The Ministry of Education recently passed an amendment to the Act Governing International Students’ Study in Taiwan (外國學生來台就學辦法), allowing foreign students to apply for master’s programs for working professionals.
The ministry lifted the ban on international students’ enrollment in the programs to attract more foreign students to the nation’s universities.
The new regulations are expected to take effect on Feb. 1, the ministry said.
Under the amendment, local universities are allowed to fill vacancies left by Taiwanese students by recruiting foreign students or overseas Taiwanese students.
The ministry relaxed the definition of “foreign students,” allowing those who have foreign nationality, have never had household registration in Taiwan, have lost their Taiwanese citizenship for more than eight years or who have lived abroad for a minimum of six years, to apply for school in Taiwan as foreign students.
However, people seeking to apply to medical schools in Taiwan must have lived abroad for more than eight years, the ministry added.
While applicants are still required to present proof of their financial status, they are no longer obliged to have the documents verified by Taiwanese embassies or representative offices.
The amendment allows applicants to send sealed financial documents provided by financial institutions directly to the Taiwanese universities they wish to enroll in.
The ministry said the number of foreign students pursuing academic degrees in Taiwan next year is expected to grow by 8 percent, or 600 people, as a result of the relaxed rules.
Ministry data showed that a total of 7,764 foreign students enrolled in formal academic programs in local universities in the last academic year, while 11,612 international students studied Mandarin in local schools.
The amendment also tightened control over foreign students’ status, meaning that schools should expel international students who apply for household registration, naturalization or restoration of their Taiwanese nationality during their study in Taiwan.
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