The short version
You apply for exchange at your own school, and after its internal selection you study at a partner school. Exchange students usually register and pay fees at their own school, and don't pay tuition at the partner school. The Ministry of Education's 學海 grants (學海飛颺, 學海惜珠, 學海築夢 and 新南向學海築夢) are also applied for by schools; students apply to their own school's internal selection. For 學海飛颺 the MOE pays NT$50,000 to NT$300,000 per student. 學海惜珠 is for strong students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Two different things
- Your school's exchange program: your school signs agreements with partner schools abroad, and each side takes the other's exchange students. Each school sets its own places, requirements and dates, and you apply at your own school.
- The MOE's 學海 program: the Ministry of Education (MOE, 教育部) gives schools money to send students abroad to study or intern. Once a school gets the grant, it chooses the students through its own internal selection.
The four types of 學海 grant
The rules are the MOE's guidelines for subsidizing universities that send students abroad to study or intern (教育部鼓勵國內大專校院選送學生出國研修或國外專業實習補助要點), last amended November 4, 2025, in force from January 1, 2026. The aim is to help public and private universities send strong students to study at universities abroad (not mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau), or to intern at companies or organizations.
| Type | What it is | Length | MOE grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 學海飛颺 | Strong students take credits at a university abroad | One semester (or quarter) or one academic year | NT$50,000 to NT$300,000 per student, adjustable to the year's budget |
| 學海惜珠 | Strong students from disadvantaged backgrounds take credits at a university abroad | One semester (or quarter) or one academic year | Set from the student details in the school's plan, considering the country or city and economy airfares; the guidelines set no minimum or maximum |
| 學海築夢 | Workplace internships abroad, outside the New Southbound countries | At least 28 days in a row, at most one academic year | At least one return economy ticket per student, and possibly living costs; the school sets the amount for each project |
| 新南向學海築夢 | Internships in New Southbound countries | At least 28 days in a row (25 in Indonesia), at most one academic year | At least one return economy ticket per student, and possibly living costs; the MOE sets the amount for each project |
- 學海飛颺 and 學海惜珠 grants can include one return economy ticket, tuition abroad and living costs. Each school sets the actual amount per student. Internship days don't count travel days.
- What each student gets is the MOE grant plus the school's own contribution. The school must add at least 20% of the MOE grant.
- For 學海飛颺 and 學海惜珠, the university abroad must be on the MOE's reference list, or be recognized by its own government's education authority or an accreditation body that authority recognizes.
- The New Southbound countries are 18: Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia.
Who applies: the school, not you
- For all four types, public and private universities and colleges (not military or police schools) apply to the MOE as a school. They are called the sending school (薦送學校).
- Each school sets its own review process and internal selection rules (校內甄選簡章), uploads them to the 學海 information site, and takes applications from its students. You apply at your own school.
- For 學海築夢, each school can submit up to ten projects, in its own order of priority, and each project sends at least three students. 學海築夢 and 新南向學海築夢 projects can include students from other schools.
Who can be chosen
- When you apply: Republic of China nationality with household registration in Taiwan, and at least one semester at the sending school at the same level of study (years four and five for five-year junior college). Students in in-service programs in Taiwan or abroad can't apply.
- You must meet the sending school's academic and language requirements.
- Each person gets one grant per level of study. If places and money are left over, a school can move students to another type.
Who qualifies for 學海惜珠
Any one of these:
- Status confirmed by your city or county government as a low-income or middle-to-low-income household, family assistance for special circumstances, living allowance for people with disabilities, living assistance for disadvantaged children and youth, emergency living assistance for children and youth in disadvantaged families, or a family member in the same household register qualifying for the middle-to-low-income senior living allowance.
- Eligibility for the grant under the MOE's aid plan for students in hardship (弱勢學生助學計畫).
- A parent with a disability certificate.
Low-income and middle-to-low-income students enter their national ID number in the system. Other statuses attach the official letter or certificate and a copy of the household register.
Dates
These are the dates between schools and the MOE, as the guidelines set them. Each school sets its own date for students to apply to its internal selection, in its selection rules.
| First round | Second round (announced by August 1, depending on the year's budget) | |
|---|---|---|
| Schools upload their internal selection rules | By January 31 | By August 31 |
| Schools submit their grant plans | By March 31 | By September 30 |
| MOE review | April to May | October to November |
| Results announced | By May 31 | By November 30 |
- The 2026 second round covered only 學海惜珠, 學海築夢 and 新南向學海築夢, not 學海飛颺.
- Chosen students must leave by October 31 of the year after their plan is approved, or they are treated as having given up. Students in the first 2026 batch leave between the approval date and October 31, 2027.
- When we checked, the MOE had not yet published the 2027 schedule.
Your duties if chosen
- You can't also take any other Taiwan government grant for going abroad.
- Before you leave, you sign an administrative contract with your school. Without it, you can't receive the grant.
- If you study abroad for less than a semester (or quarter), or intern for less than 28 days in a row (25 in Indonesia), you get no grant, and you repay anything already paid.
- You stay enrolled at your sending school while abroad (no leave of absence) and report back to it afterwards. If you don't, the whole grant is recovered.
- Your school pays the first installment before you leave, at least 80% of the MOE grant. It enters your details on the information site at least two weeks before you go, so the MOE can tell Taiwan's offices abroad.
- Students who had low-income or middle-to-low-income status and lose it because they were abroad for 183 days or more (under Article 4, paragraph 6 of the Public Assistance Act) can apply to a special MOE program for such students after they return (低收入戶及中低收入戶學生參加教育部、大專校院選（薦）出國研修或國外專業實習返國後專案性補助計畫).
學海飛颺 and 學海惜珠 award holders who qualify for a student loan can also borrow up to NT$440,000 a year for overseas study. → Student aid
School exchange programs: examples
These are each school's own rules, in the version the school published when we checked. Other schools' rules are different.
National Taiwan University (國立臺灣大學)
- The international exchange program rests on equal, reciprocal agreements with partner schools. You study at a partner school for a semester or a year. Credits can be recognized; whether they count toward graduation is reviewed by the course unit or your department and approved by the Office of Academic Affairs. Exchange grades don't count toward your GPA or graduation average.
- Fees: you register at NTU and pay full NTU tuition and fees, and don't pay the partner school's tuition. You pay the partner school's other fees, housing, living costs, insurance and flights yourself.
- Who: NTU bachelor's students in year two or above, or graduate students. Bachelor's students need a 2025-26 (114 學年度) GPA of 2.44 or above, or to be in the top 50% of their class; graduate students have no grade requirement. You also need the language results the selection rules ask for.
- While abroad, take at least two courses or six credits a semester.
- For going abroad in fall 2027 (first semester of 116 學年度), the application period was November 3 to 9, 2026.
National Chengchi University (國立政治大學, university-level exchange)
- The first-semester 2026-27 selection (115 學年第 1 學期), for one semester in fall 2027 or spring 2028, or a year from fall 2027 to spring 2028: applications September 16 to 24, 2026, until 4 pm; first choices due November 16; first-round acceptance due November 26.
- Students accepted pay an NT$5,000 deposit and confirm online. It is returned in full, without interest, when you complete the exchange; it is partly or fully kept if you break the rules or don't complete it.
- You still register and pay at NCCU while abroad. Exchange students exempt from tuition by reciprocity pay tuition, miscellaneous fees, accident insurance and the computer and internet fee.
- NCCU's international degree students can also go on exchange.
National Cheng Kung University (國立成功大學, university-wide exchange)
- There is an internal selection each semester, and each application is for one semester.
- Spring 2027 exchange: applications April 27 to May 18, 2026, until 4 pm; list announced June 19; consent form due June 26, by 4 pm.
- If, after the list is announced, the partner school has no suitable department, the international office doesn't reassign you, your place is cancelled, and the NT$8,000 deposit is not returned.
Tamkang University (淡江大學), private
- Exchange students register and pay full Tamkang tuition and fees, pay no tuition and fees at the partner school, and cover their other costs. Fees the partner school charges that Tamkang doesn't must still be paid.
- Tamkang also has a junior year abroad program (大三出國): you pay the host school's fees, plus a quarter of Tamkang's fees.
- This is from Tamkang's 2024-25 (113 學年度) study abroad handbook.
Questions
Can I apply to the MOE for 學海飛颺 myself?
No. Schools apply to the MOE for all four types of 學海 grant. You apply to your own school's internal selection, and the school chooses who it sends.
How much does 學海飛颺 pay?
The MOE pays NT$50,000 to NT$300,000 per student, adjustable to the year's budget, and each school sets the actual amount. With the school's own contribution, it can cover flights, tuition abroad and living costs.
Which school's tuition do I pay on exchange?
It depends on the school. At NTU, NCCU and Tamkang, for example, exchange students register and pay fees at their own school and don't pay the partner school's tuition, and pay their own housing, living costs, insurance and flights.
Can I combine a 學海 grant with other government grants for going abroad?
No. Chosen students can't also take any other Taiwan government grant for going abroad.
Sources (17)
Checked November 2026.
MOE 學海 information site (in Chinese): 2026 home, rules, first batch schedule, second batch schedule, 2026 second round notice, 2027 briefings notice, full guidelines, 學海惜珠 statuses and documents. Student loan operating guidelines. NTU: study abroad home, exchange program, how to apply, FAQ. NCCU: outbound exchange, 2026-27 first semester selection rules. NCKU: spring 2027 outgoing exchange announcement. Tamkang: 2024-25 study abroad handbook.