The short version
Miaoli (苗栗縣) has three open universities and colleges in our directory. There is one High Speed Rail station and 16 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 Miaoli County Service Center.
Universities and colleges here
- Jen-Teh Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management仁德醫護管理專科學校
- National United University國立聯合大學
- Yu Da University of Science and Technology育達科技大學
→ Browse Miaoli's schools, including any that have closed
The county in numbers
- Registered population 529,012 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 1,820.3149 km², in 18 districts and townships (鄉鎮市區).
- Density 292 people per km², from the end of 2025 figures.
Getting around
- High Speed Rail (THSR) Miaoli Station (苗栗站), 苗栗縣後龍鎮高鐵三路268號.
- Taiwan Railway (TRA) 16 stations with an address here: Qiding (崎頂), Zhunan (竹南), Tanwen (談文), Dashan (大山), Houlong (後龍), Longgang (龍港), Baishatun (白沙屯), Xinpu (新埔), Tongxiao (通霄), Yuanli (苑裡), Zaoqiao (造橋), Fengfu (豐富), Miaoli (苗栗), Nanshi (南勢), Tongluo (銅鑼), Sanyi (三義).
- 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 Miaoli County Service Center No.8, Ln. 1291, Zhongzheng Rd., Miaoli City, Miaoli County 360012, Taiwan (R.O.C.). Phone 037-322-350.
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 Miaoli on other sites
Miaoli has no guide of its own. These are the nearest pages, from Inside Hsinchu, which covers the area around it.
- Nearest guide page Inside Hsinchu: trains
- YouBike Cycle.tw: YouBike, city by city
- First weeks Inside Hsinchu: your first 30 days, written about Hsinchu and Zhubei
Official sites
- Miaoli County Government (English)
- Miaoli culture and tourism site (苗栗文化觀光旅遊網, in Chinese)
- National Immigration Agency (English)
- Taiwan Tourism Administration (English)