The short version
University life in Taiwan has a yearly rhythm. September brings the freshman welcome season (迎新): club fairs, welcome concerts and department freshman camps. Spring brings the school anniversary fair (校慶園遊會) and, at some schools, big contests like the Mei-Zhu Games in Hsinchu. The year ends with graduation balls. Schools list from about 70 to about 400 clubs. Some museums and parks have student prices, but not every page says whether a foreign student's ID counts. Off campus, each city guide below lists what is on, things to do and, in three cities, nightlife.
The campus year
School pages from Taipei to Hualien describe a similar pattern. The examples below come from each school's own website.
| When | What | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| September | Freshman welcome (迎新) and club fairs (社團博覽會, 社團聯展) | National Taiwan University, National Sun Yat-sen University, Feng Chia University, National Dong Hwa University |
| Start of term | Department freshman camps (迎新宿營), run by the department association (系學會) | National Taiwan University |
| Spring | School anniversary, with a campus fair (校慶園遊會), concerts and club shows | National Tsing Hua University (April), National Taiwan University, National Ilan University |
| Spring, usually March | The Mei-Zhu Games (梅竹賽) | National Tsing Hua University and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University |
| End of the school year | Graduation ball (畢業舞會) and graduation season events | National Cheng Kung University |
Welcome season and club fairs
- Taipei. National Taiwan University (國立臺灣大學, NTU) held its 2025 joint club exhibition (社團聯展) on Saturday 6 September 2025, along the main avenue (椰林大道), with 13 clubs on the main stage and a vote for the best booth. NTU's student affairs office also runs a welcome concert (迎新音樂會).
- Taichung. Feng Chia University (逢甲大學) says its September 2023 club fair had 70 booths, and its freshman welcome concert (迎新演唱會) drew over 1,000 freshmen and ran nearly three and a half hours.
- Tainan. National Cheng Kung University (國立成功大學, NCKU) news describes a club fair run by the student club federation after the freshman night (新鮮人之夜), with 128 clubs taking part.
- Kaohsiung. National Sun Yat-sen University (國立中山大學, NSYSU) held its 2024 club exhibition on 11 to 13 September at the student activity center, with booths, a stage show and about 40 food and craft stalls. In 2023, Kaohsiung Medical University (高雄醫學大學) ran a free, optional joint welcome with NSYSU at a leisure farm, by coach.
- Hualien. National Dong Hwa University (國立東華大學) set its 2026 club fair for Saturday 12 September 2026, with stage shows and a stamp-collecting game with souvenirs. It was the last event of the school's freshman series.
Good to know: NTU's activities office has warned that some freshman camps are held so close to the start of term that they can clash with health checks, registration and the opening ceremony. Check your school's dates before you sign up.
How many clubs
| School | Clubs, as the school's page gives them |
|---|---|
| National Taiwan University (Taipei) | About 400 active clubs |
| National Chengchi University (國立政治大學, Taipei) | About 200 clubs |
| National Tsing Hua University (國立清華大學, Hsinchu) | More than 190 clubs |
| National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (國立陽明交通大學, Hsinchu and Taipei) | 138 clubs, plus 40 student councils and department associations |
| National Ilan University (國立宜蘭大學, Yilan) | 74 entries in its club list |
| Kaohsiung Medical University (Kaohsiung) | 69 clubs in its directory, plus department associations |
Most schools group clubs the same way: academic, arts, music, service, sport and fitness, recreation, fellowship and self-governing groups. Tunghai University (東海大學) in Taichung adds a directory of its department associations. National Chengchi University's international office told new international students in 2024 that all of its clubs are open to them. → How clubs, buddies and language exchange work
Rivalries, anniversaries and graduation balls
- The Mei-Zhu Games (梅竹賽), Hsinchu. National Tsing Hua University describes this as its biggest annual contest with neighbouring National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (once Chiao Tung). It has run officially since 1969, every spring, usually in March. Events include basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, badminton, tug-of-war, bridge, chess, debate and English performance.
- Anniversaries. National Tsing Hua University's anniversary each April has concerts, a campus fair and big club performances. National Ilan University also names its anniversary fair as one of its large school-wide events.
- Graduation. At NCKU, the graduating class association (畢聯會) organised a graduation ball with a formal-dinner theme in 2022. The same season had the NCKU Festival (成大祭), with a lawn concert and a market.
- Contests. National Chengchi University's student activities section runs the NCCU Culture Cup choir competition.
Events for international students
- NTU's Host Family Program links international students with local families around festivals. Past events include sachet making for the Dragon Boat Festival, a Mid-Autumn gathering (27 families, nearly 100 students from 40 countries) and tangyuan for the Winter Solstice.
- NSYSU's international office lists an International Cultural Festival (24 to 26 March 2026) and an International Students Annual Sports Meet. An earlier festival had a traditional-dress fashion show, traditional games and a world food fair.
- National Chengchi University's 2024 welcome for nearly 400 international freshmen included a tour of Dadaocheng and a shopping trip to IKEA.
- NCKU's international office posts a buddy program that pairs you with an international student at another university in its university system (TCUS), with a buddy event.
Sport
The Ministry of Sports' 2025 survey covers everyone aged 13 and over, not only students, and gives no figure for university students. It found that 83.3% of people took part in sport and 35.6% exercised regularly. Badminton was 9.4% of all activity. Men did more ball sports, mainly basketball and badminton, and women more stretching, Pilates and yoga. 16.9% exercised at public sports centers (國民運動中心) or sports parks.
Student prices
Carry your student ID, because places ask for proof. Some places say exactly who gets a student price. Others do not say whether a foreign student's Taiwanese student ID counts, so ask at the desk.
| Place | Full price | Student price |
|---|---|---|
| National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院), Taipei, Exhibition Hall I | NT$350 | Free for students of Taiwanese schools with a valid student ID from an MOE-registered school (the page does not say whether foreign students count). NT$150 with an International Student Identity Card (ISIC). |
| National Museum of Natural Science (國立自然科學博物館), Taichung, exhibition halls | NT$120 | NT$90 for students aged 12 and over, with proof. No student price for the Space Theater (NT$100) or the second theater (NT$70). |
| National Taiwan Museum (國立臺灣博物館), Taipei | NT$30 combined ticket, NT$130 four-branch ticket | Half price (NT$15, NT$65) on showing ID. |
| Kenting National Park (墾丁國家公園), Pingtung, Jialeshuei (佳樂水) | NT$100 | NT$60. Students get half fare only at Jialeshuei. Sheding Park, Longluan Lake and South Bay are free. |
| Zhuilu Old Trail (錐麓古道), Taroko National Park, Hualien | NT$200 | NT$100. You also need a park entry permit. |
Before a trip to Taroko, Inside Hualien has a page on what is open and closed at Taroko Gorge. For student discounts in Taipei, see Inside Taipei's Taipei for students. Student fares and passes for trains and buses are on our getting around page.
The culture coin (文化幣)
The Ministry of Culture (文化部) gives 1,200 points (1 point is NT$1) to eligible young people born from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2013. The 2026 points can be claimed in the 文化幣 app from 1 January 2026 and used until 31 December 2026, on performances, Taiwanese films, books, museums, markets and expos, and arts workshops.
Who qualifies: citizens with household registration, and some other groups, including foreign spouses of citizens with a residence permit and foreigners with Taiwan permanent residence. A foreign student on an ordinary student resident certificate (ARC) is not on the list. The ministry also says that registering in the app does not by itself confirm you qualify.
Volunteering and youth programs
- Service learning (服務學習). Some schools have made it part of the degree. At NCKU, students who entered in autumn 2025 or later no longer have the Service Learning I to III requirement, but students who entered earlier must still complete those zero-credit courses to graduate. At NTU, each service-learning course includes a basic session (a video and a written reflection). Check your own school's rule.
- Service camps. National Ilan University names winter and summer service camps, and club outreach to primary and secondary schools, among its large school-wide events.
- Youth Travel Spots (青年壯遊點). The Youth Development Administration (教育部青年發展署, YDA) works with non-profits and universities to run these across Taiwan: travel advice, luggage storage, guided tours and hands-on activities in seven themes (culture, indigenous communities, ecology, farming villages, fishing villages, volunteering and fitness). They are for ages 15 to 35, and the YDA says domestic and foreign youth may sign up at youthtravel.tw. Activities run from 1 January to 30 November each year.
- Overseas volunteer teams (青年海外志工服務隊). The YDA subsidizes teams formed through Taiwanese universities and registered non-profits. Volunteers are aged 18 to 35, and a team needs at least three. Foreign students at Taiwanese universities may join, as long as at least half the team are ROC nationals.
Where people go, city by city
Each city guide has pages on things to do and on what is on this week and this month, and NightMarket.tw lists night markets by city, with which are open tonight. Only Taipei, Tainan and Kaohsiung have a nightlife page. These are other sites' pages, and event listings change every week.
- Taipei and New Taipei: things to do, what's on, nightlife (Inside Taipei); night markets in Taipei and New Taipei (NightMarket.tw).
- Hsinchu City and County: things to do, what's on (Inside Hsinchu); City God Temple food area (NightMarket.tw).
- Taichung: things to do, what's on (Inside Taichung); night markets (NightMarket.tw).
- Tainan: things to do, what's on, nightlife (Inside Tainan); night markets (NightMarket.tw).
- Kaohsiung: things to do, what's on, shows and nightlife (Inside Kaohsiung); night markets (NightMarket.tw).
- Yilan: things to do, what's on (Inside Yilan); night markets (NightMarket.tw).
- Hualien: things to do, what's on (Inside Hualien); Dongdamen Night Market (NightMarket.tw).
- Taoyuan, Pingtung and Taitung: night markets in Taoyuan, Pingtung and Kenting and Taitung (NightMarket.tw).
- Everywhere else: NightMarket.tw's night markets beyond the big five cities, from Keelung to Kenting. Our things-to-do page lists day trips from the nearest guide for cities without their own.
→ Things to do, city by city
→ Food and night markets
→ University cities
Friends, going out and dating
Clubs and buddy programs are two ways schools bring students together. Before a night out, read up on the drinking age and the rules on drink driving and drugs. The dating page covers consent, harassment and the campus rules on relationships with staff.
→ Making friends at university
→ Going out: drinking, the law and getting home
→ Dating, consent and safety
Questions
What do university students in Taiwan do for fun?
Campus life follows a yearly rhythm: a freshman welcome season with club fairs and concerts in September, department freshman camps, an anniversary fair in spring, and a graduation ball at the end. Schools have from about 70 to about 400 clubs. Off campus, each city guide lists what is on, things to do and night markets.
Do international students get student discounts at museums?
Some places say so, some do not say. The National Palace Museum gives free entry to students of Taiwanese schools with a valid student ID, but its page does not say whether foreign students count; holders of an International Student Identity Card (ISIC) pay NT$150 instead of NT$350. The National Museum of Natural Science and the National Taiwan Museum list student prices without saying which ID counts, so ask at the ticket desk.
Can foreign students get the culture coin?
Usually not. The Ministry of Culture's 2026 culture coin gives 1,200 points to eligible young people born from 2004 to 2013. Its eligibility list includes foreigners with permanent residence and foreign spouses of citizens, but not foreign students on an ordinary student resident certificate.
Can international students volunteer in Taiwan?
Some programs are open to them. The Youth Development Administration says its Youth Travel Spots are open to domestic and foreign youth aged 15 to 35. Foreign students at Taiwanese universities may join its subsidized overseas volunteer teams, as long as at least half the team are ROC nationals.
Sources (37)
Checked November 2026.
National Taiwan University: Extracurricular Activities Section, 2025 club exhibition, freshman camp briefing, service learning, international orientation, Host Family Program. National Chengchi University: Student Activities Section, club fair notice, international freshman welcome. National Tsing Hua University: Extracurricular Activities Section, Mei-Zhu Games. National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Office of Student Affairs. Tunghai University, club directory. Feng Chia University, 2023 club fair. National Cheng Kung University: club fair, 2022 graduation season, TCUS buddy program, service learning rule. National Sun Yat-sen University: 2024 club exhibition, international events, International Cultural Festival. Kaohsiung Medical University: club list, joint welcome notice. National Dong Hwa University: 2026 club fair, Extracurricular Activities Section. National Ilan University: student affairs FAQ, club list. Ministry of Sports, 2025 Sports Status Survey. National Palace Museum, admission. National Museum of Natural Science, tickets. National Taiwan Museum, tickets. Kenting National Park, fees. National Park Service, Zhuilu Old Trail fees. Ministry of Culture: culture coin, eligibility. Youth Development Administration: Youth Travel Spots, overseas volunteer teams.