Restrictions on the application for the International Industrial Talents Education Special Program (INTENSE Program) have been relaxed to attract more international students, with the goal of recruiting 1,092 students for the spring semester next year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday.
The ministry and the National Development Council implemented the INTENSE Program this academic year to increase international student enrollment and employment in Taiwan.
The ministry last month proposed a bill to allow international students in their third or fourth year of college in Taiwan to participate in the program without transferring to a new class, and to extend the deadline for international students to pass the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL).
Photo: Rachel Lin, Taipei Times
Forty classes from 20 universities under the program were launched for the autumn semester this year, with 366 students given a scholarship, the ministry said.
Most of the students were from Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, and more students are to arrive, it said, adding that the number of classes and students would be finalized by the end of this month.
The ministry said it has approved 62 classes from 22 schools for the spring semester next year, which are projected to enroll 1,092 students of any nationality.
Recruitment has begun and would be finalized by late January, it said, adding that plans for the autumn semester next year are under review.
Students applying for Chinese-taught classes must have a TOCFL level 2 or above — equivalent to the A2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) — in listening and reading before enrolling in the program, as well as a B1 level Chinese language proficiency or above during their second year in school, the ministry said.
Students applying for English-taught classes must have a B1 level of CEFR and a Level 2 or above for TOCFL in listening and reading during their second year in school, it said.
To maintain teaching quality, each class is limited to a maximum of 30 students and cannot be incorporated into a local student class, the ministry said.
Classes of different departments or institutes, education systems or courses may not be combined, except for graduate or dual-degree classes, which may be combined with a domestic student class, it said.
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