What is this scholarship?

The Ministry of Education (MOE) established the MOE Huayu Enrichment Scholarship (MOE HES) to enhance exchanges between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and countries designated by the MOE by encouraging foreign students to study Mandarin in Taiwan and to deepen their understanding of Taiwan’s cultural and social developments. Students can pick up a new language and learn more about the culture and history associated with Taiwan.

Funding

• A monthly stipend of NT$25,000. (this money must be used to pay for tuition, rent, and living expenses combined)
• Duration: two months (summer courses), three months, six months, nine months, or 12 months.

Travel to Taiwan and moving into an apartment are expenses not included in the scholarship amount. Please prepare for these expenses before you arrive to Taiwan.

Date of the application period

The application period is from Feb 1st till March 31st of every year (end date may vary)

Required documents

• Completed PDF Application form
• Photocopy of your passport
• Photocopy of the certificate of the highest degree and transcript
• Photocopy of the applications to the Mandarin Language Centers*
• 2 Letters of Recommendation
• Other documents required by local embassies **

*While applying for this scholarship, you also have to apply for the language programs you plan to attend at the same time. No application fees required. Visit here to get a list of the schools in Taiwan that have a language center. Think about what kind of experience you would want to get while studying in Taiwan. Would you rather live in a City? Rural? Suburban? Would you want to be surrounded by more Taiwanese People? More International Students? Would you want to be by a beach? Warmer climates? Colder climates? How about a place with less rain? Places with better resources? Programs that are more intuitive? Rigorous? Read about some people’s experiences here, here and here.

**Some embassies may require additional documents or steps in completing the application. Please visit your local Taiwan embassy website for more info.

Generally, applicants will hear back from their local Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) offices in late May/early June of the final results. Some offices may require additional requirements such as an in-person interview or orientation. Please inquire from your local TECO office for more information.

Other tips

When applying for this scholarship, you can choose how long you want to study for in Taiwan. But the length given depends on what each office is able to provide. Longer lengths (6, 9 and 12 months) are reserved more for students who have studied Chinese in the past, but I highly still encourage applicants who have never studied Chinese to apply. From my observation, longer durations are given based upon if your letters of recommendation from a previous Chinese teacher back home who wrote highly about you. If you receive the scholarship, you can also negotiate and see if they have slots for longer or shorter periods if needed before accepting the offer. ( I know for I did this myself 😉 ) Once you start studying, you cannot apply for an extension or apply to obtain the scholarship again in the future.

Also, you can choose what time of the year you want to start. They have 4 semesters every year. Spring (March-May), Summer (June – Aug), Fall (Sept – November) and Winter (December – February).

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me here.