Tianli International Holdings Limited (Tianli Int Hldg) released a voluntary update detailing mixed enrollment dynamics at the start of the 2026 autumn semester.
New intakes at self-operated schools reached 28,188 students, up 1,227 students or 4.6% versus the 2025 autumn semester, signalling an early-cycle rebound in demand. However, the broader student base contracted: total active students served declined to 120,649, a year-on-year drop of 20,494 students, or 14.5%.
Breakdown by segment shows self-operated schools at 75,866 students, down 10.4%, while entrusted schools fell more sharply to 44,783 students, down 20.8%. Management attributed the slide to (i) a sizable 2023 high-school cohort graduating in 2026 and (ii) the early termination of four entrusted school contracts as resources were refocused on higher-quality regions.
Looking ahead, Tianli Int Hldg expects the volume of graduates leaving in 2027 to “decrease significantly,” easing enrollment pressure. To accelerate recovery, the board has initiated a three-pillar strategy:
1. Stabilising the existing student base: stronger academic performance (51 students reached admission standards for Tsinghua or Peking University; 89.5% of students at mature schools cleared undergraduate thresholds) and a new “school cluster” model pairing mature and growth-stage schools.
2. Diversified business support: expansion of international placement, arts education, competitions and further-study guidance. In 2025-26, students garnered 33 provincial first prizes and 368 offers from QS Top-50 universities, including 64 from Top-10 institutions.
3. AI education technology empowerment: deployment of the proprietary “Qiming AI Learning Companion.” Average score gains hit 59.64 points in self-operated schools and 50.30 points in external schools, with individual improvements of up to 177 and 233.5 points, respectively. Management highlights cost efficiencies from AI-enabled personalised learning and staffing optimisation.
All figures are internal estimates and may differ from future statutory disclosures. Tianli Int Hldg intends to leverage academic branding, diversified revenue streams and AI innovations to stabilise and ultimately rebuild its student population.
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