A growing number of international students are choosing to study in Taiwan, an ‘Asian Tiger’ nation perhaps best known for its world-leading tech industry, but also offering strong academic programs across the full subject spectrum.
Close proximity to Hsinchu Science Park – Taiwan’s answer to the US’s Silicon Valley – makes universities in Taiwan such as National Tsing Hua University and National Cheng Kung University exciting places to study for anyone interested in high-tech.
But while Taiwan’s tech sector is undoubtedly impressive, the country has much more to offer, and its popularity as a study destination is growing across a wide range of subject areas. In fact, government statistics from 2011 showed that the most popular courses for international students were in business and management, followed by engineering, arts and humanities, social sciences and media. Taiwan is also a popular destination for language courses in Mandarin Chinese.
Taipei and New Taipei
Many of the leading universities in Taiwan are located in its politic, economic and cultural capital, Taipei City. Located at the northern top of the island, Taipei is about 25km inland, on the Tamsui River. A 24/7 kind of city, Taipei fuses the ultra-modern and the historic; skyscrapers and high-tech headquarters intermix with ancient temples, traditional tea-houses and busy markets. It is surrounded on all sides by New Taipei City, formerly known as Taipei County, Taiwan’s largest metropolitan area.
Universities in Taipei include Taiwan’s highest ranked university, National Taiwan University (22nd in Asia; 76th in the QS World University Rankings 2014/15). Known locally as Táidà, the university is in the Daan district, close to one of the points at which Taipei ends and New Taipei City begins.
Other high-ranking universities in Taipei and New Taipei include: National Yang-Ming University, Taipei Medical University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, or ‘Taiwan Tech’, National Taiwan Normal University (64th in Asia; 411-420 in the world), National Taipei University of Technology (124th in Asia; 551-600 in the world), National Chengchi University (123rd in Asia; 601-650 in the world) and Fu Jen Catholic University (201-250 in Asia; 701+ in the world).
Other top student cities in Taiwan
While the Taipei area has the lion’s share of Taiwan’s top universities, there are also high-ranking institutions across the country. Hsinchu City, about 80km south-west of Taipei, is known as the home of Hsinchu Science Park. Dubbed Taiwan’s ‘Silicon Valley’, the park has become a major hub for high-tech development, drawing on the region’s existing strengths in this field. National Tsing Hua University and National Chiao Tung University are both located in Hsinchu, and are both ranked within the world’s top 250 universities.
In the south of Taiwan, Tainan City is home to National Cheng Kung University, and Kaohsiung City to National Sun Yat-sen University (69th in Asia; 431-440 in the world). Back in the north, Zhongli City boasts National Central University (60th in Asia; 401-410 in the world), while Guishan Township is home to Chang Gung University (78th in Asia; 431-440 in the world). Finally, National Chung Hsing University (95th in Asia; 501-550 in the world), known in Chinese as Xingda, is in Taichung – Taiwan’s third-largest city after New Taipei and Kaohsiung, located towards the central part of the country.
