Overseas Chinese, Hong Kong and Macau students

Who counts as an overseas Chinese student (僑生)

The rules are in 僑生回國就學及輔導辦法, last amended on October 5, 2023 (民國 112 年 10 月 5 日).

• An ethnic Chinese student who was born overseas and has lived there continuously since, or who has most recently lived overseas continuously for six years or more, and holds a permanent or long-term residence document from that place.
• For medicine, dentistry and Chinese medicine at university, the continuous residence needed is eight years or more.
• Your status as 僑生 is decided by the overseas community affairs authority (僑務主管機關).
• "Overseas" means countries or regions other than mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. "Continuous" means no more than 120 days in Taiwan in each calendar year.
• Some time in Taiwan is not counted, including: overseas youth technical training classes run by the Overseas Community Affairs Council (僑委會); Mandarin study or government activities under two years in total; exchange study under two years in total; approved internships under two years in total; military service in Taiwan; and being unable to return because of war, natural disaster or a large epidemic.
• Citizenship or permanent residence of the place where you live, or a Republic of China (Taiwan) passport endorsed with overseas residence status, counts as a permanent or long-term residence document.
• Residence is counted up to the application deadline in that year's admission guide. If you only qualify when counted up to August 31 of that year, you sign a declaration (切結書), and the overseas community affairs authority reviews it after you are admitted.
• Ethnic Chinese students with foreign nationality and Hong Kong or Macau permanent residence, who have never had household registration in Taiwan and have lived in Hong Kong, Macau or overseas continuously for six years or more (eight for medicine, dentistry and Chinese medicine), may also apply to university under these rules.
• Fees: overseas Chinese students pay the same fee rate the school sets for Taiwanese students.

Who counts as a Hong Kong or Macau student (港澳生)

The rules are in 香港澳門居民來臺就學辦法, last amended on April 25, 2022 (民國 111 年 4 月 25 日).

• A Hong Kong or Macau resident with a permanent residence document who has most recently lived outside Taiwan continuously for six years or more. For medicine, dentistry and Chinese medicine at university, eight years or more.
• You may not stay in Taiwan for more than 120 days in each calendar year. The rules list exceptions, such as military service, exchange or Mandarin study under two years, pregnancy and childbirth, serious illness and natural disasters.
• Hong Kong and Macau students are admitted on places added on top of the normal quota (外加名額).
• The Hong Kong admission guide adds a condition: you must have Hong Kong permanent residence and hold no travel document other than a British National (Overseas) passport or a Hong Kong passport. If you don't meet this when you apply, you sign a declaration. If you still don't meet it after you are admitted, you cannot enrol in Taiwan.

If you are a foreign national applying under the international student rules instead: → How to apply as an international student

What you apply with

• 僑生: an application form, academic credentials and transcripts, your residence document from the place where you live, a list of your choices in order (not needed when you apply to a university's own admissions), and any documents the school asks for. You apply during each year's admission period through an overseas mission, a unit named by the overseas community affairs authority, or a university approved to admit overseas Chinese students on its own.
• 港澳生: an application form, academic credentials and transcripts, a Hong Kong or Macau passport or permanent residence document, original proof of continuous residence outside Taiwan, a list of your choices in order (not needed when you apply to a university's own admissions), and the documents the admission guide lists. You apply to 海外聯招會 or a body it names, or to a university approved to admit Hong Kong and Macau students on its own.

The routes

海外聯招會 runs a joint admission with two routes, Individual Application and Joint Placement. It takes the applications and announces the results. Universities also run their own admissions, where each university takes applications and announces results itself.

Individual Application (個人申請)

• Up to 4 choices, not limited by subject group.
• 海外聯招會 forwards your review documents to each department you chose. You are placed by the department's quota, its review result and the order of your choices.
• If you are not admitted through Individual Application, you move into Joint Placement automatically. You don't need to register for Joint Placement again.

Joint Placement (聯合分發)

• Choices are in three subject groups (第一、二、三類組). Groups 2 and 3 can cross over.
• Up to 70 choices.
• Gold, silver and bronze medallists of the International Mathematical, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science and Informatics Olympiads, and first to fourth place winners at the International Science and Engineering Fair in the United States, may choose up to 3 extra Joint Placement choices for review, with a separate quota and priority admission.

International foundation programs (國際專修部)

• Open only through Individual Application.
• After you enrol, you first study Mandarin, in principle for up to 1 year and at least one semester. At the end you need TOCFL (the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language) listening and reading at the basic level (A2), and the advanced level (B1) before your second year.

A university's own admissions (單獨招生)

• Two stages. Stage 1 results come out before February 28 each year. Stage 2 results come out after August 1. Each university writes its own admission guide.
• If you are admitted in stage 1 in an academic year, you cannot also be placed through 海外聯招會 in that year.

Good to know: university classes, including the international foundation programs and the NTNU preparatory division, start around September.

Fall 2027 dates at 海外聯招會

From 海外聯招會's announcement of October 30, 2026 for Fall 2027 entry (116 學年度). Results dates are expected dates. 海外聯招會 says the Joint Placement scores, application and results dates for Hong Kong and Macau follow the latest (2027) admission guides.

General regions: Europe, the Americas, Africa and Oceania

• In the general regions (一般免試地區), 僑生 apply through an overseas mission, an Overseas Chinese Culture and Education Service Center of the Overseas Community Affairs Council, or a recommending unit the council names. You cannot apply outside your own region.
• The Overseas Community Affairs Council checks your 僑生 status, then 海外聯招會 places you.
• For Joint Placement you can use your grades from the last three years of secondary school, SAT Subject Test, A Level or IBDP results.
• This guide only places overseas high school graduates into the first year of university, the international foundation programs and the NTNU preparatory division. It does not accept applications into the second year or above based on overseas college study.

Hong Kong students: bachelor's programs

• Application fee NT$2,000 for bachelor's programs. NT$400 to apply to the NTNU preparatory division. Paid by credit card, not refundable.
• How to apply Online only. You must also bring the originals of your identity and academic documents to a named location at a time you book in the system. Your application is complete only after this check.
• Individual Application documents Upload and submit your review documents by 5 p.m. Taiwan time on January 6, 2027. If you don't, you are not placed through Individual Application and move straight into Joint Placement.
• Exams for Joint Placement If you graduated from a local Chinese-language or foreign-language secondary school (including international schools): the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE), the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination, the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination, SAT Subject Test, overseas A Level or IBDP results. You can also choose to apply to the NTNU preparatory division.
• How DSE is scored Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics are required, each weighted 1.3. Two more elective subjects are counted, the best ones for your subject group. The total is a weighted score over 5 subjects.
• DSE choices If you apply for Joint Placement with DSE or other Hong Kong public exam results, submit your list of choices on the choice website between July 1 and July 15, 2027. If you don't submit it and don't send a waiver, you are placed at the NTNU preparatory division.
• Residence counted back from December 15, 2026 for Individual Application. March 15, 2027 for Joint Placement with DSE or similar results. June 10, 2027 for the NTNU preparatory division. Six years, or eight for medicine, dentistry and Chinese medicine.
• Associate degree or Higher Diploma If you hold a full-time Hong Kong associate degree or Higher Diploma (Qualifications Framework Level 4), this guide only places you into the first year of a bachelor's program or the NTNU preparatory division. After you enrol, you can apply for credit transfer and a higher year under the school's rules.
• Who cannot use this guide Students who studied at or graduated from a senior high school in Taiwan.

Hong Kong students: two-year bachelor's programs (港二技)

For Hong Kong students with a full-time associate degree or Higher Diploma or above, entering a two-year bachelor's program at a university of technology. You earn a bachelor's degree after completing the program in Taiwan, two years in principle.

• Application period 9 a.m. February 1 to 5 p.m. March 31, 2027, online.
• Residence Six years counted back from March 31, 2027 (April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2027).
• Credentials Must meet the rules for checking and recognising Hong Kong and Macau qualifications. Your program must be at Hong Kong Qualifications Framework Level 4 or above. Your certificates and transcripts must be verified by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (台北經濟文化辦事處).
• Application fee NT$2,000.
• Placement 海外聯招會 forwards your application to the schools for review and places you by quota, review result and the order of your choices.

Macau students: bachelor's programs

• Application period Individual Application November 1 to December 15, 2026. Joint Placement January 4 to February 14, 2027.
• Exams for Joint Placement If you graduated from a local secondary school: the 2027 Macau four-university joint admission exam (澳門四高校聯合入學考試), language and mathematics subjects, plus the subjects for your group from your last three years of secondary school transcripts. You can also choose to apply to the NTNU preparatory division.
• Application fee NT$3,600 for bachelor's programs. NT$800 to apply to the NTNU preparatory division.

The NTNU preparatory division (臺師大僑先部)

The 國立臺灣師範大學僑生先修部 started in 1955 as 國立僑生大學先修班. It merged with National Taiwan Normal University (國立臺灣師範大學) in 2006, and it is the only school in Taiwan that runs university preparatory education for overseas Chinese students. It is at 新北市林口區仁愛路一段 2 號 (Linkou, New Taipei). After you complete it, you enter a bachelor's program at a Taiwan university through 海外聯招會 Individual Application or Joint Placement.

• Fall class One year (2 semesters), open to all regions. Starts in September and ends the next June. Group 1: arts, law, business, education and art. Group 2: science and engineering. Group 3: medicine and agriculture.
• Spring class Half a year, Malaysia only. Starts in February and ends in June the same year.
• Special class (特輔班) Two years, for high school graduates from Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore (secondary four system), Myanmar (tenth grade) and Vietnam who need more Mandarin. The first year is mainly Mandarin. Students who pass move into the fall class in the second year.
• Not meeting the equivalent qualification rules If you don't meet the rules on years of suspension, withdrawal or repeating that count as an equivalent qualification, the Hong Kong guide says you can still apply, but only to the NTNU preparatory division. You can apply to university after one year, once you complete it.
• Changing placement 僑生 may ask once, before enrolling, to change the school they were placed at. If you were placed at a university, you can only change to the NTNU preparatory division. 港澳生 placed through the joint route may ask once, before enrolling, to change to the NTNU preparatory division or 華僑高中.

A university's own admissions: Fall 2027

These are the application periods listed for Fall 2027 entry (116 學年度) in 海外聯招會's list of universities. Each school's own guide is what counts. Several of these had closed when we checked.

From the schools' own pages:

• National Tsing Hua University: its Fall 2027 own admission for 僑生, Hong Kong and Macau students is for bachelor's programs only. Master's and PhD applicants go through 海外聯招會. Online application ran from 9 a.m. August 14 to 5 p.m. October 15, 2026. Results January 22, 2027. Confirm enrolment January 22 to January 28, 2027.
• National Taiwan University: its 2027 own admission for 僑生, Hong Kong and Macau students ran from August 3 to September 17, 2026.
• National Cheng Kung University: its 2027/2028 own admission for bachelor's programs (September 2027 and February 2028 entry) published its guide on July 20, 2026. Online application ran from August 10 to October 2, 2026.

→ All universities

Sources

僑生回國就學及輔導辦法, 香港澳門居民來臺就學辦法, 海外聯招會 2027 秋季入學報名資訊, admission guides by region, Hong Kong guide, Macau guide, Hong Kong two-year bachelor's guide, general regions guide and universities' own admissions list, NTNU preparatory division about and classes, National Tsing Hua University, National Taiwan University, National Cheng Kung University. Checked November 2026.