View count: 10046

Qualification

Basic requirements

1. Period of residence

  1. To have been born and resided overseas since birth until now, or have resided continuously overseas for a period of six plus years and have acquired proof of permanent or long-term residency in residing countries that has been verified to be true by overseas recommendation units.
  2. The calculation for the period of continuous residence overseas for a period of six plus years shall be pushed back six years from the application deadline stated in this Brochure.
    However, applicants whom have resided overseas continuously for a period that conforms to that stated in this Brochure as of August 31, 2025 may also apply with an affidavit. If upon review by the OCAC during the period between the application deadline to August 31, 2025, the applicant should be found to not conform with the required period of residence, his/her qualifications shall be canceled.
    • How to calculate: push back six years from March 10, 2025 (March 11st, 2019 to March 10th, 2025).
    • ”Overseas” refers to countries or areas excluding the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao.
    • “Continuous residence” refers to having resided in Taiwan for no more than a total of 120 day per calendar year (from January 1st to December 31st). Therefore, whether or not an applicant has resided consecutively overseas would depend on whether or not he/she has stayed in Taiwan for no more than 120 days within the said six-year period stated above. However, if the initial or final year of the period is not a complete calendar year, a stay of less than 120 days within Taiwan during those years shall be regarded as having continuously stayed overseas.
    • Applicants who fit any one of the following descriptions shall not be regarded as having suspended their overseas residency. The period of their stay in Taiwan shall not be included into the overseas residency period (meaning the calculation of their consecutive residency overseas should be pushed back). Documentary evidence shall be submitted along with the application for review.
      • The student has attended overseas youth technical training courses held by the OCAC or technical professional training programs accredited by the central competent education authority.
      • The student has attended programs held by the OCAC or attended programs recognized by the OCAC to be held by other government agencies, or has attended Mandarin training courses held by overseas Mandarin education organizations approved by the competent authority to recruit students overseas, and that the period spent at such programs or training courses add up to no longer than two years.
      • The student spent a total period of less than two years in Taiwan as an exchange student.
      • The student participated in an internship in Taiwan approved by the designated central competent authorities for a period of less than two years.
      • The student returned to Taiwan to for selective service and military service.
      • The student was unable to return to his/her residing country due to warfare, natural disasters, or major pandemic outbreaks.
      • The student was unable to return to his/her residing country due to some other matter that the student was not responsible for and they have documentary evidence of this.
    • Those who have acquired proof of permanent or long-term residency in residing countries shall be regarded as having obtained citizenship or permanent residency in their residing countries, or shall be determined by the overseas compatriot identity endorsement in their ROC passports.

    2. Language proficiency

Have a Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) level of A1 or above or have at least 240 hours of Mandarin language learning at a relevant Mandarin language learning institution (proof of learning hours must be submitted). The 240 hours of Mandarin language learning shall be determined through the following channels:
  1. Overseas Compatriot (Mandarin) schools, language schools/Mandarin language centers certified by the OCAC.
  2. Official educational institutions (e.g., universities, high schools, elementary schools) incorporated in the countries in which overseas compatriots settle.
  3. Physical or distance video teaching courses of domestic industry-academia cooperative education programs and OYVTP approved by the OCAC.
  4. Physical or distance video teaching courses of the OCAC's overseas youth language classes.
  5. Physical or distance video teaching courses of Chinese language culture and education units (such as Overseas Compatriots Culture and Education Foundation and universities, National Open University's Chinese language teaching center, etc.) approved by the OCAC.
  6. Malaysian overseas Compatriot students must provide a transcript of their Chinese language grades from secondary school or proof of passing Chinese language courses at their school.
TOCFL Level of A1 or above may be substituted with the results of the “TOCFL Quick Screening” (listening and reading tests) conducted by the TECO or the recommendation units designated by the OCAC, provided the test is based on the version issued by the National Chinese Language Test Promotion Committee.
It is recommended that students achieve a TOCFL Level of A2 or above before advancing to technical and vocational colleges.

3. To be of good moral character.

4. To be physically and mentally sound and free of chronic diseases.

5. Applicants must seek out a guardian in Taiwan.

（for the guardian role, priority shall be given to relatives who can represent the students’ parents and can exercise guardianship rights.）

6. Military service status

Students have household registrations in Taiwan, and their ROC passports are not be stamped with “yet to fulfill military service obligations”.

Eligibility

  1. Any overseas compatriot student who has graduated from a compatriot junior high school or the equivalent in his/her residing country and has completed the equivalent education level.
  2. Age of admission:
    • Philippines and Indonesia: Applicants must be at least 18 years old as of June 30 (inclusive) of the current year and under 22 years old. Eligible birthdates are from January 1, 2003, to July 1, 2007.
    • Other countries: Applicants must be at least 16 years old as of December 31 (inclusive) of the current year and under 22 years old. Eligible birthdates are from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2009. However, internship programs are not allowed for students under 16 years old.
  3. The TECO or the recommendation units designated by the OCAC may conduct preliminary reviews based on application materials or through written examinations (uniformly administered by the OCAC) and interviews. The assessment criteria include students’ Mandarin language proficiency and academic performance.
    • All Burmese applicants are required to participate in the basic Mandarin proficiency written test administered by the TECO in Myanmar. Only those who achieve a score of 60 or above on the written test are eligible to attend the interview. The dates for the written test and interview will be announced by the office, with the tentative schedule set for late February 2025. Both the written test and interview scores must meet the admission standards. For details, please refer to the announcements of the TECO in Myanmar.