National Taiwan University

What is the advantage of National Taiwan university for international student?
scholarship, fee, environment, quality of education…?

It’s Taiwan’s best university and probably underrated internationally. If you can get in, it probably should be your first choice although in certain scientific and engineering fields Qinghua and Jiaotong may be better. Taiwan’s national universities are in general all the same in terms of fees, scholarship, and campus environment. They have far more resources than private ones, so if you can’t get into NTU, go to a national university if possible. NTU is the major beneficiary of Taiwan’s special funding to bring its universities to an international level, so it has more resources.

And because ‘international level’ rankings consider the number of foreign students attending, a lot of those resources are being used to court foreign students. It’s easier for a foreigner to get into NTU than for a local because of this “affirmative action”.

Incidentally I’ve just read a long rant written by NTU ex-student on FB about NTU promises of courses in English and the staff’s failure to implement it (e.g. reading material in English but lectures and exams in Chinese)

I suggest you check out with other foreign students what’s the situation at your department of choice or make sure you have enough Chinese language fluency.

True. Because of its reputation, it is a rat race to get in and a rat race to stay on, so do not expect to make great friendships with fellow students, there is way too much pressure for that. And yes, the courses advertised as 100% English may vary in reality, 98% to 80% to lower levels. Do find out about the specifics.

Many international students do prefer a degree from there because it is self explanatory. Maybe a degree from other university would be more useful depending te specialty -say, computer administration from Tsing Hua- but then it doesn’t “sound” as well or might be half-recognized abroad -most common reaction: Tsing what? Chengda? Sun Yat-sen? what’s that? not to mention where? Instead, even if it was National University of Timbuktu it is still National University of Country somewhere Far Far away.

Hi

what programs are NTU well-known for? And wondering about the quality of the teaching faculty i.e. local vs overseas. And what about the option of writing papers in English or Chinese, is there not an option in some courses?

Great if any international students who are studying in Taiwan can share some of their experiences.

Just curious, which unis are well-known for their liberal Arts or foreign languages (French, Spanish, Japanese, etc)…

thanx

Hi everyone

I’m in the process of applying to NTU (just completing the paperwork). Though I know little about it, I’m very keen on their Astrophysics program (which is apparently all taught in English) and am applying for the Masters program. But the problem is that admissions are not posted until May, so I need to do some second-guessing about my odds of being accepted.

I’m a Physics teacher, with two years experience at an international school in Hsinchu, and two years in Japan, where I am now. I’ve also taught English in Taiwan several years ago. My problem is that come May, if I’m not accepted, it’ll be too late to apply for international teaching jobs, which are being offered now. If my odds are good, I’m prepared to take the chance (and then if I don’t get in probably study Chinese or just travel for the first semester) but I’d appreciate any info anyone has about how applicants are chosen, especially for postgraduate programs.

This is the first time I’ve ever been asked for a copy of my transcript from university ten years ago, and it’s just arrived from New Zealand. It’s rather colourful - a few As and a few Ds and everything in between - basically I did well in subjects I liked but didn’t care for ones I didn’t. So I hardly seem like NTU material, unless they are interested for my background as an English-speaking Physics teacher?

Anyway I’d appreciate any info or advice from anyone! I need to decide whether or not to take a job for next year (starting August) soon.

Thanks
Jesse

I have no idea Jesse, I’m sorry. But I did think that NCKU was more famous for Astrophysics…? Or it might be Aerodynamic Physics or something similar. You can ring up the department (NOT the admissions office, ring the department) and talk to them about your chances for a clearer idea.

asianeyes, if you’re looking for a quality education, stay away from Taiwan. East Asia on the whole is a joke. HK’s better. ‘If you’re not here to learn Chinese, don’t be here!’ would be my advice.

Jesse, look into the PhD programs at Academia Sinica. It is more welcoming for foreigners and more hands on. More diverse and most foreigners seem quite content with their research. Oh, and more English taught.

Thanks for the replies and advice Tsukinodeynatsu and Icon!

I wasn’t aware that NCKU had so many English courses, so I’ll look into applying there too. I tried ringing the department, but the professor I spoke to asked me to email him, and he replied to my questions with some “Q&A” which were copied from a website somewhere (or possibly answered previously for someone else) and they didn’t even allude to my odds of getting in. I had hoped he might answer what percentage of foreign graduates get in, or minimum grade requirements, but he just said that applications are reviewed by an academic panel.

And thanks for the advice re Academia Sinica Icon. I think at this stage, with only a Bachelors and not the best grades at that, I’m far from Academia Sinica material, but I will certainly consider applying there after doing a masters, whether at NTU, NCKU or perhaps (if it comes down to it) back in New Zealand where I come from…

Thanks for the help everyone!
Jesse

@tsukinodeynatsu

thanx for sharing your thoughts about studies in TW. Wondering what fields do foreign students major in? Seems like there used to be Latin American students who majored in sciences, etc…

Pretty much everything. Maths and hard science are better than I described, from what I hear.

Change is apparently afoot at NTU along with its affiliated university partners NTNU and NTUST to shorten their teaching semester lengths.

In Taiwan the Ministry of Education sets the guidelines with universities across Taiwan having 18 week semesters. If the reported changes go through, they will be down to 15 weeks starting in Fall 2020.

Source: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3824309

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