Eight private Taiwanese colleges and universities attended a higher education fair in Shanghai on Saturday, doing their best to woo Chinese students, who will soon be allowed to study for a degree in Taiwan.
Chung Yuan Christian University, Ming Chuan University, Shih Hsin University, Providence University, St John’s University, Chaoyang University of Technology, Tajen University and Tung Fang Design University set up booths at the fair, where they were competing against schools from Hong Kong, Macau and Europe.
It was the first time that Taiwanese colleges and universities have taken part in the Shanghai fair, part of their efforts to recruit up to 2,000 Chinese students this year.
However, Taiwanese schools did not draw a lot of visitors, with only a few students showing an interest in applying to the schools for undergraduate studies and none looking to enroll in master’s or doctoral programs.
Organizers attributed the disappointing numbers to requirements for Chinese students.
Only 2,000 Chinese are allowed to study at Taiwanese colleges or universities each year and no scholarships are provided.
And only Chinese students with household registration in Shanghai, Beijing and in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Fujian provinces are eligible to apply for enrollment in Taiwan’s higher education institutions.
Also, Chinese students cannot work or stay in the country after graduation, which is widely believed to be the major factor dissuading them from studying in Taiwan.
However, things should get better if the country’s schools continue to participate in the fair, organizers said.
A student surnamed Chen (陳) from Jiangxi Province, who studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, expressed a desire to study in Taiwan, but said he gave up the idea because he is not a Shanghai resident.
“I think I will pursue my master’s degree at Fudan,” Chen said.
A man whose daughter will go to college this year also complained about the many restrictions placed on Chinese students.
“Although Taiwan is not bad, my daughter might choose Hong Kong, Macau or Singapore, because she can stay and get a job there after graduation,” he said.
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