"At the age of 33, I finally enrolled in the interest class I wanted to study when I was 13..." A Wuhan blogger posted a screenshot of his successful enrollment in a senior college on a social platform, which received nearly a thousand comments and was collected by thousands of people. "In the past two years, more and more people born in the 1990s and 2000s have come to inquire about whether they can take classes." Several staff members of Wuhan University for the Elderly reported. Why has “old-fashioned learning” become popular? What is the policy for recruiting young people to universities for the elderly in various districts of Wuhan? In the past few days, reporters have visited.
Some have strict age restrictions and some are more relaxed
"Many college students have come to ask us if they can sign up. I said you are too young. Teenagers are definitely not allowed. At least you must be over 28 years old." September 13, Evergreen Introduction by the staff of Garden University for the Elderly.
Many netizens said on social platforms that Evergreen Garden University for the Elderly is more accepting of young people. Staff told reporters: The school’s requirement for young people to enroll is that they are no less than 28 years old and can register if they meet the conditions. Registration for this semester just ended, with nearly 5,000 people. Priority will be given to past students to register one week in advance. For popular courses such as yoga and Latin dance, there may be 30 past students in a class of 45 people. They will all register in advance. After they have registered, they will be opened to the public. The remaining places will basically take a day or two. It was sold out.
“Some classes have more young people, such as guitar and Latin dance, and the students are generally younger.” According to the staff, students in their 30s are not uncommon. The school also offers coffee life and health classes, and every class will Many young people are interested in tasting different coffees. Some of these young people who come to class are their own bosses, some are stay-at-home mothers, some are training teachers, and some are temporarily transitioning while looking for a job. "Young people don't need to feel embarrassed to attend classes. No one will feel the same way."
The reporter called and visited various districts senior universities and found that each school has different policies on enrollment age. Some senior universities have strict age restrictions, while others are more relaxed.
The enrollment brochure of Wuchang University for the Elderly reads: The enrollment targets middle-aged and elderly people between the ages of 45 and 80. However, the reporter visited the site and found that the school has online and offline registration channels for people over 45 years old, while those under 45 can only register on site. The reporter inquired and learned that people aged 40 to 44 are charged 50% more tuition fees.
A staff member of Wuhan University for the Elderly told reporters: In principle, it only recruits people over 50 years old. If the applicant is between 45 and 50 years old, he or she can apply for a quota from the leader at the Xiangjiang campus. Those under 45 years old will not be accepted. Signed up.
Jiangxia University for the Elderly requires male students to be no less than 50 years old and female students to be no less than 45 years old.
Hongshan District University for the Elderly requires students to be at least 45 years old.
Jiang'an District University for the Elderly stipulates that students must be over 50 years old, and those aged 45 to 49 must pay double tuition if they register.
Hanyang District University for the Elderly stipulates that people over 50 years old can register online and pay standard fees. Those under 50 years old must register offline at the school and pay double tuition.
A staff member of Qingshan University for the Elderly said that young people can also sign up, and the fees are the same as those for the elderly. Staff from both schools said they could go to the site to experience a class before making a decision.
Netizens lamented that the tuition fees of universities for the elderly are more cost-effective.
Reporters visited many universities for the elderly in Wuhan and found that the courses offered by universities for the elderly are rich in formats. In addition to the familiar sports and health classes, instrumental music, and calligraphy, new courses are added every year. For example, many universities for the elderly offer courses in mobile phone video editing and mobile photography. The Xujiapeng Street branch also offers classes on drone basics and mobile phone editing and Douyin classes, with tuition fees of 280 yuan and 150 yuan per semester respectively; Wuhan The University for the Elderly (Party School for Veteran Cadres of the Wuhan Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China) offers a professional intermediate class on Premiere video, as well as an intermediate class on computer application that studies large AI language models such as Wen Xinyiyan and Doubao. The tuition fee is 200 yuan per semester.
Life skills courses such as tea art, Chinese and Western pastries, and dietary nutrition are standard in senior universities. Evergreen Garden Senior University offers coffee life and health classes featuring coffee tasting.Jiang'an District University for the Elderly has added pediatric massage and infant care to its fall courses in 2024, with tuition fees of 140 yuan and 160 yuan per semester respectively. Wuhan University for the Elderly even offers securities investment courses, teaching K-line theoretical analysis, listed company analysis and other content.
Only for instrumental music, Jiang'an District Elderly University offers more than a dozen subjects such as ukulele, African drum, violin, guitar, saxophone, accordion, electronic keyboard, piano, harmonica, erhu, cucurbit flute, and guqin. Most categories are It is divided into introductory, primary, intermediate and advanced courses. The tuition for these courses ranges from 150 yuan to 290 yuan per semester. Among them, the tuition for piano lessons with higher facility costs is 290 yuan per semester. The tuition for only one advanced guqin class exceeds 300 yuan.
"The key is that the tuition fees are calculated on a semester basis. One or two hundred yuan is for 16 classes, not 1 class." Xiao Zhu, who was born in 1991, enrolled in 10 classes at the Xujiapeng Street Branch. The total cost of classes is less than 2,000 yuan. Taking 10 classes a week, each class lasts 90 minutes, Xiao Zhu fills up his time from Monday to Thursday at the University for the Elderly.
When a netizen shared the fee schedule of a university for the elderly in Wuhan, he lamented: It’s not that we can’t afford training courses outside, it’s just that universities for the elderly are more cost-effective. “The price is too good” is the most common comment on posts discussing senior universities. Compared with the price of two to three hundred yuan for an art training class on the market, the University for the Elderly attracts more and more young people who are eager to study part-time with its cost-effective and rich course content.
Young people and the elderly can complement each other by studying together.
Regarding the age requirements for enrolling students in universities for the elderly, reporters have not yet found clear laws or regulations. Teacher Zhang, a staff member of Jiang'an District University for the Elderly, said: "In the past two years, we have relaxed the age limit to 45 years old, and no one will be admitted any younger. The University for the Elderly, as the name suggests, is a university for the elderly, and young people come to attend the University for the Elderly. Not appropriate.”
The staff of Evergreen Garden University for the Elderly believes that the elderly study more seriously, and young people accept knowledge more quickly. Young people and the elderly can complement each other by studying together. The monitor of a painting class in the school is a 28-year-old young man.
Young people are keen on universities for the elderly. Will they crowd out educational resources for the elderly? The reporter visited many universities for the elderly in Wuhan and found that: on the attendance sign-in form, the vast majority of students are between 50 and 65 years old, and the proportion of young people under 40 years old is still very small. Most universities for the elderly will only consider recruiting young people if they are not satisfied with the recruitment of suitable-age students, and they all have minimum age settings or different fee thresholds.
Teacher Peng, the head teacher of the yoga class at Wuchang University for the Elderly, reminded young people that the yoga class at the University for the Elderly is designed for middle-aged and elderly people. Its main goal is to strengthen the body and improve the posture. It does not involve difficult movements and cannot meet high needs. "You have to see clearly what your needs are. If you sign up rashly and find that it is different from what you imagined, it will be a waste of money and time."
Ma Min, a senior professor of humanities and social sciences at Central China Normal University , believes that the University for the Elderly is a welfare for the elderly. , priority should be given to ensuring resource allocation for the elderly. At the same time, our society should be more colorful and provide more resources to the people so that people of all ages can get training opportunities.
Dr. Wang Guangyan, executive editor of Dajiang Academic Editorial Department of Wuhan Academy of Social Sciences, analyzed that young people going to older universities reflects their yearning for a slow-paced, low-intensity lifestyle in the context of intensified competition in school and the workplace. "There are no tight deadlines and strict assessments in universities for the elderly, allowing young people to explore new knowledge at their own pace and enjoy learning." At the same time, young people often face the problem of social isolation and lack real emotional support. Young people entering the social circle of the elderly through their status as juniors can get some life inspiration to better cope with the challenges in life.
Text/Zhan Siliu Liu Mengnan
Editor/Ni Jianing
