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National Cheng Kung University is a multidisciplinary educational institution. Choose the direction and study program that are perfect for you.
National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) is a national research university in Tainan, Taiwan's oldest city, founded in 1931. It is one of Taiwan's leading universities, known especially for engineering, electrical engineering and computer science, medicine and close cooperation with industry, including the Southern Taiwan Science Park. Its colleges include Liberal Arts, Science, Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Planning and Design, Management, Medicine, Social Sciences and Biosciences and Biotechnology, as well as the Miin Wu School of Computing and the Academy of Innovative Semiconductor and Sustainable Manufacturing.
Intake | Levels | Application period | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
Fall 2027 (September) | Bachelor, Master, PhD | December 21, 2026 – March 7, 2027 | May 28, 2027 |
Spring 2027 (February) | Mainly Master and PhD | July 1 – September 15, 2026 (closed) | November 30, 2026 |
Type of program | Requirement |
|---|---|
English-taught programs | English CEFR B1 or higher |
Programs taught in Chinese and English | Chinese TOCFL A2 or higher and English CEFR B1 or higher |
Chinese-taught programs | Chinese TOCFL A2 or higher |
Departments may set higher levels. Duolingo, EF SET and certificates from language schools are not accepted.
The application fee is NT$2,000 per applicant and covers up to three departments or institutes. It is non-refundable.
NCKU's colleges are located on its main campus in the East District of Tainan, right next to Tainan railway station. The university also has the Kuei-Jen campus (Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics), the An-Nan campus (Tainan Hydraulics Laboratory) and the Dou-Liou branch of NCKU Hospital.
All international degree students can apply for on-campus dormitories. New students (except local graduate students) move in one week early in their first fall semester, so the first-semester fee is charged for 19 weeks instead of 18. Air-conditioning electricity is charged separately in some dormitories, and each semester fee includes NT$200 for dormitory internet.
Dormitory | Who lives there | Room type | Fee per semester |
|---|---|---|---|
Sheng-1 | Undergraduate men | 3 or 4 people | NT$6,700 |
Kuang-1 | Undergraduate men | 3 people | NT$8,020 |
Kuang-2 | Undergraduate men | 4 people | NT$10,840 |
Ching-1 | Undergraduate men | 4 people | NT$10,780 |
Sheng-2 | Undergraduate women | 3 people | NT$7,220 |
Sheng-3 | Undergraduate women | 2 people | NT$15,048 |
Sheng-4 | Undergraduate women | 3 people | NT$15,320 |
Sheng-8 | Undergraduate women | 4-person suite | NT$9,690 |
Sheng-9 | Undergraduate women | 3 people | NT$8,370 |
Kuang-3 | Undergraduate women | 3 people | NT$19,930 |
Sheng-6 | Graduate students | 3 people | NT$12,840 |
Ching-3 | Graduate students | 2-person suite | NT$15,730 |
Dongning | All students | Single suite | NT$54,200 |
Dongning | All students | Double suite | NT$40,700 |
Dongning | All students | 4-person suite | NT$26,300 |
Dongning | All students | 3+3 suite | NT$15,950 |
Students who receive scholarships for international students from Taiwanese government agencies cannot also receive NCKU university scholarships.
Scholarship | For whom | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
NCKU Elite Doctoral Scholarship | Full-time PhD students in years 1–4, nominated by departments | Full tuition including basic credit fee; monthly stipend of up to NT$25,000 |
NCKU Distinguished International Student Scholarship | Bachelor's students | Tuition waiver; monthly stipend set by the college |
NCKU Distinguished International Student Scholarship | Master's and PhD students | Full tuition including basic credit fee; monthly stipend set by the college |
No separate application is needed: the admissions committee decides on first-year scholarships together with admission, and the award is sent with the admission letter. Master's and PhD applicants must take part in a departmental interview. Students with work status on their ARC or a work visa are not eligible.
For winners of NCKU-designated international competitions within three years before admission. It includes a tuition and miscellaneous fee waiver plus a monthly stipend for 12 months a year during the standard study period.
Level | For whom | Monthly stipend |
|---|---|---|
Level 1 | Ranked 1–15 | NT$12,000 |
Level 2 | Ranked 16–50 (science) or 16–30 (business) | NT$10,000 |
Level 3 | Ranked 51–75 (science) | NT$8,000 |
Level 4 | School representative at the competition | NT$5,000 |
Scholarship | For whom | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
Taiwan Scholarship | International students selected by Taiwan's government | Applied for through the Taiwan embassy or representative office in the student's country |
MOE Elite Scholarship | University lecturers from listed South and Southeast Asian countries (Fall intake) and all African countries | NT$300,000 per year; 2 years for master's, 3 years for PhD |
Taiwan ICDF Scholarship | Master's in Civil Engineering and Management and in Natural Hazards Mitigation and Management | Up to 2 years; applied for through Taiwan ICDF |
NSTC Doctoral Research Scholarship | Enrolled PhD students without full-time employment | Research scholarship from the National Science and Technology Council |
E.Sun Bank ASEAN Scholarship | Master's applicants from Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar | NT$100,000 per academic year |
NCKU Butterfly-ASEAN Scholarship | Vietnamese degree students after the first semester with grades of 80 or above | NT$30,000 one-time |
MOFA Taiwan-Europe Semiconductor Scholarship | Students from Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Kosovo and Albania in semiconductor fields | Master's: up to NT$120,000 per year for fees and NT$30,000 per month; PhD: up to NT$120,000 per year and NT$40,000 per month; airfare up to NT$100,000 |
Departments also offer their own scholarships, which change every year.
NCKU is named after Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga), a key figure in Taiwan's history; «Cheng Kung» also means «success» in Chinese.
Year | Event |
|---|---|
1931 | Founded in January as Tainan Technical College on the 18.3-hectare Cheng-Kung Campus |
1946 | Renamed Taiwan Provincial College of Engineering |
1956 | Became Taiwan Provincial Cheng Kung University |
1971 | Became a national university: National Cheng Kung University |
1983 | College of Medicine established |
1988 | NCKU Hospital completed |
1997 | College of Social Sciences established |
2003 | Colleges of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and of Planning and Design established |
2005 | College of Biosciences and Biotechnology established |
Ranking | Edition | Position |
|---|---|---|
QS World University Rankings | 2027 | =191 |
QS World University Rankings | 2026 | =203 |
THE World University Rankings | 2026 | 501–600 |
