The short version
Most universities offer some mix of four things. Student clubs (社團), which you join at a club fair at the start of the semester. A buddy (學伴) program that pairs new international students with local students. An orientation for new international students, which some schools require. And at some schools, a language exchange run by the Mandarin center or the international office. What exists, who runs it and when you sign up differ a lot by school, so check your own school's pages. The examples below come from each school's own site.
Clubs (社團) and club fairs
Clubs are run by students and supported by each school's student activities office (課外活動組). New students usually meet them at a club fair (社團博覽會 or 社團聯展) early in the semester. None of the official pages we read lists a joining fee; ask the club at the fair.
| School | What its own pages say |
|---|---|
| National Taiwan University (國立臺灣大學), Taipei | More than 400 clubs in eight categories. The fall 2026 club exhibition was on September 12, along Palm Avenue, with nearly 200 clubs. There is a second club fair every spring during the Azalea Festival. Students who find no club that suits them can start one. |
| National Chengchi University (國立政治大學), Taipei | Six types of club: student self-government, academic, arts, fellowship, service and fitness. |
| National Taiwan Normal University (國立臺灣師範大學), Taipei | Seven categories: academic, arts and culture, recreation, sports, service, fellowship, and comprehensive clubs. |
| National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (國立臺灣科技大學), Taipei | 86 clubs as of 2021. The Association of International Affairs (AIA) is the club for international students. |
| Tamkang University (淡江大學), New Taipei | 97 clubs took part in the fall 2025 club fair. Since 2011 Tamkang has offered a credit course for taking part in a club. |
| National Chung Hsing University (國立中興大學), Taichung | 123 clubs. Club life centers on "Round Hall", the second floor of the Student Activity Center. |
| National Cheng Kung University (國立成功大學), Tainan | New international students were introduced to clubs at the fall 2025 orientation. Starting a new club takes a petition of 20 or more signatures and a one-year trial. |
International student associations
Many schools also have associations for students from one country or region. NTU's international office lists 15, including an English Speaking Students Association (NTU Far from Home) and African, Muslim, European, LatiCari, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Indian, Malaysian, Myanmar Overseas Chinese, Philippine and Thai student associations. NCHU lists Malaysian, Muslim, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Indian, Thai, Japanese and Pakistani associations. Fu Jen Catholic University's International Student Center names one international student association, 國際菁英學生會.
Buddy (學伴) programs
A buddy is a current student who helps a new international student settle in. Some programs start before you arrive. Here is what schools in different cities describe:
| School | How it works |
|---|---|
| NTU, Taipei | International Student Volunteers give one-to-one help: contact before arrival about dorms and courses, then help with registration, the language test, the medical exam, the ARC and dorm check-in. |
| NCCU, Taipei | Exchange students get one or two local buddies who share a language. New degree students arriving in the fall can join the International Peer Program, paired with an upper-year international student from September to February, meeting at least once a month. |
| Taipei Tech (國立臺北科技大學), Taipei | Incoming exchange students can ask for a buddy, but because of demand, pairing is on request and not guaranteed. |
| National Tsing Hua University (國立清華大學), Hsinchu | Newbie Program: four or five new international degree students per current student ("Bee partner"), with five Bee partners and their 25 Newbies forming one "family". It is planned to last one year. |
| NCHU, Taichung | Student Buddy Program, run by the student club International Pioneer Club, which also holds welcome, Halloween and Christmas parties for all international students. |
| Feng Chia University (逢甲大學), Taichung | Every incoming student gets a buddy before arrival, from the International Linkages Volunteer (ILV) team of local students, which also runs welcome parties and cultural events each semester. |
| National Sun Yat-sen University (國立中山大學), Kaohsiung | English-speaking buddies contact incoming students before arrival, help them get to the dorm and shop for essentials, and join language and cultural exchange sessions. |
| Four schools together (TCUS) | NCHU, NCKU, National Chung Cheng University (國立中正大學, Chiayi) and NSYSU match international students across the four schools. In fall 2026, sign-up closed September 17. |
For local students: becoming a buddy
Buddy programs need local students, and schools recruit them each semester.
- NTU: register online at the international office system, complete online training and pass a qualification test.
- NTNU: buddies for fall 2026 exchange students applied by August 17, 2026; buddies for new international degree students in spring 2026 applied by December 21, 2025.
- Fu Jen Catholic University (輔仁大學), New Taipei: buddies for spring 2027 register by November 15, 2026, 23:00, with interviews November 18 to 20, results November 24 and training December 2. It is voluntary, with no scholarship or pay.
Host families
Some schools connect students with local families. NTU does this through the Ministry of Education's Light a Match Meet a Family (LMMF) program, with past events at festivals such as Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn and Winter Solstice. NCCU's Host Family Program, for international first-year degree students, has no overnight stays: hosts invite students to at least three day or half-day activities in the first semester, and each side pays its own costs. NTHU recruited staff as host families in spring 2025.
Orientation
Orientation is where you meet the international office, the clubs and the other new students. Some schools make it compulsory.
- NTU: in fall 2026, the Orientation Session on September 2 was required for all incoming international students, followed by an Orientation Camp on September 2 and 3 with club markets and a music festival.
- NCCU: requires all incoming international students to complete an orientation session, around early September for fall and early to mid February for spring.
- NSYSU: all exchange students must attend. Orientation and the Welcome Party are usually on a Friday before classes.
- NCKU: over 150 new international students came to the fall 2025 orientation.
- Tamkang: about 360 international freshmen came to the fall 2025 orientation and welcome reception, with talks on campus safety, cultural adjustment and the Counseling Center.
- NTNU: in fall 2024 the international office ran airport pickups, campus tours, welcome tea parties and a welcome party, and student associations hosted welcome dinners.
Language exchange (語言交換)
Language exchange pairs someone learning Mandarin with someone learning another language. Several Mandarin centers run it:
- NTNU Mandarin Training Center: students register online from the 1st to the 15th of March, June, September and December.
- NCCU: a weekly lunchtime Mandarin Table, with one local table leader and three international students per table and a free simple meal, for students at about TOCFL A2. The Chinese Language Center's Language Partner Program matched more than 200 partners in 2025.
- NSYSU Chinese Language Center: a free program for NSYSU students, with applications in March, June, September and December.
- NCHU Chinese Language Center: in spring 2026, local students were trained in five lunchtime workshops, then paired with Mandarin program students and set their own meetups, at night markets, parks and museums.
- NCKU Chinese Language Center: presented a Study Buddy Program at the spring 2026 orientation.
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Other ways schools bring people together
- NTUST's Counseling Center ran "Small Circle, Big World" in fall 2025: four group sessions for up to eight international students, on adjusting to life in Taiwan and making friends, with dinner provided.
- National Dong Hwa University (國立東華大學) in Hualien held a "World Café" in May 2025 with international, overseas Chinese and local students, and a "Tangyuan Day" for exchange students in December 2025.
Questions
Can international students join university clubs?
Yes. Schools introduce clubs to new international students at orientation and at club fairs. National Taiwan University's international office points international students to its clubs and lists 15 international student associations, and NTU's fall 2026 Club Expo was part of its orientation calendar.
How do I meet local students, not only other international students?
Buddy programs pair new international students with local students: for example at National Chung Hsing University, National Sun Yat-sen University and Feng Chia University. Mandarin centers at schools such as NTNU, NCCU, NSYSU and NCHU also run language exchange or language partner programs. At NCHU, the language buddies are trained local students.
Can local students become a buddy?
Yes, at many schools. NTU's international student volunteers register online, take training and pass a test. NTNU and Fu Jen Catholic University post buddy recruitment each semester with a deadline. Buddy roles are usually voluntary: Fu Jen says its program has no scholarship or pay.
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Sources (43)
Checked November 2026.
NTU: clubs and international student associations, orientation activities, Host Family Program, student volunteers, 社團聯展, 社團博覽會. NCCU: clubs, Buddy Program, International Peer Program, Host Family Program, orientation, Mandarin Table, Language Partner Program. NTNU: clubs, MTC language exchange, fall 2024 welcome, fall 2026 buddy recruitment, spring 2026 buddy recruitment. NTUST: clubs, Small Circle, Big World. Taipei Tech: buddy program. Tamkang Times: club fair, club credit course, orientation. Fu Jen: International Student Center, buddy recruitment. NTHU: Newbie Program, host families. NCHU: clubs, international student clubs, Student Buddy Program, buddy events, Language Buddy Program. Feng Chia: buddies. NCKU: clubs, fall 2025 orientation, spring 2026 orientation. NSYSU: buddies, orientation, TCUS buddy program, language exchange. NDHU: Tangyuan Day, World Café.