Revised Taiwan Scholarship Program Guidelines

Foreign Affairs

1. The Taiwan Scholarship Program Guidelines are duly enacted in accordance with Article 4 of the Taiwan Scholarship Plan.

2. Types of Scholarships and benefits:

(1) Undergraduate Scholarships: These scholarships are for foreign students who want to pursue undergraduate studies at universities/colleges in Taiwan. A stipend of NT$25,000 per month per student will be provided.

(2) Master’s Scholarships: Scholarships in the amount of NT$30,000 per month will be provided for qualified foreign students who want to pursue their master’s degrees at universities/colleges in Taiwan.

(3) Ph.D. Scholarships: Scholarships in the amount of NT$30,000 per month will be provided for qualified foreign students who want to pursue their Ph.D. degrees at universities/colleges in Taiwan.

The aforementioned scholarships will be under the supervision of the universities/colleges and stipends will be awarded monthly based on the students’ attendance records and academic performance. Tuition, accommodation, insurance and miscellaneous fees are all included in the scholarships herein stated.

For the scholarships, which are sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (ROC), each student will be provided with a stipend of NT$30,000 per month, plus an economy airfare for direct roundtrip flights.

3. Quotas and Scholarships Offered by Government Agencies:

Taiwan scholarship quotas will be discussed and decided by the Taiwan Scholarship Management and Promotion Committee and are contingent upon the annual budget allotments.

Taiwan Scholarships are funded by the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the National Science Committee of the Executive Yuan (NSC) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). Scholarships offered by the aforementioned agencies are as follows:

(1) MOE: Undergraduate/Masters’s/ Ph.D. Scholarships;

(2) MOFA: Undergraduate Scholarships;

(3) NSC: Master’s/ Ph.D. Scholarships; and

(4) MOEA: Master’s/ Ph.D. Scholarships; limited to graduate degree programs and are related to science, engineering, agriculture, medicine and hi-tech fields.

Recipients, whose scholarships are sponsored by the MOE or MOFA, may attend Language Enrichment Programs (Hereinafter referred to as LEP) in University-affiliated Chinese Language Centers (Hereinafter referred to as language centers) in Taiwan up to one year, in order to improve their language proficiency, before beginning their degree programs. A stipend of NT$25,000 for MOE recipients, and NT$30,000 for MOFA recipients per month, per student will be provided.

Those who apply for the Master’s and/or Ph.D. Scholarships from the NSC and MOEA can not apply for the Language Enrichment Program.

4. Duration of Scholarships:

(1) Undergraduate Scholarships: maximum four years;

(2) Master’s Scholarships: maximum two years; and

(3) Ph.D. Scholarships: maximum three years.

The total and maximum number of years for foreign students to receive scholarships (including LEP) will be five years.

In principle, scholarships will begin from September of each year and continue until August, of the following year. Scholarship recipients who are approved for summer programs or LEP may be assigned different scholarship award dates.

Scholarships will begin from the month of student enrollment and will stop when the scholarship ends, the recipient graduates, and drops out, is expelled or upon cancellation of the scholarships or whichever comes first.

5. Qualifications: The applicants must meet the following requirements:

(1) They should have a good academic record and moral character;

(2) They should neither be Overseas Chinese Students nor ROC nationals;

(3) They should not be scholarship recipients from other ROC government agencies or institutions in Taiwan;

(4) They should not be exchange students who are admitted in accordance with academic cooperation agreements made between local educational universities/ colleges and foreign educational institutions;

(5) They should not have had their scholarships cancelled in accordance with these Guidelines;

(6) They should not have received Taiwan Scholarships of the same type;

(7) The total duration of their scholarship(s) should not exceed 5 years;

(8) They should not be foreign students who have already enrolled at local educational institutions at their own expense. (However, they will be eligible to apply to individual universities/colleges for Foreign Students’ Scholarships, which are subsidized by the MOE.)

6. Application Process:

(1) Procedure: The overseas missions of the ROC should refer to the Regulations Governing Study for Foreign Students in the Republic of China and these Guidelines while receive and review applications either independently or jointly cooperate with foreign local governments, schools, cultural and educational institutions. Each year, by the end of January, the overseas missions should report their selection and assessment methods (through meetings or paper review) regarding these scholarships to the related government agencies and the MOE.

(2) Application Period: Annually from February 1st through the end of March.

(3) Required Documents: Applicants need to submit the following documents:

A. Taiwan Scholarship Application Form (Form A with Study Plan; the format will be regulated by the MOE);

B. Proof of highest educational qualifications and academic performance;

C. Proof of application to enroll at local universities/colleges and/or language centers (e.g. a copy of the application form); and

D. Other documents as requested by the overseas missions, of the ROC.

(4) Selection: After reviewing the application documents, the overseas missions will select eligible scholarship candidates, as well as alternatives and create a list. This list will be sent to the related universities/colleges or language centers by the end of April for their reference. Copies of this list will also be provided to the related government agencies and the MOE.

(5) Approval: Applicants are responsible for their application process to the universities/colleges or language centers that they would like to attend. Each school and/or language center shall refer to the guidelines of individual schools admission process for foreign students and begin the application review process. The school and/or language center should notify candidates, of their final decision, no later than mid-June.

(6) Notification of Admission: Applicants, upon receiving their admission letter, need to submit a copy of the admission letter to the designated respective overseas missions in order to secure their scholarship by no later than the end of June. Late submission of these documents, after the deadline will be deemed as a waiver for accepting the scholarship. In this case, the respective overseas mission should send a scholarship award letter to all qualified recipients and inform the alternative(s) in order to fill any vacancy(s). Candidates will be disqualified if they fail to pass the application review process of respective schools.

(7) Acceptance Lists: By the end of July, the overseas missions should provide recipient acceptance lists, which will include their legal names, Chinese names, nationalities, gender, scholarship sponsoring agencies, type of scholarship, duration of scholarship, admitting universities/colleges and/or language centers, highest educational qualifications, references of the recipients and other information to the related government agencies (including the MOE) and universities/colleges and/or language centers involved. The overseas missions shall also provide such information to the Bureau of Consular Affairs of MOFA and the National Police Agency of Ministry of Interior, in order to assist them with their follow-up procedures. In case of special conditions or failure to complete the aforementioned processes, before the required deadlines, the overseas missions should report such circumstances to the related government agencies for approval (and inform the MOE of such events).

(8) For those recipients, whose scholarships are funded by MOFA, one-way economy airfare tickets to Taiwan will be bought by the respective overseas missions. The overseas missions need to submit the original receipts and copies of passenger coupons to MOFA in order to be reimbursed. The return economy airfare tickets will be bought by MOFA.

7. Renewal process for scholarship recipients in Taiwan before the expiration of scholarships and the application for enrollment:

(1) Recipients who want to pursue further study programs need to follow the terms found in Subparagraph (2) and (3) of this Article. For other recipients in Taiwan, who wish to renew their scholarships, they have to submit each year a Taiwan Scholarship Application Form (Form B; the format will be regulated by the MOE) and reports of their academic performance to their universities/colleges by the end of February. The universities/colleges will review their applications to see if they are qualified and send the list to the related government agencies (including the MOE) for review in order to reserve the number of scholarship recipients and follow the Article 10 for allocation.

(2) The MOE may assist recipients who have been approved for scholarships up to five years (the ELP and undergraduate degree programs) in applying to enroll undergraduate programs. If the said recipients are unable to apply to universities/colleges on their own, they may submit their reports of academic performance (including the academic records for each year of their highest study, including language center records) and the Admission Assistance Application Form (the format will be regulated by the MOE) to the language centers. These language centers will coordinate all forms and send them to the MOE. The MOE will assist in selecting the proper universities, according to the recipients’ wishes and levels of language proficiency. Applicants should agree to abide by all final arrangements.

(3) Scholarship recipients, who wish to continue to study for their master or doctoral degrees, upon completion of their previous course of study, need to apply for the admission to the new degree program on their own.

(4) Universities/colleges that accept these scholarship recipients, as stated in Subparagraph (2) and (3) of this Article, shall submit the lists to the related government agencies (including the MOE) by the end of June for review, in order to reserve the number of scholarship recipients and follow Article 10 for allocation.

8. Application process for re-applying for Taiwan Scholarships after the scholarships expire: Scholarship recipients who have already studied in Taiwan will be regarded as new students after the expiration of their scholarships. If they wish to re-apply for other types of scholarship and pursue further degree programs here, they need to follow Article 6 of these Guidelines and submit the Taiwan Scholarship Application Form (Form A) and their academic records to the ROC overseas missions by the end of March. The total duration of their scholarship period cannot exceed five years, as regulated by Article 4 Paragraph 2 of the Guidelines.

Undergraduate, Master’s and Doctoral Scholarships recipients whose scholarship period was awarded for only one year, in accordance to the previous version of these Guidelines, should renew their scholarships following Article 7 Subparagraph (1) of these Guidelines, and are not subject to the regulations stated in the previous Paragraph of this Article.

9. The Suspension and Cancellation of Scholarships:

(1) LEP students:

A. If a student is absent for more than ten hours of class (serious illness and accidents excluded) within a single month, the language centers will suspend their scholarships the following month.

B. After studying for one quarter, if a student’s academic average is less than 80%, his/her scholarships for the next quarter will be suspended for one month. If a student’s academic average is less than 80% for two consecutive quarters, his/her scholarship status will be cancelled beginning with the next quarter. The remainder of the scholarship will also be cancelled.

C. If a student is suspended from or drops out of school, the language center will suspend his/her scholarship and inform the related government agencies in writing (including the MOE) in order to cancel his/her scholarship status. The remaining scholarships will also be cancelled.

(2) Undergraduate/ Master’s/ Ph.D. students:

A. For those Undergraduate/ Master’s / Ph.D. scholarships recipients who are in the first two years of their study, if their academic average is below the passing standard set up by the school for any given semester, their school will suspend their scholarships for one month beginning with the next semester. If the schools have not set up an academic grading standard, then an undergraduate student’s academic average cannot be less than 60%, while a master and doctoral student’s academic average cannot be less than 70%. If a student is below passing for two consecutive semesters, their scholarship status will be cancelled starting the next semester. Their remaining scholarships will also be cancelled.

B. For those who are in their third year of a doctoral program, they must submit their thesis proposals to their schools, by the end of October of that year. Scholarships will be granted each month, if the schools approve the students’ proposals. Otherwise, scholarships will be suspended until proposals are approved, and will resume beginning from the month of approval.

C. If a student is suspended from or drops out of school, his/her school will automatically suspend his/her scholarships and inform the related government agencies in writing (including the MOE) in order to cancel his/her scholarship status. The remaining scholarships will also be cancelled.

10. The Allocation and Verification of Scholarships Accounts

(1) Allocation: Universities/colleges need to make a list of scholarship recipients and vouchers based on the various types of scholarships provided by the different government agencies. Universities/ colleges should enclose their list of qualified recipients and vouchers, and apply to the MOFA or the MOE (scholarship stipends provided by the NSC and the MOEA are handled through the MOE) for appropriation in January and August. Each institution will directly pay a monthly stipend to the students or to their accounts.

(2) Verification of Scholarship Financial Transactions or Reports

A. For scholarships provided by MOFA, universities/colleges need to provide student signed receipts, or documents which show that money has been transferred into the students’ bank accounts, to the MOFA for verification in August and December.

B. For scholarships provided by the NSC and the MOEA, universities/colleges need to provide three copies of financial transaction reports (signed by the head of the universities/colleges, accountants and cashiers) and any remainder of the stipends to the MOE (for it to make a transfer to the NSC and the MOEA at the end of fiscal year in order to close the case) in August and December.

C. For scholarships provided by the MOE, universities/colleges need to provide two copies of financial transaction reports (signed by the head of the universities/colleges, accountants and cashiers) and any remainder of the stipends to the MOE in August and December. Universities/colleges need to also keep the original copies for the Ministry of Audit or other related authorities for review.

(3) Deductions: Universities/colleges and language centers may deduct tuition, insurance fees and other required fees from stipends, one time or in installments, before granting the remainder of the stipends to students.

11. Transferring to other schools: If scholarship recipients need to transfer to other institutions due to health, psychological reasons or special environmental surroundings, they need to follow the Regulations Governing Study for Foreign Students in Taiwan. If the institution or language center agrees to their transfer, these institutions must inform the related government agencies (including the MOE) for future review. Only one transfer is permitted.

12. Additional Information:

(1) The MOE may allocate administration subsidies to institutions that join the Taiwan Scholarships Program and set aside a budget to assist institutions in setting up an information service center, in order to strengthen communication and the governing system for scholarships students.

(2) ROC overseas missions shall organize orientations, in order to provide scholarship recipients with relevant information, before they travel to Taiwan.

(3) ROC overseas missions shall be aware, if a student gives up his/her opportunity to come to Taiwan. If such a case happens, the ROC overseas missions will replace this student with another alternative.

(4) Scholarship recipients should arrive at their designated universities/colleges or language centers prior to the day of registration. Institutions should report the names of those who fail to register, to the related government agencies (including the MOE), by the end of October.

(5) Medical insurance fees are already included in the stipends. Universities/colleges and language centers should require that scholarship recipients join the National Health Insurance or purchase other forms of medical insurance.

(6) The ROC overseas missions should ask scholarship recipients to provide them with academic records or a report, postal and email addresses, within one month of the return to their respective countries after they complete their studies in Taiwan.

(7) Each year by the end of October, the ROC overseas missions need to send a comprehensive evaluation, which should include each student’s academic records and the other materials as stated in the Subparagraph (6) of this Article, to all the related government agencies (including the MOFA and the MOE)

13. The selection process regarding the Taiwan Scholarships, their types, benefits and duration will be subject to the terms regulated in the above Guidelines. Scholarships, which have been awarded due to bilateral negotiations, cultural and educational agreements, or based on the terms of equality and reciprocity, or special circumstances, approved by heads of government agencies are not subject to the terms and regulations under these Guidelines.

Note: These Guidelines have been adopted in Chinese, in the event of any discrepancy between the English translation and the Chinese original, the Chinese version will prevail.