University students who complete enough courses taught in English may apply to partner universities in the US without needing to provide English-language test scores, the Ministry of Education said today.
If a student has taken enough courses with English as a medium of instruction (EMI), they can submit their grades in those courses rather than Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) test results when applying to US partner universities, ministry officials told a news conference in Taipei.
Taiwan is the first non-English-speaking country to have EMI coursework formally recognized by top US universities, it said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
The program is a partnership between the ministry and Fulbright Taiwan, currently involving National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU), National Cheng Kung University, National Taiwan University, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), Arizona State University, New York University, Columbia University’s Teachers College and the University of Maryland.
The four US schools visited the Taiwan schools to observe classes, Department of Higher Education Director Chen Hao-hui (陳浩會) said.
In February next year, eight qualifying Taiwanese students would be the first sent to the US under the program, Chen added.
The first group of students would be able to apply for the next academic year, with the number of spots to be decided together by the eight universities, he said.
In addition to meeting EMI coursework requirements, students applying to graduate programs must also meet Graduate Record Examination or Graduate Management Admission Test standards, he added.
This milestone program shows that Taiwan’s bilingual education has gained international credibility, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said.
The ministry in 2021 launched a program promoting bilingual education in universities, Cheng said, adding that today’s announcement is the first step toward TOEFL exemptions on the national level.
He vowed that the ministry would continue to systematically support bilingual education, enhance the quality of EMI courses and deepen international cooperation.
NSYSU vice president Kuo Chih-wen (郭志文) said that the university has offered 1,340 EMI courses — accounting for 30 percent of its courses — in the five years since the program launched.
NSYSU fourth-year student Fu Kuan-wen (傅冠文) said that he uses English to welcome foreign guests and tutor math, which has given him extra income and more confidence for his future career.
NTNU vice president Ying Yung-hsiang (印永翔) said that all undergraduate departments offer at least 18 credits of EMI courses.
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