TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Education (MOE) on Saturday (Nov. 16) said it is expanding eligibility for new scholarships for skilled students.
To attract international students to study in Taiwan and remain for work, the MOE and the National Development Council (NDC) launched the International Industrial Talents Education Special (INTENSE Program), starting in the 2024 academic year. The MOE has submitted an amendment to the Cabinet to relax requirements, allowing international students in their junior or senior year at Taiwanese universities to join and extending the deadline for new international students to meet the Mandarin proficiency requirements, per CNA.
For the fall 2024 semester, 366 students from 20 universities and 40 classes have received the scholarship, the MOE announced. Most recipients are from Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Last month, the MOE proposed relaxing requirements for foreign students already in Taiwan and extending the deadline for passing the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL). The MOE further clarified on Saturday that starting from the spring semester of 2025, international students in their junior or senior years currently studying in Taiwan will be eligible to participate in the program.
The MOE said that for the spring 2024 semester, 22 universities and 62 INTENSE program classes have been approved, with a recruitment target of 1,092 students. There are no restrictions on applicants' nationalities.
Recruitment has commenced and results will be finalized by late January 2025. In addition, program classes for the fall semester of the 2025 academic year are under review and expected to be approved by late November 2024.
The MOE also detailed the language proficiency requirements for students applying to the INTENSE program. For Mandarin-taught programs, applicants must achieve a TOCFL Level 2 or above, the equivalent to an A2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), in listening and reading.
By the second year of enrollment, students must reach Level 3 (CEFR B1) or higher. For English-taught programs, applicants must achieve at least CEFR B1 proficiency in English before admission and achieve Level 2 in Mandarin, both listening and reading, by the second year.
To maintain teaching quality, the MOE said each class has a maximum enrollment limit of 30 students and cannot merge with local student classes. In addition, classes from different departments, academic systems, or curriculums may not be combined.
However, classes for master’s, doctoral, or dual-degree programs may be combined with local student classes.
The INTENSE Program will provide eligible students with an NT$100,000 (US$3,000) per year scholarship for up to two years from the National Development Fund. It also includes a living allowance of at least NT$10,000 per month from companies over those two years, but they are obligated to work in Taiwan for two years after graduation.
