I.In an effort to encourage outstanding international students (excluding students from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau) to undertake degree studies in Taiwan so as to familiarize themselves with the academic environment in Taiwan and promote communication, understanding and friendship between Taiwan and countries around the world, the Ministry of Education (MOE) establishes the following guidelines for the Taiwan Scholarship Program.

II.The MOE awards outstanding international students undertaking undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Taiwan by awarding each recipient of the Taiwan scholarship the following:

(i)Tuition and payment of academic fees, including credit fee . Upon validation of tuition and above fees, the MOE awards each recipient per semester up to NTD40,000. If the total amount of these fees should exceed NTD40,000, the remainder of all costs shall be covered by either the recipient, or the recipient’s college, whereas over NTD40,000 are the sole responsibility of the recipient. Tuition and academic fees do not include any of the following: administration fees, thesis advising fees, insurance premiums, accommodation, Internet access, all of which are payable by the recipients.

(ii)Subsistence allowance:
The MOE offers each recipient undertaking undergraduate studies a monthly stipend of NTD15,000; it offers each recipient undertaking postgraduate studies a monthly stipend of NTD20,000.

III.Duration of Scholarships:

(i)The maximum period of each scholarship is four years for undergraduate programs, two years for master programs, and four years for doctorate programs. The maximum length of the total awards for each recipient undertaking a combination of studies is five years.

(ii)Annual award periods begin on September 1st and continue until August 31st of the following year. Recipients must arrive in Taiwan and enroll at their admitting universities/colleges within this period unless delays have been approved by the relevant institutions and the MOE. If recipients fail to arrive in Taiwan for registration during this period, their award will be revoked with no deferrals.

(iii)Subsistence allowances begin from the month of the recipients’ registration at the universities/colleges and end when the award period expires or upon the recipients’ graduation, withdrawal, suspension, expulsion, or revocation of the scholarship.

IV.Eligibility:

(i)Applicants must be a foreign national with a high-school diploma or post-secondary degree(s), with an excellent academic record, and be of good moral character.

(ii)Applicants are ineligible if they meet the following criteria:

1.Are R.O.C. nationals or overseas Chinese students

2.Are already registered or have obtained student status at any university/college in Taiwan. Graduating students pursuing further studies are exempt from this rule.

3.Have already studied in Taiwan for the same level of degree as the one in which they currently intend to enroll.

4.Are exchange or dual/joint degree students admitted in accordance with academic cooperation agreements between local universities/colleges and international universities/colleges.

5.Have been a recipient of the Taiwan Scholarship for over a total of five years.

6.Have had, in the past, their Taiwan Scholarship or Huayu Enrichment Scholarship from the MOE revoked.

7.Are recipients of any other scholarship or subsidy offered by the Taiwan government or education institutions in Taiwan. This excludes subsidies offered by universities/colleges to cover tuition and other fees exceeding the scholarship limit.

(iii)Applicants should apply directly for admission within the deadlines specified by each university/college listed in the “Association of Taiwan Scholarship Program Schools” (see Appendix 1). Applications for admission outside of the universities/colleges participating in the Taiwan Scholarship Program are automatically disqualified and will not be returned.

V.Applicants should send the following document within the period specified enclosed with their application to the nearest Taiwan Embassy or Representative Office in their country. Failure to include any of these documents renders the application incomplete, and the applicant will not be further considered for the scholarship, without further notice:

(i)Taiwan Scholarship Application Form (available at the nearest Taiwan Embassy or Representative Office)

(ii)A copy of the applicant’s passport or other nationality certificates.

(iii)A copy of the highest degree and academic transcripts. If issued by international educational institutions, these documents must be authenticated by an overseas Representative Office or be sealed and delivered by the awarding institutions. Documents in a language other than Chinese or English must be translated into Chinese or English and the translated documents must be authenticated.

(iv)A copy of admission application materials to universities/colleges in Taiwan (e.g., copies of application fee remittance, application form, receipt of application from universities/colleges, e-mails, ).

(v)A copy of a language proficiency certificate:

1.A copy of results or certificate for the “Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language” (TOCFL) Basic or above.

2.For applications to all-English programs, a copy of TOEFL test scores or other recognized English language proficiency exams or degrees awarded in English must be submitted. English-speaking nationals are exempt from this rule.

(vi)Two letters of reference, signed and sealed in envelopes (i.e. from the principals, professors, or supervisors). Photo copies and email submissions of letters of recommendation will not be considered.

(vii)Additional documents as specified by the individual representative offices.

VI.Quotas for scholarships offered by the MOE are contingent upon the MOE’s annual budget allotments for the coming year and each representative office’s yearly performance. The MOE notifies all relevant offices of the available quotas for the new academic year by December 31st of each year.

VII.Application and Selection Process:

(i)Taiwan Representative Offices provide application information and establish selection requirements in accordance with these guidelines and directly process applications in coordination with local government agencies, schools, educational and cultural institutions. Scholarship application information (including selection criteria, scholarship types and quotas, application process, application period,) is provided in both Chinese and the local languages by January 31st of each year.

(ii)After Taiwan Representative Offices provide the aforementioned information, hard copies in Chinese and in the local languages and an electronic copy must be forwarded to the MOE’s designated offices for archiving purposes.

(iii)In principle, the application period is from February 1st through March 31st of each year. However, the actual application period will in accordance with dates provided by the local Taiwan Representative Offices.

(iv)For the application, the applicant must send all completed documents to the nearest Taiwan Embassy or Representative Office in his/her home country.

VIII.Selection Criteria:

(i)Recipients academic study goals should be consistent with Taiwan’s national development plans so as to assist in the growth of industry, economy and education.

(ii)Recipients should achieve an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above, and a postgraduate GPA of 3.5 or above (on a 4.5 scale). Where grade conversion calculation differs, Taiwan Representative Offices will base their conversion calculations on the aforementioned calculation guidelines to select outstanding applicants from prestigious universities/colleges.

(iii)Interviews must be conducted in person or by video conferencing so as to interact with the applicants and better judge their demeanor and moral character.

(iv)Priority will be given to applicants with a certificate in TOCFL-levels of: intermediate or above. For applications to all-English programs, a copy of TOEFL test scores or other recognized English language proficiency exams at the intermediate level or a test score of over 75% must be submitted.

(v)Applications must be complete in full. All incomplete applications are ineligible for consideration, and persons submitting incomplete applications will be withdrawn from the selection process without further notice.

IX.Selection Notice:

(i)Upon reviewing applications and conducting interviews, the Taiwan Representative Offices will select successful candidates and alternate candidates which will be placed on a waiting list. Candidates and their awarding universities/colleges are to be notified by May 31st of each year.

(ii)Successful candidates should submit a copy of their letter of admission to their local Taiwan Representative Office for verification by June 30th of each year; should candidates fail to submit this letter within the specified time period, the candidates must submit a written explanation and request verification from their Representative Offices. Failure to be admitted into a university/college will result in a suspension from the Scholarship Program. Failure to submit documents within the specified time period will result in disqualification, and the candidates on the waiting list will be offered a scholarship. The list of recipients must be finalized no later than July 31st of each year.

Further Scholarship Information and Application