Taiwan Tech (NTUST) Admission Guide for International Students

A technological university, not a comprehensive one

National Taiwan University of Science and Technology — Taiwan Tech, or NTUST — is defined by its origins. The university's official history records that it opened in 1974 as the National Taiwan Institute of Technology, the first higher-education institution created within Taiwan's technical and vocational education system, added master's and doctoral study over the following decade, and became a full university under its current name in 1997. That heritage still shapes it: NTUST is an applied, industry-oriented technological university (a 科技大學), rather than a broad comprehensive research university like National Taiwan University (NTU) or National Cheng Kung University. Its stated aim is to produce work-ready engineers, designers and managers through applied research and close industry ties. That focus is the main thing to weigh when deciding whether it fits your goals — it suits students who want hands-on, technology-and-industry-facing study more than a wide liberal-arts breadth.

Colleges, campus and applied strengths

NTUST's main campus sits in Da'an District in central Taipei, on Keelung Road near the Gongguan area — very close to NTU, which is one reason the two are often confused (see the FAQ). Its degree programmes are organised into seven colleges, alongside a Center for General Education; the current structure is listed on the university's official academics menu.

• The seven colleges: Engineering; Electrical Engineering & Computer Science; Management; Design; Applied Sciences; Liberal Arts & Social Sciences; and Industry-Academia Innovation.
• The College of Design is one of NTUST's most recognised, covering industrial, commercial and interaction design.
• The College of Industry-Academia Innovation (INNC) is a degree-granting college hosting graduate institutes in advanced semiconductor technology, A.I. cross-disciplinary technology, intelligent manufacturing technology, and energy and sustainability technology, with master's and doctoral programmes — a route worth checking if you target applied high-tech fields. Its current institute list and requirements are on the official INNC site (innc.ntust.edu.tw).
• Applied research themes the university itself highlights include energy and battery technology, biomedical and surgical engineering, additive manufacturing (3D printing), AI in healthcare, and sustainability.

English-taught routes: the four-year IATP and graduate EMI programmes

NTUST teaches largely in Chinese but has built one of the more developed English-taught offerings among Taiwan's technological universities, which is what makes it accessible to students who do not read Mandarin. The exact medium is set per programme, so always confirm on the specific programme page.

• Undergraduate in English: the International Advanced Technology Program (IATP), an all-English four-year bachelor's route launched by NTUST's College of Engineering in 2017, is the flagship English-medium undergraduate option. It is run by the College of Engineering and covers four specializations — Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Civil and Construction Engineering — so it is not a general all-English route into design, management or the other colleges; the current specialization list is on the official IATP site (iatp.ntust.edu.tw). Other all-English international programmes (such as the INTENSE programme) also appear in the admission guidelines.
• Applicants to design, management, applied sciences or other fields should check each programme's medium of instruction on its own official page rather than assuming the IATP covers it.
• Graduate in English: NTUST runs a large number of English-taught (EMI) master's and doctoral programmes across its colleges — the current list is published on the admissions and Office of International Affairs sites.
• English-taught programmes generally ask for English-proficiency evidence (tests such as TOEFL or IELTS are commonly accepted; accepted tests and minimum scores are set per programme).
• Chinese-taught programmes typically require Mandarin ability, often evidenced by a TOCFL level — verify the requirement on the programme page.

How to apply to Taiwan Tech

International degree students apply to NTUST directly, not through Taiwan's local (domestic) entrance route. Applications run through the university's Admissions Office (Office of Academic Affairs) online system at admission.ntust.edu.tw, with the Office of International Affairs supporting international applicants. You choose a programme, upload your documents, pay the application fee online, and the receiving department decides. Graduate programmes commonly open at more than one point in the year, while all-English undergraduate entry centres on the autumn (Fall) cycle — always confirm the current windows on the official Application Timeline before you plan. Because requirements differ by department, treat NTUST's own per-programme guidelines and required-documents list as the source of truth; the following is only the usual shape of an application.

• Completed online application on the NTUST Admissions Office system
• Academic transcripts and your highest diploma, with certified English or Chinese translations where needed
• English or Chinese proficiency evidence, as the programme requires
• A study plan, and for design and some engineering fields a portfolio, plus recommendation letters where asked for
• Passport copy and any programme-specific supporting documents
• Proof that you meet Taiwan's international-student status rules on nationality and prior schooling

Fees, scholarships and next steps

Tuition, miscellaneous fees and the application fee are set by the university and change every academic year, so rely on NTUST's official fee schedule rather than third-party figures. Funding can come from NTUST's own international scholarships and tuition waivers (availability can differ by level — some awards target graduate students), and separately from Taiwan's national schemes. To avoid repetition, the Taiwan-wide options — the MOE Taiwan Scholarship and the TaiwanICDF scholarships for eligible countries — are covered in the dedicated Taiwan scholarships guides; check the official NTUST scholarship pages for the university's own current rules, amounts and deadlines. No agent can guarantee a scholarship, and you should never pay a third party to obtain one. After you hold an offer, you apply for the appropriate visa and, on arrival, an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC); this is general information rather than immigration advice, so verify the current rules on the official source and see the Taiwan resident visa and ARC guide.