Taiwan Scholarship 2027 | MOE, ICDF & Huayu — Complete Guide

The single most important thing to understand

The scholarship and university admission are completely separate. You must apply to a Taiwan university directly yourself, and you must apply to the scholarship through your country's TECO office — these are two independent applications to two different bodies. Winning the scholarship does not get you admitted to a university.

Three Scholarships, One Country

Taiwan runs three main scholarship programs for international students. Each one has different funding, different eligibility, and a completely different application process. Most students who struggle with Taiwan scholarship applications are confused because they have mixed up details from all three.

MOE Taiwan Scholarship

NTD 15K–20K/mo

Ministry of Education. Applied through your local TECO overseas mission. Bachelor's, Master's, PhD. Apply to universities yourself.

TaiwanICDF Scholarship

NTD 18K–20K/mo + dorm

International Cooperation and Development Fund. Online application. 32 fixed programs. Master's and PhD only.

Huayu Enrichment (HES)

NTD 28K/mo

Language-only scholarship. 2–12 months of Mandarin study at a language center. Cannot be combined with degree scholarships.

Who These Scholarships Are For

All three Taiwan government scholarships are for foreign nationals only. ROC citizens, mainland Chinese, Hong Kong, and Macau residents are excluded from all three. Beyond that, each program has its own criteria — see the full eligibility guide for the complete breakdown.

The MOE Taiwan Scholarship is genuinely broad — if you are a foreign national with good grades and are not already enrolled at a Taiwan university (unless graduating that year), you are likely eligible to apply. The ICDF restricts applicants to a specific list of partner developing countries, and also restricts you to 32 pre-chosen programs at 18 universities.

The Admission-Scholarship Separation: How It Actually Works

This is the part that catches people off guard every year. Here is the actual sequence for MOE:

Feb 1 – Mar 31: Apply for the scholarship

Submit your scholarship application to your local TECO/overseas mission. Documents include transcripts, study plan, language certificates, and recommendation letters.

Simultaneously: Apply to Taiwan universities

Apply directly to Taiwan universities yourself. University application seasons usually overlap with the scholarship window. Some universities have rolling admissions; others have specific deadlines.

May–June: Scholarship results announced

You are informed whether you have won the scholarship. This is separate from university admission.

By June 30: Submit your admission letter

You must submit your official university admission letter to the TECO office by June 30. If you have the scholarship but no admission letter by this date, the scholarship is forfeited. No exceptions.

September: Arrive in Taiwan

Enroll, register for ARC, activate insurance, wait for first stipend payment.

ICDF works differently

For TaiwanICDF, the program and university are already matched at application stage. You choose from 32 specified programs and apply directly online at the ICDF portal. You do not separately apply to the university — ICDF handles the placement. Application opens December 1 and closes March 15.

What Is Actually Funded

Both MOE and ICDF cover tuition, but with different caps and structures. Monthly stipends differ by level. See the full benefits breakdown for everything line by line. The short version:

Item	MOE Scholarship	TaiwanICDF	Huayu HES
Tuition	Up to NTD 40K/semester (university covers excess)	Full tuition covered	Not applicable
UG Stipend	NTD 15,000/month	Not available	Not applicable
Master's Stipend	NTD 20,000/month	NTD 18,000/month	NTD 28,000/month
PhD Stipend	NTD 20,000/month	NTD 20,000/month	Not applicable
Accommodation	Not included	Included (on-campus dorm)	Not included
Airfare	Not included	One-way economy	Not included
Health Insurance	Private (first 6 months), NHI after	Same	Same
Maximum Duration	Up to 4 years (cumul. 5 yrs)	Up to 4 years (PhD)	2–12 months

The TOCFL Question Everyone Gets Wrong

TOCFL is Taiwan's Mandarin proficiency test. Here is the actual rule that confuses applicants:

If you are applying for a Chinese-taught program: TOCFL Level 3 or above is required at the time of application.
If you are applying for an English-taught program: TOCFL is not required — but submitting a TOCFL certificate gives you priority in the selection process.
For Chinese-taught program recipients: if you didn't submit TOCFL Level 3 at application, you must achieve it by the end of your first semester or your scholarship is suspended.

The practical advice here is clear: even if you are applying for an English-taught program, take the TOCFL and submit it. It costs you a few hours and shifts your file to the priority queue.

See the full TOCFL guide for how to register, what the test covers, and what free preparation is available.

Is NTD 15,000–20,000 Enough to Live On?

This depends entirely on which city you are in. Taipei is the most expensive. If you are in Tainan, Taichung, or Hsinchu, the situation is considerably more manageable.

Monthly costs (Taipei)

Shared room rentNTD 8K–13K

Food (eating out daily)NTD 6K–9K

Transport (EasyCard)NTD 1K–2K

Phone + internetNTD 500–800

Total estimatedNTD 15.5K–24.8K

Monthly costs (Tainan / Hsinchu)

Shared room rentNTD 5K–8K

FoodNTD 4K–7K

TransportNTD 500–1.5K

Phone + internetNTD 500–800

Total estimatedNTD 10K–17.3K

At the undergraduate stipend of NTD 15,000, covering Taipei is genuinely difficult without university dormitory housing. The graduate stipend of NTD 20,000 is more workable in non-Taipei cities. See the full living costs guide for city-by-city breakdowns and survival tips.

Renewal: What Most Students Don't Read Until It's Too Late

The Taiwan scholarship is not automatically renewed each year. Your university evaluates your academic performance by February 28 and reports to the Ministry. The thresholds are:

Undergraduate: 70/100 average per semester (roughly GPA 3.0/4.5).
Graduate: 80/100 average per semester (roughly GPA 3.5/4.5).
Fall below once: stipend suspended for one month.
Fall below two consecutive semesters: scholarship revoked from the following semester.

Two things that will revoke your scholarship immediately

1) Doing a semester exchange or study abroad during your scholarship period — this is explicitly prohibited. Many students plan this without knowing and lose their scholarship.
2) Working in Taiwan without both MOE approval and a Ministry of Labor work permit. A university permit alone is not sufficient.