grades, they are divided into different majors. Specialized training starts in the third semester. After graduation, students are awarded a Bachelor of Engineering degree. The annual enrollment for this major is 30 students, with an estimated 15 students for further studies and 15 for employment.

Northeastern University is one of the first batch of key universities included in the "211 Project" and the "985 Project". It was selected as a university for the first - round construction of world - class universities in 2017 and was included in the second - round "Double First - Class" construction in 2022. The Embodied Intelligence major it applied for also has a 4 - year program and awards a Bachelor of Engineering degree; the annual enrollment is 60 students, with an estimated 30 students for further studies and 30 for employment.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University is a "comprehensive, innovative, and international" first - class university in China and well - known globally. The Embodied Intelligence major at the school has a flexible study period of 4 - 6 years. Students are allowed to graduate early after obtaining the required credits, and they can also extend their study period, but generally not more than 6 years.

The enrollment for the Embodied Intelligence major at this school is also 30 students, of which 25 are expected to pursue further studies and 5 are expected to be directly employed.

Image source: Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Zhejiang University is a comprehensive, research - oriented, and innovative university with distinct characteristics and significant influence at home and abroad. It was included in the second - round "Double First - Class" construction in 2022.

The newly added Embodied Intelligence major at the school belongs to the School of Control Science and Engineering. The recommended study period is 4 years, and a Bachelor of Engineering degree is awarded. The annual enrollment is 30 students, with an estimated 20 students for further studies and 10 for employment.

Xi'an Jiaotong University is a key university directly under the Ministry of Education. It was among the first batch of schools included in the national "211" and "985" projects and was included in the second - round national "Double First - Class" construction in 2022. The Embodied Intelligence major it applied for is located in the School of Mechanical Engineering, with a 4 - year program and a Bachelor of Engineering degree. The annual enrollment is 30 students, with an estimated 25 students for further studies and 5 for employment.

Beihang University is the first higher education institution for aerospace in New China. It was included in the national "Double First - Class" construction list in 2017. The Embodied Intelligence major applied for by the school belongs to the School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation and is a cross - engineering major. The basic study period is 4 years, and a Bachelor of Embodied Intelligence degree is awarded.

The annual enrollment for the Embodied Intelligence major at this school is 30 students, with an estimated 20 students for further studies and 10 for employment.

Beijing Institute of Technology is affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It was among the first batch of key universities included in the national "211 Project" and "985 Project" and was among the first batch of universities in the A - category of the "World - Class University" construction.

Image source: Beijing Institute of Technology

The Embodied Intelligence major is located in the School of Artificial Intelligence and is a cross - engineering major. The standard study period is 4 years, but under the credit system management, a flexible study period of 3 - 5 years is implemented, and a Bachelor of Engineering degree is awarded. The annual enrollment is 120 students, of which 70 are expected to pursue further studies and 50 for employment.

Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics is also affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It is one of the first batch of aviation higher education institutions founded by New China. It is a key university included in the national "211 Project" and the "Innovation Platform for Superior Disciplines of the 985 Project" and was included in the national "Double First - Class" construction in 2017.

The Embodied Intelligence major belongs to the School of Artificial Intelligence. According to the school's admissions office, outstanding students in the Embodied Intelligence major can be selected to enter the "Undergraduate - Ph.D. Continuous Program" and directly enter the Ph.D. stage after passing the assessment.

Harbin Institute of Technology is affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It is one of the first 9 universities key - built under the national "985 Project" and is known as the "cradle of engineers". This year, Harbin Institute of Technology established the Embodied Intelligence (Greater Bay Area Class) major, aiming to cultivate top - notch innovative talents with an international perspective and innovation and entrepreneurship capabilities.

Last year, Harbin Institute of Technology offered a micro - major in "Embodied Intelligence" for sophomores and juniors, attracting more than 120 students from the main campus, Weihai campus, and Shenzhen campus to enroll.

Decoding the strength: Why were these 9 universities the first to be approved

Currently, there are more than 3,000 higher education institutions in the country, including 147 "Double First - Class" construction universities. Why were these 9 the first to be approved? The key lies in their respective disciplinary accumulations and differentiated positioning.

Specifically, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications relies on its traditional advantageous disciplines such as Information and Communication Engineering and Computer Science and Technology, and is committed to cultivating cross - integrated talents in the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics, machinery, electronics, and computers.

In terms of scientific research and industry - university - research cooperation, the school has provincial and ministerial - level key laboratories such as the "Intelligent Robot and System" laboratory, and cooperates with institutions such as the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center. It has also established joint laboratories with enterprises such as Ubtech and Zhipu Robotics; introduced real - world projects such as the development of the Qinglang Intelligent commercial service robot and the practical application of the Wuba Intelligent Technology quadruped robot into the classroom; and implemented a dual - tutor system of school - enterprise cooperation.

Professor Fang Bin, the leader of the major, was selected as a Beijing Zhiyuan Scholar. The "Tactile Dexterous Hand" he developed was included in the National "13th Five - Year Plan" Scientific and Technological Innovation Achievement Exhibition, and he has received 10 million yuan in scientific research funds in the past three years; Professor Xu Wenjun is the deputy dean of the School of Artificial Intelligence at the school, was selected as a Distinguished Professor of the "Changjiang Scholars Award Program" of the Ministry of Education, and has received more than 8 million yuan in scientific research funds in the past three years.

Image source: Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications

The Embodied Intelligence major at Northeastern University relies on the Liaoning Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Robot Intelligent Perception and Interaction and the Shenyang Key Laboratory for Intelligent Robots, and has established multiple professional laboratories such as the Robot Technology Laboratory, the Robot Motion Control Laboratory, and the Mobile Robot Laboratory.

In addition, this major has jointly established joint laboratories and internship bases with many enterprises such as Shenyang Siasun Robot & Automation Co., Ltd., Shenyang BMW Automobile, Lvshang Technology, Shansu Robotics, and SMS group GmbH, and has signed long - term cooperation agreements.

This major has 43 full - time teachers. Among them, Professor Ding Jinliang, the leader of the major, won the First Prize of the Ministry of Education's Technological Invention in 2025 and has received 33 million yuan in scientific research funds in the past three years; Professor Jia Tong is a national high - level leading talent and serves as the Party secretary of the School of Future Technology and the School of Robotics Science and Engineering at Northeastern University, mainly researching intelligent robots, computer vision, pattern recognition, image processing, and machine learning.

As one of the earliest universities in China to conduct artificial intelligence research and talent cultivation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University is the only university in the country that relies on the Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence of the Ministry of Education. It has 7 national - level platforms, 4 Ministry of Education platforms, and 5 Shanghai - level platforms, and has established in - depth cooperation relationships with enterprises such as Huawei, Tencent, and SenseTime.

The Embodied Intelligence major at the school has 34 teachers for core professional courses. Professor Lu Cewu, the leader of the discipline, is a national high - level talent and a Distinguished Professor of the Changjiang Scholars, and has received 20.22 million yuan in scientific research funds in the past three years.

The Embodied Intelligence major at Zhejiang University integrates control science and artificial intelligence, organically combining the high - level planning ability of large models with the underlying motion control mechanism. Currently, it has built a "Robot Training Center" and has a systematic teaching and innovation practice platform and equipment.

At the same time, this major has established a growth tutor database, and each student is assigned a growth tutor, with each tutor guiding no more than 2 students. During their sophomore and junior years, students, under the guidance of their growth tutors, choose appropriate Embodied Intelligence topics for scientific research activities.

Professor Hou Dibo, the leader of the major, is the director of the Institute of Intelligent Sensing and Detection at Zhejiang University and has received 3.4 million yuan in scientific research funds in the past three years; Professor Xiong Rong is a member of the expert group for intelligent robots of the key special project of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the director of the Robot Laboratory of the Institute of Intelligent Systems and Control at Zhejiang University, and has received 14 million yuan in scientific research funds in the past three years.

The Embodied Intelligence major at Xi'an Jiaotong University relies on advantageous disciplines such as Mechanical Engineering and Control Science and Engineering, and integrates knowledge from multiple disciplines such as cognitive science, information communication, and electronic engineering.

This major has 43 teachers for core professional courses. Professor Mei Xuesong, the leader of the major, is the director of the Institute of Intelligent Robot Innovation at Xi'an Jiaotong University and has received 90 million yuan in scientific research funds in the past three years.

Image source: Admissions Office of Xi'an Jiaotong University

The Embodied Intelligence major at Beihang University is a strategic emerging cross - disciplinary major that deeply integrates artificial intelligence, robotics, computer science, and control engineering, and has formed a teaching and research team led by academicians, Changjiang Scholars, and National Outstanding Youth Fund recipients. The team includes 2 Distinguished Professors of the Changjiang Scholars, 3 National Outstanding Youth Science Fund recipients, and 5 Excellent Youth Science Fund recipients.

The person - in - charge of this major is jointly held by Professor Wen Li and Professor Wei Hongxing, who have achieved remarkable results in the field of artificial intelligence and bionic robots. Among them