一、Regarding eligibility:
Q 1. Can fourth-year undergraduate students apply for exchange programs? +
A
1.Regardless of the year of study, students must be enrolled at our university from the time of application until the end of the exchange program. Therefore, students should pay attention to the semester dates of the program they are applying for. For example, if a student applies to study abroad in the spring semester of their fourth year in the United States (January to May), they can return as scheduled and graduate without any issues.
However, if a student applies to study abroad in Japan for the spring semester of their fourth year (April to September), which exceeds the graduation period, their application cannot be accepted.
Q 2. Can students study abroad while being on academic probation? If yes, can they apply for scholarships? +
A
2.Some sister schools (usually Japanese schools) may require students to provide proof of enrollment. For undergraduate students, the expected graduation date on the proof of enrollment is June of the fourth year after enrollment. If a student cannot prove that they will definitely delay graduation, the Academic Affairs Office will generally not be able to assist in changing the expected graduation date. If the expected graduation date on the proof of enrollment is earlier than the end date of the exchange program applied for, the sister school will not accept the student's application. This aspect will also be confirmed multiple times with students during the internal selection process. However, if a student fails to provide relevant proof later, leading to the inability to apply for a program, the consequences will be borne by the student.
As long as the student meets the requirements of the Ministry of Education's Study Abroad Series Scholarship and relevant regulations of our university for going abroad, they can apply for scholarships, and being on academic probation does not prevent them from receiving scholarships.
Q 3. Can students apply in their fourth year of undergraduate study and go on exchange during graduate school? +
A
3.We do not recommend that students go abroad while on academic probation. If a student deliberately leaves credits pending for graduation, they must return to school after the exchange program ends to complete the remaining credits before they can graduate. This may put students in a difficult situation where they are unable to fulfill their military service, find a job, etc., for almost half a year for a course of 2 or 3 credits. If a student is not from the greater Taipei area and cannot commute, they will also have to consider living expenses such as renting a place while returning to NTOU for classes. Additionally, if they are unable to go abroad in the end due to the impact of the epidemic or other considerations, they will still have to face uncompleted credits, which may make them feel even more uneconomical. If a student wishes to go abroad while on academic probation, it is recommended that they make an appointment with the International Affairs Office for discussion.
If a student has already decided to continue studying in our master's program, they can apply in their fourth year of undergraduate study and go abroad in their first year of graduate school. However, the student must provide proof of admission to our university's master's program, and the application documents must comply with the requirements for the master's program, with the approval of the advisor required for the application.
Q 4. Can transfer students apply for exchange programs and the Study Abroad Series Scholarship? +
A
4.a.Transfer students are students of NTOU after completing the transfer and registration process, and they have the same rights as all other students. Therefore, they can apply for exchange programs and scholarships. We also have many records of transfer students applying to study abroad in the past.
b.One point to note for transfer students applying for programs is that we require students to provide transcripts. In addition to submitting transcripts for the period of study at NTOU, students must also provide transcripts for their previous (pre-transfer) school for all years.
二、Language proficiency and academic performance:
Q 1. Is language proficiency valid indefinitely? If it expires, can it still be used to apply for exchange programs or scholarships? +
A
1.a.We only accept language proficiency certificates that are valid at the time of application to prevent students from applying with high school language proficiency even when they are in the third or fourth year of university or even in the master's program. It is difficult for us to assess students' language proficiency in school selection or sister school review.
b.If a student cannot obtain a new certification due to the epidemic and the original certification has expired, it is recommended that the student contact the International Affairs Office as soon as possible to discuss alternative solutions.
c.For the Study Abroad Series Scholarship application, you can apply with the original certification, but you need to submit a new, valid language proficiency certificate by the end of February 112.
Q 2. Can the campus TOEIC score be accepted? Does TOEFL My Best Score count? +
A
2.We can accept the use of the campus TOEIC score report for application, which must include the student's name, test date, and score. However, we do not accept TOEFL My Best Score.
Q 3. Can TOEIC and TOEFL scores be used interchangeably? +
A
3.When students apply for exchange programs, they must meet the regulations of both our university and the sister school they are applying to. Please refer to the webpage brochure, where acceptable language proficiency tests and score requirements are listed. If the school you wish to apply to only lists TOEFL and IELTS, and not TOEIC, it means that the school/program only accepts TOEFL or IELTS scores. If both are listed, you only need to provide proof of one test that meets the requirements. Some schools may have alternative options for those who fail to provide the required language proficiency proof, please refer to the remarks column in the brochure.
Q 4. Can language proficiency proof be submitted later? +
A
4.Sure, please submit the required documents accordingly.
Q 5. Are there specific GPA requirements for applying? Will my academic performance affect my chances of acceptance? +
A
5.a.There are no set GPA standards for internal selection, but some sister schools may have relevant requirements. If you have indicated specific preferences, please make sure that your GPA meets the criteria for those preferences.
b.During internal selection, evaluation is based on academic performance, language proficiency, written materials, and interview performance.
c.Academic performance is not only measured by the overall semester average but also considers whether the chosen study area is relevant to your previous courses and how you performed in related courses. Additionally, the committee may consider your performance in general education, physical education, and service learning courses, as well as your attendance.
d.In addition to language proficiency tests submitted by students, selection also involves questions and answers in both Chinese and a foreign language (based on the language of instruction for the student's study plan). The committee evaluates students' test scores and performance during the interview. If a student performs well on the test but cannot complete the foreign language Q&A during the interview, it will also affect their score. Please pay attention to these aspects.
三、Regarding the selection of departments:
Q 1. For departments with fewer exchange program options, do you have any suggestions when selecting a school or department for exchange? +
A
1.When selecting a department, students should not limit themselves to finding departments with the same name. For students in departments like Maritime Transport, Transportation, and Management, they can choose departments such as Business, Management, Economics, and Transportation (Logistics, Supply Chain, etc.). For students in departments like Food Science, Life Science, and Aquaculture, they can choose departments such as Biology, Chemistry, etc. For students in the College of Engineering and College of Electrical and Information Engineering, they can start by looking for departments with "Engineering" in their names, and then select the departments that meet their needs. If you have difficulty choosing a department, we suggest that you first consider what courses you want to study, and then discuss with the staff of the International Office or the department.
四、Regarding scholarships:
Q 1. Apart from the Study Abroad Series Scholarship, are there other scholarships available for application? +
A
1.In addition to the Study Abroad Series Scholarship, there are other scholarships available, such as the Short-term Study Abroad Scholarship for students to study abroad. However, scholarships are exclusive, meaning that students can only apply for one. Currently, for the exchange student program, the Study Abroad Series Scholarship provides the most generous subsidy. This is why we continuously encourage students to apply.
Q 2. If the applicant does not meet the requirements of the Study Abroad Series Scholarship (for example: non-Taiwanese students, planning to go to sister schools in Mainland China or Hong Kong and Macao, or applying for language programs instead of professional courses), are there other scholarships available? +
A
2.If students do not meet the requirements of the Study Abroad Series Scholarship due to nationality, the school or program they plan to apply for, we will assist them in applying for the Short-term Study Abroad Scholarship for students to study abroad, so students do not need to worry.
Q 3. Will the Study Abroad Series Scholarship be granted as long as you apply? +
A
3.The school selects candidates based on merit. If a student performs poorly in written or interview assessments, it is possible that they will not be recommended by the school for exchange to sister schools. Additionally, if a student applies to fewer schools, it may result in high scores being rejected. Please note that if there is no recommended school in the application, the scholarship will not be approved.
Q 4. After applying for the Study Abroad Series Scholarship from December 1st to 31st this year, when should I go abroad to use the scholarship? +
A
4.After applying for the scholarship this year (from December 1st to December 31st), you can go abroad between June of next year (2023) and October of the following year (2024). Here, going abroad refers to the departure time, not the completion of the exchange program during this period. In other words, after applying for the scholarship this time, you must go abroad for exchange in the fall semester of 2023, the spring semester of 2024, or the fall semester of 2024 to use the scholarship.
Q 5. I want to inquire about the New Southbound Horizon Study Program. Is it possible not to take the TOEIC exam and just need the teacher's guarantee? Also, if I plan to go abroad for an internship next summer (New Southbound), should I first confirm with the teacher whether the company is okay before applying? +
A
5.For students applying for the New Southbound Horizon Dream Program, if they cannot provide proof of meeting the school's language proficiency standards, they only need to provide the teacher's guarantee in the project proposal. If you plan to go on an internship in 2023, please confirm with a full-time teacher in your department whether you can be the project leader. If the project leader agrees, you need to have the project leader sign/stamp the application form. The project leader needs to personally confirm the internship details, including the internship content and conditions, with the internship company, and obtain an internship consent letter or agreement from the internship organization. The project leader must submit a hard copy of the internship project plan and the initial review form to the college for initial review by the end of February, and submit the electronic file to Ms. Lin Pei-yin at the International Office.
五、Regarding short-term programs:
Q 1. Is it possible to increase short-term (winter/summer) exchange activities? +
A
1.Before being affected by the epidemic, in addition to summer camps with sister schools in the United States during the summer vacation, there were also short-term exchange programs lasting from 7 to 15 days provided by many sister schools. However, due to the impact of the epidemic, some countries require incoming foreigners to have completed vaccination or comply with quarantine requirements. Considering that not all students have completed vaccination and that complying with quarantine requirements would increase the time and cost of going abroad, reducing students' willingness to participate, it has become more difficult to meet the minimum group size for activities. Therefore, short-term activities at sister schools are currently suspended or converted to online activities. If students are interested in participating in online activities, they can refer to the International Office's website.
