Number of Taiwanese Student Studying Abroad had risen to nearly 40,000 in 2016, setting an 11-year high.

Post date: Sep 14, 2017 9:38:42 AM

According to the data from the Ministry of Education (MOE), here are the key findings:

- The number of students enrolled in schools in major countries overseas had risen by 2,700 to nearly 40,000 in 2016, setting an 11-year high.

- The number of people who took out student loans to study abroad in 2016 topped 700, the most in the last five years in Taiwan.

- There were only about 37.0 percent of those who would like to pursue a higher degree were interested in graduate programs in Taiwan, with the rest wanting to go overseas.

- The top destination for those hoping to study abroad was the United States and Canada, followed by Europe and Japan.

More details and data tables are as below:

The Ministry of Education, which at one point was concerned not enough young Taiwanese were going abroad, found in 2016 that the number of students enrolled in schools in major countries overseas had risen by 2,700 to nearly 40,000, setting an 11-year high.

The number of people who took out student loans to study abroad last year topped 700, the most in the last five years, indicating that young people are heading abroad in increasing numbers, even if they have to borrow money to do it.

At the end of June this year, one of the most popular magazines in Taiwan - CommonWealth conducted a “Survey on NTU(National Taiwan University) Graduates’ Intentions and Motivation in Going Abroad.” Online questionnaires were sent to the 18 departments that have the highest test scores required for admission.

The survey found that 48.0 percent of respondents planned to continue their studies immediately after graduating or after working for a couple of years. Another 40.9 percent said they would enter the job market, while 10 percent were preparing for national exams (to apply for civil servant jobs). Of the nearly half that wanted to pursue a higher degree, only about a third (37.0 percent) were interested in graduate programs in Taiwan, with the rest wanting to go overseas.

The top destination for those hoping to study abroad was the United States and Canada, chosen by 70 percent of respondents, followed by Europe and Japan. The top consideration cited by 85 percent of those wanting to go abroad when choosing an overseas location was career development, followed by the caliber of education.

Overall, 40 percent of the students graduating from the 18 leading departments were planning to go abroad to advance their studies or head overseas to work, and they are likely to settle in another country.

Also, Taiwanese students’ practice of “voting for schools with their feet” has seen a dramatic shift in the past five years. Citing Ministry of Education statistics, NTU’s Kang, the deputy vice president for academic affairs says the number of senior high school students in Taiwan who immediately go abroad after graduating doubled in six years to 1,478 in the 2016 school year.

http://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=1649

Data from Department of Statistics, Ministry of Education, Taiwan

Reference: CommonWealth, http://english.cw.com.tw/