National Taiwan Ocean University Admission Guide

A specialist university, not a general one

National Taiwan Ocean University (國立臺灣海洋大學, NTOU) is a public university in Keelung, the port city on Taiwan's north coast. It was founded in 1953 as a provincial maritime technology college and gained full university status in 1989, and it never lost the identity it started with: the sea.

That makes NTOU a different proposition from the broad, general universities that dominate most shortlists. Its seven colleges are organised around marine and maritime study, which means depth and specialised facilities in those fields — and a narrower spread outside them.

The practical implication is simple. If your target is ocean science, aquaculture, marine biotechnology, naval architecture, or shipping and logistics, that concentration is the reason to look here. If your interests are general, a comprehensive university suits you better.

What NTOU actually covers

NTOU's departments cluster around themes that are uncommon to find together in one institution:

• Marine science, oceanography, marine environmental informatics and the marine environment
• Aquaculture, environmental biology and fisheries science
• Marine biotechnology, bioscience and food science
• Systems engineering and naval architecture; mechanical and mechatronic, electrical and computer engineering
• Merchant marine, marine engineering, shipping and transportation management, transportation science
• Ocean law and policy — including an Institute of the Law of the Sea
• Applied economics, applied English and oceanic cultural creative design

English-taught programs, department by department

NTOU's Office of International Affairs publishes an English-taught programs list that is organised by college and department and marks which levels — bachelor's, master's, doctoral — are available in each.

That list is the document to work from, because English-taught availability at NTOU is departmental rather than university-wide: a department may teach in English at master's level but not at bachelor's. Marine-science and engineering fields are well represented on it.

As the list is maintained officially and updated between cycles, check it directly for the department and level you want instead of relying on a general claim that the university "teaches in English".

Merchant-marine and maritime tracks: the extra requirements

This is the part of NTOU that has no equivalent at a general university, and the part applicants most often overlook.

Merchant-marine and some maritime tracks can carry requirements beyond academic admission — professional certification, sea training or medical-fitness standards. Those rules are set by the relevant maritime authorities and professional bodies, not by the university and not by us, and they can differ depending on the certification you are aiming at and your own nationality.

So if you are considering a seagoing track, treat this as a separate question to research early and confirm on the official pages for that specific program and with the relevant authority. Do not assume that academic admission and professional certification are the same gate. This guide describes the study route only, and is not professional or regulatory advice.

Applying through the Office of International Affairs

Degree-seeking international students apply as international applicants through NTOU's Office of International Affairs, separate from Taiwan's domestic entrance system, generally online.

Language evidence follows the program's teaching language — English evidence such as IELTS or TOEFL for English-taught programs, or a Chinese certificate such as the TOCFL for Chinese-taught ones, at a level set per program.

Build your timeline around document authentication, which is often the slowest step, and take every date from NTOU's official admission calendar for your cycle.

Fees, scholarships and verification

As a public university, NTOU's tuition is generally lower than at a private institution, but the actual figures — plus housing and any scholarship values — vary by program and year and are published officially. Check them there.

The Taiwan Scholarship and the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship are separate, competitive routes administered by the Ministry of Education through Taiwan's overseas representative offices, not part of your university application.

NTOU is a public university under the Ministry of Education, which you can confirm on the Ministry's site and the Study in Taiwan portal. No agent or website can guarantee admission or a scholarship — apply directly and treat any "guaranteed" offer as a red flag.