Study in Taiwan

Why study in Taiwan?

The Taiwan government is keen to attract more international students, and has set the ambitious target of reaching 150,000 international students by 2020. To try and hit this target, many universities in Taiwan are increasing the number of degree courses taught partly or entirely in English, and the government is also offering a series of scholarships for international students. Many of Taiwan’s top universities also offer their own international scholarships.

According to a government survey of international students, other top reasons to study in Taiwan include the high quality of the country’s academic resources, the rich cultural environment and future job prospects .

Student life in Taiwan

If you do decide to make a move to Taiwan, you can expect student life to be lively and varied, reflecting the growing international student population, as well as the country’s existing cultural diversity. The influence of mainland Chinese culture is widely in evidence, in Taiwan’s architecture, cuisine and, of course, the official language, but Western, Japanese and aboriginal cultures have all left their mark too.

As a student, it’s likely you’ll be based in one of Taiwan’s larger cities. However, it would be well worth spending some time exploring other parts of the country during your stay, particularly the eight national parks. You could also take the opportunity to participate in traditional celebrations, such as the renowned Penghu Seafood Carnival, Confucius Ceremony and Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival.

Taipei and New Taipei

Many of the leading universities in Taiwan are located in its political, economic and cultural capital, Taipei City. Located at the northern top of the island, Taipei is about 25km inland, on the Tamsui River. A 24/7 kind of city, Taipei fuses the ultra-modern and the historic. Skyscrapers and high-tech headquarters intermix with ancient temples, traditional tea-houses and busy markets. It’s surrounded on all sides by New Taipei City, formerly known as Taipei County, Taiwan’s largest metropolitan area.

Universities in Taipei include Taiwan’s highest-ranked university, National Taiwan University (25th in Asia; joint 76th in the QS World University Rankings 2018). Known locally as Táidà, the university is in the Daan district, close to one of the points at which Taipei ends and New Taipei City begins.

Other high-ranking universities in Taipei and New Taipei include: National Yang-Ming University, Taipei Medical University (joint 76th in Asia; joint 398th in the world), National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (47th in Asia; joint 264th in the world), National Taiwan Normal University (56th in Asia; joint 289th in the world), National Taipei University of Technology (108th in Asia; 601-650 in the world), National Chengchi University (87th in Asia; 601-650 in the world) and Fu Jen Catholic University (Joint 238th in Asia; 801-1000 in the world).

Other top student cities in Taiwan

While the Taipei area has the lion’s share of Taiwan’s top universities, there are also high-ranking institutions across the country. Hsinchu City, about 80km south-west of Taipei, is known as the home of Hsinchu Science Park. Dubbed Taiwan’s “Silicon Valley”, the park has become a major hub for high-tech development, drawing on the region’s existing strengths in this field. National Tsing Hua University and National Chiao Tung University are both located in Hsinchu, and are both ranked within the world’s top 210 universities.

In the south of Taiwan, Tainan City is home to National Cheng Kung University, and Kaohsiung City to National Sun Yat-sen University (joint 65th in Asia; joint 388th in the world). Back in the north, Zhongli City boasts National Central University (70th in Asia; joint 391st in the world), while Guishan Township is home to Chang Gung University (132nd in Asia; 481-490 in the world). Finally, National Chung Hsing University (joint 109th in Asia; 601-650 in the world), known in Chinese as Xingda, is in Taichung – Taiwan’s third-largest city after New Taipei and Kaohsiung, located towards the central part of the country.