Taiwan university admission: exams and routes
Taiwan has three national exams and several admission routes. This page explains what each exam measures and which route uses which results.
GSAT (學測)
The General Scholastic Ability Test is held in January. It covers Chinese, English, Mathematics A, Mathematics B, Social Studies and Natural Sciences, and each subject is reported on a scale of 0 to 15 levels (級分). After each sitting the exam centre publishes five standards for every subject (top, front, average, back and bottom), which departments use as thresholds. A separate English listening test is graded A to F.
AST (分科測驗)
The Advanced Subjects Test is held in July. Its subjects are Mathematics A, Mathematics B, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography, and Civics and Society. Departments weight AST subjects, and some GSAT subjects, for placement by score.
TVE joint exam (統測)
The joint entrance exam for technical and vocational colleges is held in May. It has common subjects and professional subjects for each group (群類), and it is used for the four-year and two-year programmes at universities of science and technology.
University admission routes
The main routes to a university are:
- School recommendation (繁星推薦): for students near the top of their school, using school rank and the GSAT.
- Personal application (個人申請): GSAT screening first, then each department's own review of your learning portfolio (學習歷程) and, often, an interview.
- Placement by score (分發入學): the AST plus some GSAT subjects, weighted by each department. The placement committee publishes every department's minimum admission score each year.
- Special talent (特殊選才): each university's own route for students with particular talents or experience.
Technical and vocational routes
Universities of science and technology and junior colleges admit through selection (甄選入學) and joint registration and placement (聯合登記分發) using the TVE joint exam, a skills route for certificate and competition winners (技優), and a school recommendation route. Five-year junior colleges admit straight after junior high school.
Official pages
- College Entrance Examination Center (GSAT and AST)
- Joint Committee of College Admission Practices (school recommendation and personal application)
- University Admission Committee (placement by score)
- Testing Center for Technological and Vocational Education (TVE joint exam)
- Joint admission committees for technical and vocational colleges
- Technical and vocational admission strategy committee (route guides)
- Joint Board of College Recruitment Commission (calendar)
Explained in Peernovo's words from the exam centres' and admission committees' published rules.
Questions
What is a 級分?
A level on the GSAT's 0 to 15 scale for each subject. Departments compare your levels with the year's five standards and their own thresholds.
Which route should I aim for?
Most students try school recommendation or personal application in spring with their GSAT results, and use placement by score in summer, with AST results, if they need another chance.
Where do I find a department's cut-off?
On the admission committee's own site: the placement committee publishes minimum scores, and the selection committee publishes each department's screening standards.