Nantai University’s new general education system leaves students struggling to secure classes

Nantai University of Science and Technology has introduced a new general education system for the new semester, but students still subject to the old requirements say the transition has left them scrambling for classes.

Under the old system, students must complete three or six credits in categorized general education courses covering humanities and arts, social sciences or natural sciences. Many of the new courses carry two credits. Because the total number of classes has not changed much from last year, students under the old system say they have been concentrated into a much smaller pool of suitable courses.

One student said they submitted numerous general education preferences in the first selection round but did not get a place in any course. Others still could not find a qualifying three-credit course in the second round. Some students said they had to abandon planned professional electives to complete the required categories, while students preparing for internships feared they would not have enough time to make up the credits later.

The students said they were not opposed to reforming the general education system. Their complaint was that the university had changed the rules without protecting the enrollment rights of students who remained under the old system. They called for more three-credit classes, additional offerings or clear substitution and credit-transfer arrangements.

The university said it had already increased enrollment limits and would close that round on the seventh. On the ninth, it plans to reopen manual enrollment for fourth-year students, fifth-year students and those extending their studies who face graduation-credit shortages. A free add-drop period will run from the 11th to the 14th. The university said it would provide enough classes, provided students did not insist on a particular instructor or course.