Many Taiwanese universities require students to meet English proficiency standards for graduation, which schools said aim to enhance students’ employability and global mobility, but such policies have faced backlash from students, as they have to pay additional fees for benchmark tests.
Ministry of Education data for the 2023-2024 academic year showed that 97 institutions still require English proficiency tests for students graduating from regular bachelor’s programs.
The ministry on Sunday said that under the University Act (大學法), institutions should set their own graduation conditions and assessment criteria within a reasonable and necessary scope.
Photo: Yang Mien-chieh, Taipei Times
It said it reminded schools in 2019 to carefully consider the appropriateness of including English proficiency tests as graduation requirements, adding that the purpose of such tests should be to help students improve their English skills, not merely compel them to pass a test.
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University academic affairs director Chen Yung-sheng (陳永昇) said that only a small number of students have failed to graduate due to English proficiency requirements.
However, given that most of the university’s programs are in electrical engineering, science and biomedical fields — where English is often essential — the school canceled the test requirement and instead encouraged students to improve their English naturally, he said.
The university promotes diverse English-learning opportunities and English-medium instruction courses to foster a bilingual campus environment that motivates students to use English, he added.
National Cheng Kung University academic affairs director Shen Sheng-chih (沈聖智) said that while the school still values students’ foreign language skills, it has authorized each department to set its own standards, based on their academic and professional needs.
The university also offers online summer courses through its language center to help students improve their English, he said, adding that the school aims to be flexible and adjust policies based on feedback.
Meanwhile, National Taiwan University (NTU) said it requires undergrads to acquire six English-language course credits and pass an advanced English course before graduation.
However, students who meet certain English test score criteria may apply for exemptions, the university said.
NTU student Lee Jui-lin (李瑞霖) said that setting an English proficiency threshold for graduation is redundant, as departments that require intensive use of English texts often already hold students to higher standards.
However, for departments focused on other languages, such as Japanese or Korean, mandatory English proficiency standards can unfairly delay graduation, he said, adding that the university should let departments decide their own rules.
At Chung Yuan Christian University, undergraduate students are still required to meet specific English test score thresholds — such as passing the intermediate level of General English Proficiency Test, scoring at least 550 on the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) or achieving 4.0 on the International English Language Testing System.
University academic affairs director Pi Shih-ming (皮世明) said that most of the university’s students major in engineering and employers in such fields usually require a TOEIC score of 550.
Rather than having students struggle after graduation, it is better to help them meet the standard while still in school, he said.
The university provides students with multiple ways to reach the requirement, including offering English courses, campus activities, summer intensive programs and internal proficiency exams for those who have repeatedly failed external tests, ensuring their graduation is not delayed, Pi said.
In 2017, National Chengchi University (NCCU) law student Lai Yi-ling (賴怡伶) refused to submit proof of her English test results, protesting the school’s requirement that students pay for external testing to meet graduation criteria.
As a result, she did not receive a diploma, for which she filed an administrative lawsuit. That same year, several student associations launched petitions calling for the abolition of the policy.
NCCU and other universities including Fo Guang University and National Taipei University of Education have since scrapped the requirement.
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