National Tsing Hua University (NTHU, Taiwan) Admission Guide for International Students

What makes NTHU distinctive

National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) is a public research university in Hsinchu, in northern Taiwan, about 30 minutes by rail south of Taipei and right beside the Hsinchu Science Park — the semiconductor and electronics cluster often described as Taiwan's 'Silicon Valley.' NTHU re-established itself in Hsinchu in 1956 around a single graduate Institute of Nuclear Science and has since grown into a comprehensive research university, but its centre of gravity remains the physical sciences and engineering: physics, chemistry, materials science, engineering, electrical engineering and computer science, and semiconductor research. The university highlights connections to three Nobel laureates in physics and chemistry and is a member of the University System of Taiwan. One practical point for applicants: NTHU in Hsinchu is a separate institution from Tsinghua University in Beijing — apply only on NTHU's own official website (nthu.edu.tw).

Colleges and two campuses at NTHU

NTHU is organised into roughly a dozen colleges, and the mix reflects its science-and-engineering identity plus the departments it gained from a 2016 merger. When you apply you apply to a specific department inside one of these colleges, so it helps to know the landscape before you start.

• College of Science and College of Life Sciences and Medicine — mathematics, physics, chemistry, statistics, astronomy, and the life-science and medical-science institutes.
• College of Engineering and College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) — materials, power-mechanical, chemical and industrial engineering, plus electronics, communications and computer science.
• College of Nuclear Science — an unusual feature: NTHU runs its own research reactor and accelerator facilities and teaches nuclear engineering and science.
• College of Semiconductor Research (CoSR) — a dedicated graduate college for the chip industry (see the next section).
• Humanities and Social Sciences, Technology Management, and — added when NTHU merged with National Hsinchu University of Education in 2016 — the Colleges of Education and Arts, based on the separate Nanda (South) campus.

Semiconductors, nuclear science and the Hsinchu Science Park edge

Two things set NTHU apart from a typical comprehensive university. First, its College of Semiconductor Research (CoSR), established in 2021 with backing from Taiwan's semiconductor industry, runs master's and doctoral tracks across semiconductor devices, design, process and materials — training that sits next door to the Hsinchu Science Park firms. Second, the College of Nuclear Science keeps an operating research reactor and accelerator laboratories on campus, which is rare among universities and supports work in nuclear engineering, radiation science and related fields. If you are drawn to chip technology, applied physics, materials or nuclear engineering, NTHU is a place where these sit at the core rather than the edge. Admission to CoSR and to the research-heavy institutes is competitive and set per programme — read each programme's own page for its intake, tracks and requirements, and never rely on a third party's promise of a place.

How international degree admission works at NTHU

International degree students apply directly to NTHU through its Office of Global Affairs, using the online admission portal at apply.nthu.edu.tw (run by the Division of International Talent Cultivation and Admission). NTHU states that it recruits international students itself and does not appoint outside admission agents beyond publicity — so you do not need, and should not pay, a middleman to apply. There is no shared national exam for this route: you choose a department, upload your documents and pay the application fee online, and the department makes the decision. Most programmes admit for the autumn (fall) intake, with some also offering spring. The medium of instruction is set per programme — English-medium (EMI) programmes ask for English evidence such as TOEFL or IELTS, while Chinese-taught programmes ask for Mandarin ability, often a TOCFL level.

Documents and choosing the right NTHU programme

Because NTHU spans everything from semiconductor engineering to the humanities, the exact entry requirements, deadlines and document list are set by each department, and the programme page on the application portal is the source of truth. Requirements differ, but international applicants are generally asked for the items below. Shortlist two or three departments, read each one's admission page on apply.nthu.edu.tw, and confirm you meet its qualification and language requirements well before the cycle's deadline.

• The completed online application and the application fee
• Academic transcripts and your highest diploma, with certified English or Chinese translations where required
• English or Mandarin proficiency evidence, depending on the programme's language of instruction
• A study plan or statement of purpose and recommendation letters, especially for research-based master's and PhD places
• A passport copy and any programme-specific supporting documents the department lists

Funding at NTHU, in brief

International students at NTHU can be supported by Taiwan's national schemes — the MOE Taiwan Scholarship and, for eligible countries, TaiwanICDF — and by NTHU's own international-student scholarships and tuition waivers, which for awardees can include a tuition waiver and a monthly stipend. Amounts, eligibility and deadlines are set each year and are covered in our dedicated Taiwan university scholarships and tuition-waivers guide; confirm the current details on the NTHU Office of Global Affairs scholarship pages. Tuition and the application fee are also set yearly, so verify them on NTHU's official schedule rather than third-party sites. No one can guarantee a scholarship, and you should never pay anyone who claims they can secure one.

Visa, ARC and where to verify

Once you hold an NTHU offer you apply for the appropriate visa and, after arriving, an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC); the step-by-step process is covered in the Taiwan resident visa and ARC guide, so it is only summarised here. This is general information, not immigration advice — rules and fees change, so always verify the current requirements on the official government and NTHU sources before acting. For everything on this page, treat the NTHU Office of Global Affairs and the apply.nthu.edu.tw programme pages as the authoritative source.