The short version
Chiayi County (嘉義縣) has four open universities and colleges in our directory. There is one High Speed Rail station and four Taiwan Railway stations. International students apply for their resident certificate (ARC) at the National Immigration Agency (NIA), which has a service center here: the NIA Chiayi County Service Center.
Universities and colleges here
- Chung-Jen Junior College of Nursing, Health Sciences and Management崇仁醫護管理專科學校
- Nanhua University南華大學
- National Chung Cheng University國立中正大學
- WuFeng University吳鳳科技大學
→ Browse Chiayi County's schools, including any that have closed
The county in numbers
- Registered population 468,974 at the end of September 2026. This is the household registration count (戶籍人口), people registered here, which is not the same as everyone living here.
- Land area 1,903.6367 km², in 18 districts and townships (鄉鎮市區).
- Density 249 people per km², from the end of 2025 figures.
Getting around
- High Speed Rail (THSR) Chiayi Station (嘉義站), 嘉義縣太保市高鐵西路168號.
- Taiwan Railway (TRA) 4 stations with an address here: Dalin (大林), Minxiong (民雄), Shuishang (水上), Nanjing (南靖).
- Metro and light rail None.
The station list comes from Taiwan Railway's station dataset, which does not say which stations are staffed or which trains stop there. Check a station on Taiwan Railway's own site before you plan a trip around it.
→ Getting around Taiwan: fares, monthly passes, YouBike and scooters
Your ARC: the immigration office
International students apply for the resident certificate (ARC) and register a change of address with the National Immigration Agency (NIA).
- NIA Chiayi County Service Center 1F., No.6, Sec. W., Xianghe 2nd Rd., Puzi City, Chiayi County 613016, Taiwan (R.O.C.). Phone 05-362-3763.
NIA service centers are open 08:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday, including the lunch hour. The NIA's Foreigners in Taiwan Hotline is 1990 from a Taiwan phone, or 886-800-001990 from overseas.
Housing and costs
- Dorms: how to apply, who gets priority, fees and rules.
- Tuition and living costs: what rent and everyday life cost across Taiwan.
- Renting: renting a room or flat off campus.
More about Chiayi County on other sites
Chiayi County has no guide of its own. These are the nearest pages, from Inside Tainan, which covers the area around it.
- Nearest guide page Inside Tainan: Alishan from Tainan
- YouBike Cycle.tw: YouBike, city by city
- First weeks Inside Tainan: everyday life, written about Tainan
Official sites
- Chiayi County Government (English)
- Cultural and Tourism Bureau of Chiayi County (English)
- National Immigration Agency (English)
- Taiwan Tourism Administration (English)