The short version
Hsinchu County (新竹縣) has two open universities and colleges in our directory. There is one High Speed Rail station and 14 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 Hsinchu County Service Center.
Universities and colleges here
- Minghsin University of Science and Technology明新科技大學
- Minth University of Science and Technology敏實科技大學
→ Browse Hsinchu County's schools, including any that have closed
The county in numbers
- Registered population 598,229 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 1,427.5369 km², in 13 districts and townships (鄉鎮市區).
- Density 418 people per km², from the end of 2025 figures.
Getting around
- High Speed Rail (THSR) Hsinchu Station (新竹站), 新竹縣竹北市高鐵七路6號.
- Taiwan Railway (TRA) 14 stations with an address here: Beihu (北湖), Hukou (湖口), Xinfeng (新豐), Zhubei (竹北), Zhuzhong (竹中), Liujia (六家), Shangyuan (上員), Ronghua (榮華), Zhudong (竹東), Hengshan (橫山), Jiuzantou (九讚頭), Hexing (合興), Fugui (富貴), Neiwan (內灣).
- 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 Hsinchu County Service Center 1F., No.133, Sanmin Rd., Zhubei City, Hsinchu County 302008, Taiwan (R.O.C.). Phone 03-551-9905.
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 Hsinchu County on other sites
Inside Hsinchu is a guide to Hsinchu County. These are its pages on the topics students ask about most, with NightMarket.tw for night markets.
- Zhubei Inside Hsinchu: living in Zhubei
- Events and what's on Inside Hsinchu: events this weekend and this month
- Shopping Inside Hsinchu: groceries and shopping
- Getting around Inside Hsinchu: getting around
- YouBike Inside Hsinchu: buses, YouBike and scooters; Cycle.tw: YouBike, city by city
- First weeks Inside Hsinchu: your first 30 days
- Night markets Inside Hsinchu: night markets
Official sites
- Hsinchu County Government (English)
- Hsinchu County Travel, the official tourism site (English)
- National Immigration Agency (English)
- Taiwan Tourism Administration (English)