Taiwan Scholarship Benefits 2027

MOE Taiwan Scholarship — What It Covers

The MOE Taiwan Scholarship is made up of two separate parts that operate independently. The monthly living stipend is paid to you by your university each month. The tuition assistance goes to your university, but only up to a fixed ceiling.

The bachelor's stipend is paid monthly for the full duration of your undergraduate program; from the 2026 academic year, bachelor's stipends run until 30 June of your graduation year. The graduate stipend is the same regardless of field or institution. For tuition, MOE pays up to NTD 40,000 per semester of approved tuition and basic study fees directly to your university. Any tuition above this is your responsibility. Some universities give Taiwan Scholarship holders a discount on the excess — MOE publishes a list of them.

Duration limits

The MOE scholarship has a per-degree duration and a lifetime cap. The scholarship year runs from 1 September to 31 August.

• Bachelor's: up to 4 years (8 semesters)
• Master's: up to 2 years (4 semesters)
• PhD: up to 4 years (8 semesters)
• Lifetime maximum: 5 years in total as a Taiwan Scholarship recipient

What MOE does NOT cover

• Accommodation — you arrange and pay for housing yourself (university dormitories or off-campus).
• Airfare — no flight reimbursement.
• Health insurance — you buy private medical and student accident insurance until you qualify for Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI), then enroll in NHI; the premiums are yours to pay.
• Fees outside "tuition and miscellaneous" — administration fees, thesis supervision fees, insurance, accommodation and internet costs are all on you.
• Living expenses above the stipend — the NTD 15K–20K stipend is the entirety of the living allowance.
• Tuition above NTD 40,000 per semester — you top this up yourself.
• Language preparatory programs — if you need a Mandarin language year before your degree, this is typically at your own cost under MOE.

TaiwanICDF Scholarship — What It Covers

The TaiwanICDF scholarship is noticeably more comprehensive than MOE. It is a genuinely full package, and it handles significantly more logistics on your behalf.

The monthly allowance for food and living expenses is deposited into your local bank account throughout your program. Beyond it, TaiwanICDF covers several items that MOE leaves to the student:

• Full tuition and credit fees — no cap. TaiwanICDF covers the tuition and credit fees your university requires. There is no NTD 40K ceiling. If your program costs NTD 80K per semester, ICDF covers it entirely.
• Student dormitory housing. Housing is part of the package, and all recipients must live in the student dormitories.
• Round-trip airfare (economy class). TaiwanICDF arranges your most direct economy flights to Taiwan at the start and home at the end of your scholarship.
• Insurance. On top of the mandatory MOE student safety insurance, accident and medical cover is paid for the entire program.
• Textbooks. Books required by your instructors are covered, subject to approval by your institute's director.

Huayu Enrichment Scholarship (HES) — What It Covers

The Huayu HES is simpler than the degree scholarships. It is a language stipend, not a degree package.

Since summer 2025 the HES pays NTD 28,000 a month, from the month your course begins. Duration options are a 2-month summer course or 3, 6, 9 or 12 months, and the period cannot be interrupted. The stipend is all you receive — no tuition coverage, no accommodation, no flights.

Mandarin language centers charge their own fees, and you pay those directly. The monthly stipend is meant to cover your living expenses while you study Mandarin full time, with at least 15 hours of required classes a week.

Side-by-Side: What Each Scholarship Actually Pays

One Thing That Catches People Off Guard

The stipend is paid in New Taiwan Dollars, so the exchange rate matters. At an illustrative rate of about USD 1 = NTD 32, the NTD 20,000 monthly graduate stipend equals roughly USD 630. This is workable for Taiwan's cost of living — by our estimates a shared room in Taipei runs NTD 7,000–12,000 per month, and campus canteen meals cost about NTD 60–120 — but it leaves very little margin if you are also covering tuition overages.