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Gain insights into the Taiwan higher education framework, academic culture, teaching methods, and grading system to prepare for your studies.
2 or 5 years
Five-year colleges take students after junior high school, which is the three years after primary school. Two-year colleges take students from vocational (job-training) senior high schools.
4 years
Some departments add 1 or 2 more years. Some subjects also add internships.
1 to 4 years
The law allows 1 to 4 years of study.
2 to 7 years
Top master's students can apply to move straight into a PhD.
Taiwan has junior colleges, universities and universities of science and technology. Degrees go from bachelor's to PhD.
A bachelor's takes four years, a master's one to four years and a PhD two to seven years.
Award bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees.
•Example: NTU, with around 300 programmes
Also award bachelor's degrees in four years.
•Example: National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST)
Five-year and two-year colleges below bachelor's level.
The standard length is four years. Some departments allow one or two more.
The university sets the credits and exams. At NTU, the thesis does not count toward the credits.
You can apply with a master's, or move straight from a master's if your results are strong.
Five-year and two-year junior colleges, based on what you studied before.
Most courses run for one semester of up to 16 weeks. You are marked on class work, quizzes, a midterm and a final.
1 credit equals 18 hours of lectures in a semester.
A usual NTU course is 3 credits: 3 hours a week for 16 weeks
1 credit equals 36 to 54 hours of lab or internship work.
Some bachelor's degrees add half a year to two years of internship
At NTU, assessment includes daily work, quizzes, a midterm and a final exam.
Each university sets its own grading rules. National Taiwan University (NTU), for example, uses letter grades on a 4.3 scale.
| Letter Grade | Percentage | GPA | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 90-100 | 4.3 | All goals achieved beyond expectation |
| A | 85-89 | 4.0 | All goals achieved |
| A- | 80-84 | 3.7 | All goals achieved, with small things to improve |
| B+ | 77-79 | 3.3 | Some goals well achieved |
| B | 73-76 | 3.0 | Some goals adequately achieved |
| B- | 70-72 | 2.7 | Lowest pass for master's and PhD students |
| C+ | 67-69 | 2.3 | Minimum goals achieved |
| C | 63-66 | 2.0 | Minimum goals achieved with small flaws |
| C- | 60-62 | 1.7 | Lowest pass for bachelor's students |
| F | Below 59 | 0 | Fail |
Multiply each course's grade points by its credits, add them up, and divide by total credits. This example uses NTU's scale.
Calculus, 3 credits, grade A, 12 grade points
Physics, 3 credits, grade B+, 9.9 grade points
Chinese, 2 credits, grade A+, 8.6 grade points
Total Grade Points: 30.5
Total Credits: 8
Semester GPA: 3.81
| Designation | Meaning | Effect on GPA |
|---|---|---|
| X | Not graded, for example because you missed class without permission | Counts as 0 |
| NC | No credit | - |
Universities set their own credit and exam rules for graduation, so check your university's scale.
NTU's highest grade, A+, is worth 4.3, not 4.0.
Two semesters: fall from August and spring from February, with a winter and a summer break.
Classes 7 September to 18 December 2026
Finals 21 to 25 December 2026
Classes 22 February to 4 June 2027
Finals 7 to 11 June 2027
Chinese New Year holidays in 2027 begin on 6 February, during the winter break.
You earn credits for each course you pass. Each university sets how many you need to graduate.
Credit definition:
Taiwan's Ministry of Education sets the rules universities follow for international students.
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