Tempted by the thought of studying in Taiwan? Here’s what you need to know
The application process is different, and the deadlines are different, so make sure you don’t get caught out
The United States, Britain, Canada and Australia are popular destinations for university. But have you ever thought about Taiwan? It’s a great option for students who want to study abroad. Young Post asked Hok Yau Club Student Guidance Centre director Ng Po-shing for some tips on what you need to know if you want to apply.
If you plan to study in Taiwan, you need to understand the application procedure. The most important thing is to make sure you don’t miss the deadlines of the different stages.
Ng says there are three main routes into Taiwanese universities. These are: individual application, joint distribution system, or the one-year preparatory programme at National Taiwan Normal University.
To make the individual application this year, you can choose to apply to up to four institutions. The application portal opened on November 1 and will close at 6pm on December 11. Ng says this path will only look at your academic performance at school, not your HKDSE results, but you need to have completed secondary school education. But it will also look at extracurricular achievements. Visit the University Entrance Committee For Overseas Chinese Students website or email them for more information. If you don’t get an offer, your application will be transferred to the joint distribution system.
Under the joint distribution system, getting a place depends on your HKDSE results and preferences. Although there are hundreds of programmes, you have to narrow it down to 70 choices. Applications are due between February 6 and March 18, 2017. Until the webpage for the joint distribution application route goes
live, refer to www.overseas.ncnu.edu.tw for more details.
Once your DSE results are released in July 2017, universities will be in touch to confirm whether they want to offer you a place.
For this admission route, you have to submit a total of five DSE subjects. Each subject is weighted differently. Check the HKEAA (Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority) website for details on the weighting. Once your DSE results are released in July, the universities will be in touch to let you know if your application has been successful.
If your application doesn’t meet the entrance requirements, your application will be put on hold at Taiwan National University Division of Preparatory Programmes for Overseas Chinese Students for a year while you complete the course there. After this, the application is reviewed again.
Any student who has finished their DSEs can apply for the one-year preparatory programme at National Taiwan Normal University. The application period is from June 1-16, 2017. Visit www.nups.ntnu.edu.tw/ for more information.
Other than these three pathways, some institutions handle their own admissions. Search for application information under the relevant section on the Joint Overseas Admission Board’s website.
But says, depsite potential issues after graduation, many students prefer to study in Taiwan as the entrance requirements are not as challenging as those in Hong Kong.
“Some students treat Taiwanese colleges or universities as a ‘backup choice’ if they think they won’t do well in their DSEs. The other reason Taiwan is a great option is that the tuition fees are less expensive and the culture is similar to Hong Kong’s.”
Ng says if you know what you want to do after graduation, studying in Taiwan could give you the relevant skills.
“You’ll be more competitive if you want to pursue a job which requires a strong understanding of Taiwanese culture or a high level of Putonghua.”