Politics

Taiwan to recognize mainland degrees

Students from mainland China may soon be able to apply to Taiwan's universities, as well as to mainland schools such as Peking University, pictured here. (CNA)

• Publication Date：11/18/2009
• Source： United Daily News

Taiwan plans to recognize mainland degrees and allow mainland students in the island's universities as early as June 2010, Minister of Education Wu Ching-ji announced Nov. 17.

Only academic credentials from the mainland's top 41 universities will be accepted during the initial stage, Wu explained. In terms of admissions, public universities will only be allowed to accept graduate students, while private institutions will be given the green light to recruit both undergraduate and graduate students.

Regarding recognizing degrees, the MOE's Department of Higher Education indicated that related measures could be retroactive, yet it is still undecided as to how far back the practice would go. "We will talk with representatives of various groups before making our decision,” Wu said.

Students studying Chinese medicine make up the earliest and largest group of Taiwanese students pursuing advanced studies in the mainland, but they are unlikely to be among those who would benefit from the new policy. “After discussions with the Department of Health, we think it is not yet appropriate to recognize diplomas issued by mainland medical schools, whether in western medicine or Chinese medicine,” the education minister said.

Based on the MOE’s proposal, National University of Defense Technology will be deleted from the list of 39 leading mainland Chinese universities and colleges. However, Beijing Sport University, the Central Conservatory of Music and China Central Academy of Fine Arts will be added to the list, making the total number 41.

Credentials provided by Beijing Normal University and East China Normal University will be approved, with the exception of those from their schools of education, Wu noted.

The MOE estimated that in the beginning, only about 2,000 mainland Chinese students, or 1 percent of Taiwan’s yearly admissions quota, will be admitted to Taiwan universities under the new policy. Among them, the number of mainland students attending public graduate schools in Taiwan is expected to be fewer than 100, with the rest admitted to pursue undergraduate or graduate studies at private universities, the ministry predicted.

As for costs, Wu said tuition for mainland students will be based on the tuition set by local private universities no matter what type of university they enter.

“We will adopt the tuition system in the United States where tuition is different for in-state and out-of-state students,” explained Wu. In the U.S., students coming from out of state have to pay more because they do not pay taxes to the local government, he said.

Wu said the local public universities are only allowed to take graduate students from the mainland because they are funded by the government and therefore should make serving the interests of Taiwan students a priority. Meanwhile, "the public universities do not have a shortage of recruits," he added. (LC-THN)