Number of students

Figure 1 shows the number of FTE students at NCUE. The total number of FTE students in 2023 was 7,240, including 5,044 Bachelor’s students, 1,721 Master’s students, and 475 Doctoral students.

Figure 1. Total FTE number of students at NCUE

Number of international students from developing countries

1. Number of international students from developing countries

In 2023, there were a total of 508 students from developing countries at NCUE (including those from Hong Kong and Macau), accounting for 4.91% of the total student population. The distribution of students among different academic programs is as shown in Table 1, with a higher proportion in the bachelor’s degree programs. Table 2 provides an analysis of the countries of international students at NCUE, with students coming from countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam, India, etc.

Table1: Percentage of Grade I international students from developing countries/regions at NCUE in 2023

Program	Students from developing countries	Number of students	Percentage
Bachelor’s program	359（including 71 TEEP students and 56 exchange students from China）	4,988	5.62%
Master’s program	115（including 28 TEEP students and 15 exchange students from China）	1,686	3.50%
Doctoral program	34（including 8 TEEP students amd 1 exchange student from China）	488	7.17 %
Total	508（including 107 TEEP students and 72 exchange students from China）	7,162	4.91%

※Note: TEEP is an abbreviation of Taiwan Experience Education Program.

Table2: Statistics on the number of Grade I international students from developing countries/regions in NCUE in 2023（TEEP included）:

Country	Year - 2023
Malaysia	153 (TEEP 1 included)
China (including Hong Kong and Macao)	171 (including 91 students from Hong Kong and Macao: 91, and 72 exchange students from China)
Vietnam	23 (including 4 TEEP students)
India	76 (including 66TEEP students)
Indonesia	52 (including 20TEEP students)
Mongolia	2
South Africa	2
Philippines	1
Pakistan	18 (including 15TEEP students)
Iran	1
Eswatini	5
Türkiye	1
Thailand	3 (including 1TEEP student)
Total	508 (including: 107 TEEP students,  91 students from Hong Kong and Macao, and 72 exchange students from China)

Record date set by MOE (Ministry of Education) : Oct. 15, 2023

2. Assistance measures offered by NCUE for students from developing countries

Table 3 presents the items of economic assistance NCUE offered to students from developing countries in 2023. NCUE provides financial support to students from developing countries in various ways, such as government, school, and non-governmental scholarships, epidemic prevention subsidies, and opportunities to participate in research projects and work-study in schools, as well as reduction of tuition, miscellaneous fees, and accommodation fee, so that students can be reassured to study in Taiwan. On the other hand, in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, NCUE has organized or participated in various forms of events, both in-person and online, to maintain and enhance exchanges with our sister universities in developing countries.

Table 3: Use of NCUE funds for financial aid projects supporting students from developing countries in 2023 (TEEP included)

Item	Service	Number of students served and the amount
Tuition and miscellaneous fee reduction for overseas Chinese students	Those who received the aid could have their tuition and miscellaneous fees reduced by 1/3 in the fall and spring semesters.	27 students, NTD$ 379,298
Key Points of NCUE’s Implementation of Rewards for Foreign Students	Those who received the rewards could be exempted from tuition, miscellaneous, and accommodation fees for one academic year.	14 students, NTD$ 1,681,200
Installment arrangements for tuition and miscellaneous fees	Economically-disadvantaged overseas Chinese students and foreign students with proof could pay their tuition and miscellaneous fee in up to three installments.	22 students, NTD$ 908,754
Scholarships for outstanding students (Office of Student Affairs)	Including the Scholarship for Distinct Academic Performance, Scholarship for Outstanding Talent, and Scholarship for Service and Dedication	8 students, NTD$ 50,000
Work-study student subsidies (Office of Student Affairs)	The served students include students with disabilities, indigenous students, students eligible for the aid plan for disadvantaged students in colleges and universities (students from low-income households as well as low-to medium-income households, families in hardship, and children of persons with disabilities), students whose families were facing financial difficulties due to unexpected events, as well as economically-disadvantaged overseas Chinese students and foreign students.	26 students receive work-study student subsidies totaling NTD$ 1,457,700 (excluding 23 students from Hong Kong and Macao, NTD$ 1,389,021)
Graduate scholarships	Awarded to those with outstanding performance in academic research.	Work-study subsidies: 18 people, NTD$ 656,671 (13 people, excluding students from Hong Kong and Macao, NTD$ 484,254)
Taiwan Experience Education Program (in short, the TEEP@AsiaPlus program)	The scholarship, including accommodation, airfare, living expenses, insurance, etc., was granted for up to 6 months.	57 students, NTD$ 3,645,000

For the details of other forms of aid provided by agencies of the central government and civil organizations, please refer to Annex 10.3.1A, Financial Assistance for Students from Developing Countries.

3. Exchange activities between NCUE and institutions in developing countries

In recent years, NCUE has been responding to the government's New Southbound Policy initiative, aiming to enhance relationships with countries in the ASEAN region, South Asia, and other nations. This involves deepening bilateral academic and talent exchanges, fostering mutual resource complementarity and sharing, and working collaboratively to promote regional prosperity and stability. Therefore, despite the severe COVID-19 situation in Taiwan in 2022, NCUE continued to actively seek cooperation with New Southbound countries through both online and in-person approaches. This collaboration included activities such as enrollment initiatives, student exchanges, joint research endeavors, and summer camps. At the same time, NCUE organized various events on campus to promote cultural exchanges between the two sides, ensuring that disadvantaged international students receive care and support from the university. Examples are listed as shown below.

(1) Academic and learning exchange activities: NCUE has more than 240 partner universities around the world, among which 34 are located in underdeveloped and developing countries. NCUE communicated with its overseas partners online and offline through different plans such as teacher training, internships, program establishment, lectures, and academic conferences. Those events enhanced the international participation of teachers and students, and supported our partners with NCUE’s expertises and experiences in academic research and teaching. We conducted such activities with partner universities in countries such as India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The academic and learning exchange activities between NCUE and collaborating schools in developing countries are listed in Table 4, and snippets of these activities are shown in Figures 2-5.

Table 4. List of academic and learning exchange activities between NCUE and collaborating schools in developing countries in 2023

Date	Event	Participants
2023/02/01-4	Dean of College of Science visited Kasetsart University, Thailand	1
2023/02/21-22	Faculty members from Kasetsart University, Thailand visited NCUE for academic exchange and cooperation	14
2023/03/12-19	Office of International Affairs faculty members visited 7 universities in Indonesia	2
2023/03/27	Faculty and students from Kasetsart University, Thailand visited NCUE for academic exchange and study	11
2023/04/06-10	Vice Principal and Office of International Affairs faculty members visited multiple institutions in Malaysia	3
2023/05/05-06	Participated in Guizhou Normal University's online lecture "Taiwan Youth Perception - Colorful Guizhou"	20
2023/05/08-13	Office of International Affairs faculty members visited various high schools in Indonesia	2
2023/05/09	PAASE organization and universities URS, EVSU from the Philippines visited NCUE for academic exchange	19
2023/05/23	Faculty members from the Department of Kinesiology visited Kasetsart University, Thailand	2
2023/07/14-16	Faculty and students in department of Guidance and Counseling hosted the 15th International Expressive Arts Therapy Association Conference, inviting scholars from Southeast Asia	300 (Approx.)
2023/07/17-7/25	Participated in Northeast Normal University's 2023 Cross-Strait University Student Summer Camp	4
2023/07/26-31	Faculty and students from Kasetsart University, Thailand visited NCUE for academic exchange	14
2023/07/27	Faculty members from The Catholic University of St. Augustine of Hippo (USA), Indonesia visited NCUE to discuss cooperation	5
2023/08/13-19	Hosted 2023 Summer Chinese Culture Camp (participating schools: Surabaya State University, i3L, Semarang State University from Indonesia)	21
2023/08/15	Surabaya State University, Indonesia visited NCUE for academic exchange	27
2023/08/25-09/03	2023 Northwest Normal University "Charming Gansu & Ethnic Customs" Cross-Strait University Student Cultural Experience and Employment Entrepreneurship Study	6
2023/09/20	Faculty members from 11 high schools and universities in Indonesia visited NCUE to discuss cooperation	19
2023/11/04-05	Department of Guidance and Counseling hosted the 6th Conference on Indigenization of Social Sciences and 7th Conference on Indigenous Counseling Psychology, inviting scholars from Southeast Asia	200 (Approx.)
2023/11/06	Bataan Peninsula State University, Philippines visited NCUE to discuss academic cooperation	10
2023/11/07	Faculty and students from Carnegie Institute of Technology and Business, Indonesia visited NCUE	19
2023/11/08-09	Faculty and students from Thaksin University, Thailand visited NCUE for academic exchange	11
2023/12/04-10	Faculty and students from Chung Ling High School, Malaysia visited NCUE for exchange	20
2023/12/05	Faculty members from Han Chiang University College of Communication, Malaysia visited NCUE for exchange	16
2023/12/22-12/30	2023 Cross-Strait University Student Future Educators Study Camp	1
2024/06/23-30	Southwest University Bayu Culture Summer Camp Overseas Program	3
2024/06/29-07/07	Northeast Normal University's 2024 Cross-Strait University Student Summer Camp	5
2024/07/10-07/21	Central China Normal University's Sunshine Teaching Support & Confucius Journey Activity	3

Figure 2: Faculty members from the Department of Kinesiology visited Kasetsart University, Thailand on May 23, 2023	Figure 3: Faculty members from 11 high schools and universities in Indonesia visited NCUE to discuss cooperation on September 20, 2023
Figure 4: Bataan Peninsula State University, Philippines visited NCUE to discuss academic cooperation on November 6, 2023	Figure 5: Faculty and students from Chung Ling High School, Malaysia visited NCUE for exchange from December 4-10, 2023

(2) A series of multicultural activities:

NCUE regularly organizes a series of multicultural activities for students every year, as shown in Table 5. These include the Lecture Series on Global Education and cultural experience workshops, inviting foreign institutions in Taiwan, professionals, or foreigners to the campus to share their ideas on different cultural themes or to conducts practical activities to enable students to gain a better understanding of multiculturalism. NCUE associated with the organization of overseas Chinese and foreign students to hold series of cultural lectures, workshops, exhibitions, stage shows, and school fairs, such as International Week, OCSA Week, and spring festival celebration events (as shown in Figure 6), which facilitate the cultural exchanges between foreign and local students. The Cultural Experience Tours are conducted multiple times a year to show overseas students Taiwan’s cultural attractions and lead them to delve more deeply into the communities to learn about their customs, as shown in Figure 7. In the activities of the “Chinese Culture International Summer Camp,” NCUE invited overseas students to participate in a series of courses involving the Chinese language, local culture, and crafts, and leading them to visit neighboring towns to gain first-hand experience about Taiwanese culture.

Table 5. List of multicultural exchange activities held on campus at NCUE in 2023

Date	Topic	Number of participants (Approx.)
2023/01/12	Winter Vacation Orientation & Let’s Celebrate the Year of Rabbit!	80
2023/03/10	Spring Festival Event - Lunar New Near Gathering	100
2023/03/24-28	OCSA and Taiwanese Student Cultural Exchange Week: Activities and theatrical performance "Journey "	295
2023/05/03-07	OCSA Sports Games "Free Shipping"	60
2023/06/11	OCSA Graduation Gala Theatrical Performance & “Farewell to Seniors” Event	280
2023/06/23-24	Lukang Dragon Boat Race	30
2023/09/15	Mid-autumn Party & Orientation Banquet for International Students	150
2023/09/16-17	Freshmen Orientation	150
2023/10/04	Lecture Series on Global Education: Build Your American Dream in the Cradle of Liberty	140
2023/10/28	Campus Fair - food and cultural booths by international students	30
2023/12/02	International student educational visit	120
2023/12/22	Christmas banquet	100

Figure 6: NCUE organizes Spring Festival celebration events for international students, allowing them to experience the festive atmosphere	Figure 7: NCUE conducts annual Cultural Experience Tours for international students, leading them to explore local communities and customs

Please refer to Annex 10.3.1B for more cultural exchanging activities with developing countries.

(3) Launch of the "International House (I-House)":

In 2023, our university inaugurated the I-House, which serves as a dedicated office for the self-governing organization of overseas Chinese and international students. The facility is also equipped with a Muslim prayer room, ablution area, simple kitchen, and student lounge. These amenities allow overseas Chinese and international students to perform their daily prayers, prepare halal snacks, and share their experiences of studying and living in Taiwan. This initiative realizes our university's goal of embracing diverse cultures and enhancing our international-friendly campus environment.

Figure 8: The inauguration of NCUE's "I-House" and Muslim Prayer Room on October 17, 2023	Figure 9: The I-House represents NCUE's commitment to respecting cultural diversity on campus, fostering an inclusive environment for international exchanges

Campus Headlines：https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-23844,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw

4. Offering Multicultural Courses to Deepen Students' Understanding of Other Ethnic Cultures

In the 2023 academic year, our university offered 84 multicultural-related courses, both compulsory and elective, across various departments (including the Physical Education Office), the Teacher Education Center, and the Center for General Education. This provides ample and diverse resources for culturally inclusive education.

5. NCUE's Efforts to Reduce Inequality in Rural Schools in Taiwan

(1) "Baisha Summer School": Since 2011, NCUE has been organizing the "Baisha Summer School" project during summer vacations. Our pre-service teachers independently form the Baisha Summer School administrative and teaching team, personally taking on diverse roles such as principal, administrative supervisors, subject teachers, and homeroom teachers. They guide newly enrolled elementary and junior high school students in adapting to campus life and experiencing the most creative and passionate bridging courses.

From July 3 to July 14, 2023, 11 pre-service teachers spent their summer vacation at Xizhou Junior High School in Changhua County. They helped students who had just entered junior high school experience the joy of learning in their courses, welcoming them to their new life in junior high school.

Figure 10: Closing Ceremony at Xizhou Junior High School	Figure 11: Classroom Activities at Xizhou Junior High School

(2) "Pre-Serice Teachers' Implementation of Schweitzer Spirit Educational Service Project": Since 2006, our university has continuously promoted the Schweitzer Spirit Educational Service Project for university pre-service teachers. This project encourages pre-service teachers to practice Schweitzer's spirit of caring for the disadvantaged and providing professional service. Every year, pre-service teachers are selected to serve as volunteers, providing academic tutoring and organizing developmental and learning activities for disadvantaged or rural students.

From July 10 to August 11, 2023, a total of 32 pre-service teachers served at two schools in Changhua County: Xianxi Junior High School and Fangyuan Junior High School. They provided academic tutoring for junior high school students, focusing not only on learning outcomes but also on enhancing students' learning motivation and interest.

Figure 12: Inauguration ceremony of the Schweitzer Spirit Educational Service Project	Figure 13: Learning activity - Sports meet

(3) USR - "Baisha x Common Good: Deepening Local Engagement and Moving Forward Project": Since 2020, our university has been implementing the fourth year of the third phase of the University Social Responsibility (USR) project. This project aims to fulfill the university's social responsibility, enhance pre-service teachers' professional teaching skills, and implement their practical teaching abilities. It focuses on strengthening regional resource integration and improving the quality of education in rural areas.

The project recruits rural schools from Changhua County, Nantou County, and Yunlin County to form the "Baisha Quality Education Alliance". Through this project, educational resources are injected into each school, serving disadvantaged students in rural areas and providing them with better learning opportunities and educational resources.

From July to August 2023, we collaborated with six schools: Wanxing Junior High School and the junior high division of Erlin Senior High School in Changhua County, Dacheng Junior High School, the junior high division of Tianzhong Senior High School, Yiwu Junior High School in Yunlin County, and Xinyi Junior High School in Nantou County. Summer camps were organized, with 81 pre-service teacher volunteers participating and serving a total of 276 junior high school students.

Campus Headline: Cooperation Agreement Signing Ceremony: https://www.ncue.edu.tw/p/406-1000-22265,r93.php?Lang=zh-tw