The Ministry of Education Huayu Enrichment Scholarship (HES) supports foreigners to study Mandarin in Taiwan. Below is a Q&A for frequently asked questions. Please note that the information provided below is accurate as of 2025 and may be subject to change in accordance with future regulatory changes. If you have any questions or concerns, it is best to contact us at: Australia@mail.moe.gov.tw
APPLICATIONS
Q – Does selecting longer scholarship periods (e.g. 6 or 9 months) preclude me from being considered for shorter scholarship period (e.g. 3 months)?
A – No.
You will still be considered for shorter scholarship periods if you apply for longer ones. The longer the scholarship period, the more competitive.
Q – Do I need to authenticate my highest degree testamur and transcript?
A – Only if it is issued by an institution outside of Australia.
If your testamur and transcript is awarded by an Australian institution, it doesn’t need to be authenticated. If it is awarded from an institution outside of Australia, it must be authenticated.
Authentication of testamurs and transcripts should be undertaken by the TECO office residing in the same country it was awarded and closest to the location of the awarding school. For example, if your degree is issued by the London School of Economics, it should be authenticated by TECO in London. If your degree is issued by a university residing in a city that does not have a TECO office, simply visit the TECO office nearest that city. For example, if your degree is from University of Otago in New Zealand, this is closest to the TECO office in Wellington, meaning you should seek document authentication there.
Q – Do I need to provide test results of my Mandarin proficiency to be considered for the HES?
A – No, but you are still welcome to provide them.
Although examples of cross-cultural and language engagement certainly benefit application strength, prior language proficiency is by no means a prerequisite for the HES. The only case where Mandarin proficiency results are required is for recipients of 9 month HES awards. In this situation, recipients may either:
- Provide a TOCFL result of level-3 or higher attained within the last two years; or
- Sit a TOCFL test while in Taiwan and achieve level-3 or above. You can talk to your language school about organising the test but will need to bare all relevant costs yourself.
Q – What makes a good application? How can I boost my chances of selection?
A – There are generally three key areas where the committee assesses applications
- Study plan
The ‘study plan’ section in the application platform is the applicant's opportunity to lay out their plan for studying Mandarin in Taiwan along with their motivation for doing so. Applicants who perform well in this criterion outline clear plans for making effective use of their time in Taiwan to study Mandarin and make a convincing case of their motivation to do so.2. Academic and Professional Performance
The education, employment history and reference letter sections of the application are the applicant’s opportunity to display excellent academic and professional performance backed by anecdotal recommendations from referees. Applicants who perform well in this criterion display excellent performance in their academic and/or professional endeavours with bonus points for demonstrations of cross-cultural literacy (especially in Chinese speaking region). These qualities are generally garnered from applicant’s education and employment histories, academic transcripts, reference letters and study plans. Applicants who fail to demonstrate a convincing account of excellent academic/professional performance or demonstrate the relevance of their experiences to studying Mandarin in Taiwan do not score as high.3. Value and Purpose
When assessing candidates, the committee considers the broader value and potential impact of scholarship awards in reference to the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship’s purpose.
“The HES is funded by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan. It is for encouraging and providing Australians with opportunities to learn Mandarin language in Taiwan, to increase the understanding of Taiwanese culture and society as well as to promote mutual understanding and interactions between Australia and Taiwan.”
The HES is a publicly funded initiative. Therefore, candidates who clearly and convincingly demonstrated how studying Mandarin in Taiwan would not only benefit their own development, but also increase understanding of Taiwanese culture and society and promote mutual understandings and interactions between Australia and Taiwan perform the strongest.
VISAS
Q – Taiwan has 90-day visa-free entry for Australians. Do I still need to apply for a visa? What visa should I apply for?
A –You should not use the 90-day visa-free entry to study Mandarin in Taiwan. It is most common for foreigners studying Mandarin in Taiwan to apply for the ‘Visitor Visa for Studying Chinese’, however this may differ depending on your situation. All visa inquiries should be directed to your nearest TECO Consular Office. Find all the TECO offices in Australia below:
Q – Can I still apply for a visa if I am overseas (outside of Australia)?
A – You should apply for a visa to study in Taiwan at your nearest TECO Consular Office. If you are outside of Australia, simply visit a TECO Consular Office in the country you are currently residing. Australians do not need to be in Australia to apply for a Taiwan visa.
STUDYING IN TAWAN
Q – I wasn’t awarded my desired number of months, is there any way for me to extend the duration of my scholarship?
A – Yes.
It is not uncommon for a small number of recipients to withdraw from their scholarship, creating a pool of excess funding. In this scenario, we are able to award excess funding to recipients interested in extending their scholarship duration.
If you are interested in such an extension, you can notify us via e-mail and we will place you on an extension waitlist. On the occasion excess scholarship funding becomes available, we will consider those on the waitlist for extension. If there are multiple candidates on the waitlist, this will be a competitive process based on the strength of initial applications. It can take up to 2 months to process extensions, so those interested should get in contact ASAP to ensure they leave enough time. We cannot process extensions after March 31 of the year following the relevant HES iteration (e.g. for the 2025 HES, extensions cannot be processed after March 31, 2026).
Q – Can I study outside of the eligible scholarship period?
A – In principal, no.
HES recipients should only undertake study during the eligible window, which usually runs from 1 September the year of award to 31 August the following year. Furthermore, HES candidates should not undertake any formal language study in Taiwan the same year as their HES award at any date before September 1. Those who have undertaken degree studies (e.g. diploma, bachelor, masters etc.) in Taiwan at any point are ineligible. Applicants found ineligible will have their HES disqualified.
The only exception to this rule is for those recipients who are studying a fall-term that begins a few days before 1 September. TECO is able to exercise discretion in special cases when the majority of study is undertaken within the eligible window and only a small portion without. If you think you may be in this situation, it is best to first check with us to ensure you maintain eligibility.
Q – Can I change my language school?
A – Not after the cut-off date.
As of the 2025 HES, recipients are not permitted to change language schools following the registration cut-off (usually around late June of the award year).
However, changes of language schools are permitted before the registration cutoff. Therefore, language school preferences listed in your application are not set in stone. You can apply for any eligible school regardless of whether you listed it in your initial preferences or not, as long as you register by the cut-off date.
Q – Can I change my time of study?
A – Yes, if you allow enough time and keep us up-to-date.
We understand that plans change, and changes to study times are accepted within the eligible scholarship period.
However, it is important that you leave enough time for our team and the scholarship office in Taipei to process the change, with an absolute minimum of 2 months. The earlier you notify us of your decision to change study times, the better.
Recipients should also be mindful to keep our office up-to-date on their progress and any new documentation. If you notify us of your wish to change early but delay providing us relevant documentation (like proof of registration for your new study period), we similarly cannot guarantee being able to process your deferral on time, endangering your scholarship.
Q – Do I need to maintain a grade average while studying in Taiwan?
A – Only if you are awarded 6 months or over.
If you are awarded a 6 or 9 month HES award, you will need to maintain a mark average of 80% or above, as calculated at the end of each term. If you fail to maintain a 80% or above mark average, one month of your scholarship funding will be suspended in the following term.
Have a read of the full HES regulations yourself here: https://edu.law.moe.gov.tw/EngLawContent.aspx?lan=E&id=20474
