China has opened a short, intense recruitment window for female recruits for the first half of 2026, with online registration running from 1 January to 24:00 on 10 February. The call targets a broad swathe of young women: full‑time undergraduates and recent graduates aged 18–22, postgraduate students up to 26, and earlier graduates with relaxed upper age limits. Applicants register via the national conscription website and are ranked by their relative gaokao score; those selected for preliminary qualification are notified to attend local selection centres for medical and political screening.
The enlistment process combines digital sorting with local, face‑to‑face vetting. After online ranking, municipal recruitment offices issue initial‑selection notices and candidates present identity documents and academic credentials for preliminary checks. Individuals who pass the initial checks are forwarded to designated medical examination stations and subject to political appraisals conducted by local police and education authorities. Those who clear both medical and political reviews receive a period of one to two weeks of pre‑service education covering political indoctrination, organisational rules, and basic military adaptation training before formal approval and transport to units.
The campaign offers concrete incentives to students: those eligible for state tuition assistance must submit a printed loan‑repayment application, jointly reviewed by school financial aid offices and county recruitment authorities, to secure compensation for national student loans. Local recruitment offices publicly post the list of prospective recruits for at least five working days before county offices issue formal enlistment notices and army clothing. Recruits who receive enlistment notices are treated as full conscripts and entitled to the preferential benefits accorded to enlisted personnel.
Seen against Beijing’s wider defence and demographic policies, this recruitment drive is notable for its administrative precision and emphasis on higher‑education recruits. Using gaokao relative scores to prioritise candidates favours academically credentialed applicants and underscores the armed forces’ continuing push for a better‑educated intake even among conscripts. The explicit outreach to female candidates signals an intent to normalise women’s presence in military ranks as part of a broader modernisation drive, while procedural transparency — online registration, public posting of lists, and formalised loan‑repayment channels — reflects efforts to streamline recruitment and reduce disputes at the local level.
The immediate operational effect of this short campaign is likely modest; the event is a routine half‑year intake rather than an extraordinary mobilisation. Yet it has broader implications: it channels educated young women into state institutions at a time when China faces long‑term demographic headwinds, and it reinforces the Party‑state’s foothold in campuses and local communities through administrative interactions over enlistment and financial aid. International observers should note the blend of digital sorting, academic selection, and political vetting as indicative of how Beijing balances human capital objectives with control and loyalty in its military personnel policies.