I was accepted to attend National Chengchi University to pursue a masters degree in international communications. I am an American with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, specializing in travel/international, and do not speak Mandarin, although I hope to learn. I have a few questions that I thought I should reach out with.
Would I be better off living in the dorms or seeking off-campus housing?
How much money do you need to have in your bank account in order for a student visa to be approved? I did a thorough search but could not find a straight answer and want to know how much I need to budget in the event that I don’t receive and Fulbright or Taiwan scholarship.
Tying in to the above, realistically, how difficult would it be to apply for a work permit and get a part-time job while pursuing a masters?
Would I be better off moving in July so that I don’t lose money on my current lease or moving sooner so that I can get settled in before school starts?
Does anyone have any solid resources for learning more about Taipei and the area around NCCU? I’ve been searching myself, but I thought it better to ask actual people than blindly trusting google’s results.
I need more information. What dorms are available to you? Many universities in Taiwan segregate international students aways from Taiwanese students. Not sure about NCCU. It has more experience with international students than almost any uni in Taiwan. They may do things differently.
A lot of off-campus housing for students are basically private dorms with individual rooms. Students often have little contact with each other.
The Wenshan District has some of the cheapest rents in Taiwan. It’s kind of cut off from the rest of the city. It is also the wettest part of the city. There is a little student ghetto in front of the university that doesn’t look like a pleasant place to live to me. There are interesting options in the hills behind the university and in surrounding neighborhoods.
BOCA says “Sufficient financial resources for six months.” One university site says at least US$5,000. For various reasons, this sounds about right to me. In reality, I think you will need something like US$12,000-$15,000 for your first year to cover tuition, housing, and living expenses without living in absolutely dire poverty. This will be genteel student poverty
Tying in to the above, realistically, how difficult would it be to apply for a work permit and get a part-time job while pursuing a masters?
It is easy for a full time student to get a work permit. And there is plenty of work but your options will be limited if you don’t speak Mandarin and want to make more than Taiwan minimum wage. English teaching is the old standby but I hear it is not as easy as it used to be. There are a small but increasing number of jobs in Taipei at international NGOs/foundations and the like that require English speakers. You might be able to make some cash doing travel writing.
Would I be better off moving in July so that I don’t lose money on my current lease or moving sooner so that I can get settled in before school starts?
July is fine. But extremely hot.
Does anyone have any solid resources for learning more about Taipei and the area around NCCU? I’ve been searching myself, but I thought it better to ask actual people than blindly trusting google’s results.
Hmmm, Taipei is a pretty big place and I’m not really aware of a useful newbie user guide. Same for your area. Maybe look at Google maps + street views of your area and ask us some questions here. There is an MRT line that goes into Wenshan/Muzha and is easily accessible from the university by Youbike. There is a nice riverside park area right by the uni with bike paths, basketball courts, and space. There is good hiking in the hills behind the uni. There are many cheap places to eat in the student ghetto. What else do you need to know?
I had an international friend who lived in the dorms for a year. She complained but said it was better than living off campus.
There doesn’t seem to be a big student area in the neighborhood like you might find in a university back home. Other than the street right outside the gate that is mostly just for food.
You might make more friends and have more access to friends by living in a dorm.
On the other hand, living somewhere in Taipei might give you would give you more access to local community and social life. The area doesn’t really have much of that so you’d be using public transportation MRT that ends around midnight or buses that are much less frequent. At least 30 minute commute to interesting things in taipei.
Or they are getting on and off buses directly in front of the University (there’s lots and lots of buses). The MRT is pretty far but as mentioned youbike is an option, just not one I would want to do as a commute.
Once and awhile I see students walking down the Zhengda hill mentioned above, but this is mostly family living and not what I would choose as a student, likely more expensive.
The area depicted isn’t great relative to all of Taipei, but it is fairly bustling with student life when school is in session. I’d try to stay there and use the bus/MRT for when you want to get out other parts of the city.
I would be living in Zih Ciang Dorm 10 if I take that route. In terms of socialization and transport, I’m actually very used to spending a lot of time on public transport, so that’s not an issue for me. When given the choice, I actually prefer to live closer to nature and venture into the more populated parts of the city when the mood strikes me. I grew up in a rural area and really love hiking, swimming, and other outdoors stuff. Which, it sounds like it might be good to look around the hills area if I don’t stay in the dorms, then?
That’s a really be relief to hear :re money! I think my brain might be stuck in American budget mode because I was worried it would be a lot more. Based off of that, I’m not too worried about finances. Excluding my savings, my monthly budget is going to be about $32,000 - $38,000 NTD, depending on if I’m able to get out of my insurance or not. I don’t know how much that will go, but it sounds pretty safe…?
For jobs, I was actually wondering if writing might be the better choice if I need money on the side. I know if wouldn’t be stable income, but if my budget is relatively safe, it might be enough if I need extra cash.
Thank you very much for your answer! Apart from questions about the local area (I need to find somewhere I can keep taking kung fu lessons), my other big question right now is if it might be feasible for me to rent a small apartment that I don’t have to share with anyone. How expensive are they in Taiwan? I tried searching, but Google was once again less than helpful.
Thank you! So it sounds like Taipei might be better for city life and staying near the college might be better for quiet? Needing to spend a lot of time on public transportation isn’t a big problem for me.
Thank you, this is very helpful! I’ll look into this area more when I have the chance. I want to get an idea of what’s around the area I’ll be living before I actually move.
If you plan to work, you might be better off coming before July so you get taxed as a resident (reasonable) rather than a non-resident (18% of everything with no deductions). For that you’d need to stay >183 days in the year.
Here is a detailed account of that dorm. It looks like a good deal. And it appears to me that it is not segregated. Bravo NCCU!
I would slightly question how much your social life would benefit from living in the dorm. My nephew lived in one and he said the Taiwanese students were very private and didn’t see the dorm as a place to socialize or make friends.
When given the choice, I actually prefer to live closer to nature and venture into the more populated parts of the city when the mood strikes me. I grew up in a rural area and really love hiking, swimming, and other outdoors stuff. Which, it sounds like it might be good to look around the hills area if I don’t stay in the dorms, then?
Then you will be very happy with the NCCU area even if you live in a dorm. The university is right on the edge of the city with great access to nature even by Taipei standards, which are high. This is one of the big pluses of Taipei living.
For jobs, I was actually wondering if writing might be the better choice if I need money on the side. I know if wouldn’t be stable income, but if my budget is relatively safe, it might be enough if I need extra cash.
Writing would be a great choice and is feasible especially if you don’t need to work right away. But the pay is very low. You will be lucky to get US$100 for most stories/publication in Taiwan.
Apart from questions about the local area (I need to find somewhere I can keep taking kung fu lessons), my other big question right now is if it might be feasible for me to rent a small apartment that I don’t have to share with anyone. How expensive are they in Taiwan?
You should definitely join one of the martial arts clubs at NCCU. It s difficult to overstate how important student clubs are at Taiwanese universities. Many students think they are more important than the classes. This is where you meet friends and romantic partners. There seem to be a wide range of martial arts clubs at NCCU. https://osa.nccu.edu.tw/en/tw/課外活動組/社團-課外組義工團資訊/社團網頁連結/體適能社團
Very generally, you can rent an one bedroom apartment with a kitchen for about NT$20k to NT$30k in Taipei. You can rent a student studio for about NT$12k to $15k with no kitchen. Many foreigners are extremely unhappy with the quality of housing available in Taipei. You might well be better off in the dorm your first year until you have figured things out. Finding a decent place to live in Taipei is an art. Much can go wrong. A bad choice can be catastrophic.
The university is very much in the city by US standards. It’s just that particular area does not have a lot of nightlife, especially nightlife that caters to foreigners. All that is 30 minutes or so away by MRT and taxis/ubers are pretty reasonable. Live near or at your school if you want to graduate. But do get to know your fellow foreigers on and off campus. It’s almost universal that most of your friends will naturally be fellow foreigners for the first year or two. It’s the same for Taiwanese when they go overseas.
From a Chengda graduate - though that was a few years back:
The master’s students dorms were renovated a while back. Much nicer, though you still share accomodations. Very reasonable pricing. Small store and simple meals available. Big supermarket nearby. To get a place, apply promptly.
Now, the dorms are on top of a hill. There is a bus taking folk up regularly in campus but otherwise there is an elevator and walking up and down keeps you in shape. Do not attempt by bicycle, I’ve been told.
The university is located a bit far from the hustle and bustle. MRT is a bit far by walking but buses are regularly scheduled. For evening outings, group planning advised though.
I lived off campus in an intermediate location, Xindian, which can also reached quickly from the university by bike and bus and in a few years by MRT. There is a larger metro line and hub in this area and getting downtown and around is faster from Xindian.
Many of us worked and studied. That said, it is easier to work and study on the side, so choose your priorities. New media, basically, social media managers, is an upcoming field.
That is very good to know, thank you! I’ll probably move before July if I win a Taiwan or Fulbright scholarship, then. If I don’t, I’ll probably need to wait until my lease is up or close to it so I’m not setting money on fire. It ends in July.
Thank you! I’m excited to hear about the martial arts club, I’ll check it out along with some other clubs. I’m not the most social person alive by any means, but I do want to make friends. The dorm walkthrough was extremely helpful as well! I looked through it and dug deeper into the housing website; it looks like single-person dorms are available for graduate students? I was under the impression that all dorms are shared rooms, which was my big concern. If single-person dorms are an option, then I’ll definitely stay on-campus for at least one semester. I’m guaranteed a dorm as an international graduate student. After that, I’ll decide if I want to stay in the dorms and move off-campus once I have a better sense for Taipei’s housing.
Forgot to mention (and haven’t figured out how to edit posts yet), that’s good to know regarding writing! I don’t see money being a pressing issue, I’m just looking for ways to make a little extra.
Hmm… I definitely want to prioritize school over work. It sounds like it may be best for me to spend a few months getting used to Taipei, see if I need an extra income source, and then apply for a work permit and look for jobs.
Quick question on the dorms! Are all of them shared, or are there some single-person dorms? I’m getting mixed answers depending on where I look. They look lovely and like they’re in a great location, but I’m hesitant to commit to something that would have me sharing a room with someone. My sleep schedule and how late I stay out is erratic, which I know from experience causes trouble when sharing rooms.
Look, school is the best place to make connections and get jobs. You have to do internships anyways. This year’s winner of scholarship academic achievement was from your department, BTW. That reminds me: did you apply for any scholarship? The school has its own scholarships, there are TaiwanICDF and MOFA’s.
Single person dorms are for PHDs but I guess if they are available you might be in luck.
I didn’t win any scholarships through the school, but I am waiting to see if I won Fulbright and am planning in applying for the Taiwan scholarship once it opens.
