There were 126,997 foreign students at colleges and universities in Taiwan last year, Ministry of Education statistics showed on Tuesday.
The number of foreign students increased by about 9,000 from the previous year, the ministry said.
Foreign students made up about 10 percent of all college and university students in the nation last year, it said.
More than 50,000 of the foreign students were from countries targeted by the government’s New Southbound Policy — an increase of 10,591 from 2017, the ministry said.
The number of students from Vietnam and Indonesia both exceeded 10,000 for the first time last year to make the countries the third and fourth-largest sources of foreign students respectively, it added.
Department of Technological and Vocational Education Director Yang Yu-hui (楊玉惠) attributed the increase to international programs recruiting students from southbound nations offered by schools in collaboration with industry.
China remained the largest source of foreign students last year, with more than 29,000 students, or 23.6 percent of the total, ministry statistics showed.
However, the number of Chinese students fell by more than 5,000 from 2017, the ministry said.
Malaysia was the second-largest source of foreign students at more than 16,000, while Japan was the fifth-largest at more than 9,000, it said.
Of the total, 61,970 were pursuing degrees, an increase of more than 6,000 students from 2017, while 65,027 were non-degree-seeking students, a decrease of 518 students from the previous year, it added.
The ministry said that it has created a Web site, called the Network for International Student Advisers, in addition to the 0800-789-007 hotline, to provide support to foreign students.
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