Vietnamese international students can enjoy tuition exemption, living allowance and many job opportunities, especially in the semiconductor industry, with Taiwan's policy of attracting international students.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Education of Taiwan, in 2022, there were nearly 24,000 Vietnamese studying here, ranking first in the number of international students. Of these, about 16,000 were studying degree programs, more than 7,000 were studying Chinese language programs or on exchange programs.
Ms. Nicole Yen-Yi Lee, Director of the Department of International and Cross-Strait Education, Ministry of Education of Taiwan, said that the advantages of studying abroad in Taiwan are the close geographical distance, many similarities in culture and cuisine with Vietnam. High-quality majors here are Engineering, Semiconductors, Medicine. On the other hand, the standard of living and spending in Taiwan is also reasonable.
According to her, due to many factors, plus Taiwan's low birth rate, the number of university students is decreasing. Therefore, Taiwan has many policies to attract international students, especially Vietnamese students.
Currently, Vietnamese students coming to Taiwan can seek scholarships through two main sources: government scholarships and university scholarships.
Ms. Nicole Yen-Yi Lee, Director of the Department of International and Cross-Strait Education, Ministry of Education, Taiwan. Photo: Le Nguyen
The government scholarship program for international undergraduate and graduate students is NT$40,000 (over VND30 million) per semester to cover tuition fees. If tuition fees exceed this amount, international students must pay the remaining amount themselves. Each month, students receive an additional living allowance of NT$15,000 - NT$20,000, depending on whether they are undergraduate or graduate.
To apply for a scholarship, in addition to meeting the university's entry requirements, candidates need a TOCFL certificate (a Chinese language certificate with 6 levels, from A1 to C2) from B1 or an English certificate IELTS 5.5, TOEIC 600, TOEFL (iBT) 60 points or higher.
In addition, Taiwan plans to spend 162.5 million USD to attract 320,000 international students to study and work in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields from now until 2030. Of these, 210,000 bachelors will be retained, increasing the rate of international students staying to work from 40% to 70%.
Under this program, students will receive a scholarship covering tuition, other fees and a monthly allowance of at least NT$10,000 (about VND7.6 million). This amount is enough for students to cover their living expenses. The condition is that after graduation, they must work in Taiwan for two years.
Semiconductor Research Laboratory of National Tsinghua University. Photo: Le Nguyen
Meanwhile, scholarships at universities are also very diverse. The general requirement is that candidates achieve IELTS from 5.0 or TOCFL from A1, average high school score from 6 or higher. Masters and doctoral candidates must have a university degree and a letter of recommendation from the school or workplace.
Ms. Vivian Chung, Department of International Cooperation, National Sun Yat-sen University, said that all first-year students will receive a monthly stipend of NT$6,000 (about VND4.6 million). This amount is equivalent to or higher than the tuition fee. In the following years, students must have a GPA of 2.44/4 or higher to maintain the scholarship.
For master's and doctoral degrees, students are exempted from tuition fees. Doctoral students will receive a living allowance of 15,000 NTD (about 11.5 million VND) per month. Currently, National Sun Yat-sen University has 45 Vietnamese students studying in the fields of Social Sciences, Arts, Management, and Engineering.
National Taiwan University (NTU) - the top university in Taiwan, ranked 70th in the world according to QS Rankings, offers 100% tuition scholarships and a maximum allowance of 8,000 NTD (over 6 million VND) per month. However, NTU's entry requirements are higher. Applicants must have an IELTS certificate of 5.5 or TOCFL from A2 or higher. The school said that 52 Vietnamese students are studying here, mainly in the fields of Civil Engineering, Construction Management, and Law.
Two Vietnamese students operate a semiconductor chip molding machine at Minh Tan University's practice room in October. Photo: Le Nguyen
At private universities, Vietnamese international students benefit from work-study programs, in which internship time at businesses accounts for 50-70%, depending on the major and school.
Ming Tan University has about 1,100 Vietnamese international students, the school with the most Vietnamese students in Taiwan. 85% of them study science and technology related to semiconductors, mainly under the 2+2 program (two years of study at school, two years of work at a business). Students receive a 50% reduction in tuition fees in the first year and scholarships are considered based on academic results for the following years. Each week, students are allowed to work up to 10 hours, with an average salary of 176 NTD/hour (135,000 VND). During the two years of internship at the business, students receive support of 26,400 NTD per month (about 20 million VND).
Dr. Max KW. Liu, President of Ming Tan University, said that the two-year internship helps students master skills and grasp practical working processes, which is an advantage when applying for jobs in Taiwan after graduation.
Similarly, Lunghwa University of Science and Technology is also promoting enrollment in this program. Students receive a 50% reduction in tuition fees for the first year, and the internship period at the enterprise accounts for most of the remaining three years and will receive a salary depending on the job position.
The school representative said that there are more than 1,000 Vietnamese students studying in the fields of Science, Engineering, and Semiconductors. In recent years, about 85% of graduates have stayed in Taiwan to work. In the Semiconductor field alone, the salary for new graduates is about 2,000-3,000 USD/month (50-70 million VND).
Le Nguyen
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