Program Details

Learn Mandarin in Taiwan this summer, for only $600 including airfare and living expenses!

Course Information 

All classes will be taught by N.T.N.U. faculty lecturers who have professional certification in teaching Chinese to non-native speakers. Students coming with the U of A delegation will first be evaluated by N.T.N.U. faculty, and then assigned to language classes appropriate to their own level; other students in each of these language sections will all be non-native learners at roughly the same level from all over the world.

Program dates for 2023 are June 19- August 23. Classes are from July 3 to August 23. N.T.N.U. recommends all students arrive on campus 1 to 2 weeks before the class starts, to register and take language placements on the scheduled new student registration date (June 19 and 20) and to familiarize themselves with the different culture and environment. N.T.N.U. will charge a late registration fee for those who register after the new student registration dates. The late registration deadline is June 30, 2023. Students will not be allowed to take their classes after the late registration deadline.

Detailed information about travel arrangements will be discussed among those accepted to the program in the spring. All students are expected to be 18 or older by the time they arrive in Taiwan; we will always provide all the personal and academic assistance that we can to students in the program, but neither the University nor the program manager can take legal responsibility for participants.

During the eight weeks of the course, classes will run for about 2 hours every weekday, available in various time slots, such as 8:10 to 10:00, 12:20-14:10, 14:20-16:10, 16:20-18:10, and 18:30-20:20. N.T.N.U. will consider students' preferences that they have selected; however, actual class times are determined by class availability. Students are expected to attend class every day. In addition to your time in class, you are required to attend 5 hours of mandatory multi-task language training courses per week. Please expect to do another 1-2 hours of homework per day. However, there is still plenty of time for having fun! Most students can spend many hours shopping, dining out, clubbing, and even taking weekend trips around Taiwan.

Living Conditions

Students will be housed in an on-campus dormitory and take a 20-minute bus ride to their classrooms. The housing will be a two-person arrangement in one room. There is no en-suite bathroom and kitchen in the room. Students need to use public kitchens, powder rooms, and shower rooms. All the rooms are air-conditioning. We can work with N.T.N.U. to try to place students with roommates of their choice; however, in case of odd numbers of roommates, cancellations, or other issues, participants may have to share a bedroom with a non-U of A student. Students can move into the dorm on June 17, before the new student registration dates, and must move out on August 24, 2023.

Inexpensive food is available during all mealtimes at campus cafeterias and restaurants. In addition, various snack shops and convenience stores on or near campus provide a variety at reasonable prices. Of course, those who wish are free to seek out other dining options around the city; however, there is a great range of prices available, and high-end dining can be just as expensive as in Canada.

Costs

Total estimated costs for the two-month program, including tuition and fees, room and board, and airfare, are around $5,507. The total estimate of $5,507 (which will vary with exchange-rate fluctuations) is based on the following line items:

  1. Tuition (NTD19,400= CAD 856)
  2. Other N.T.N.U. fees (NTD 3,684 = CAD 172, including registration fee NTD 2500, Textbook fee NTD 1000, Mandatory medical insurance fee NTD 184)
  3. Housing on campus (NTD 30,000= CAD 1,329, including electricity and water)
  4.  Meals (CAD 1,100 if eating cheaply)
  5. Round-trip airfare (from Edmonton to Taipei, CAD 1,800)
  6. U of A Education Abroad Application Fee (CAD 250)

Counting all costs and scholarships (see below), we estimate that the total out-of-pocket expenses for participants in 2023 will be only $600 for two-month study!

This total cost does not include costs of entertainment, shopping, or tourist travel; participants should budget accordingly if they wish to be able to do any of these. Because an important part of a study-abroad trip is the opportunity to get off campus and engage with locals, we do strongly recommend taking at least a small amount of spending money to cover local travel, small purchases, etc.

Scholarships

We have three types of scholarships available for applicants:

  1. The UAlberta China Institute scholarship (CAD 1,500)
    We will be granted for $30,000 in scholarship funds from the university's China Institute for 2023. This $30,000 will be given out as a $1,500 scholarship to 20 participants. If there are more than twenty applications, these $1,500 scholarships will be awarded by a judgment of our department partially based upon academic merit, and partially on the basis of seeking even representation from across the university. All applicants to the summer program will automatically be considered for the CI scholarships.
  2. The UAlberta Education Abroad Individual Award (CAD 1,250)
    All students who have completed a minimum of 12 credits of UAlberta coursework (or one term of graduate study for graduate students) with a GPA of 2.7 or higher are eligible to apply for a scholarship of $1,250 each from the university's Go Abroad office. The application deadline for this award is February 13, 2023. Please click here to apply. 
  3. The Taiwan Ministry of Education Huayu Enrichment Scholarship (A monthly stipend of TWD 25,000, approx.CAD 2,200 for two months)
    The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver offers the 2023 Huayu Enrichment Scholarships specific to students who would like to study Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan for a short period of time. This scholarship provides a stipend of TWD 25,000 (Equivalent to 1,100 CAD, subject to currency rate fluctuation) to successful applicants on a monthly basis. The application period is Feb 1-March 31, 2023. Please click here for its eligibility and application.
    Note: To apply for this HES scholarship, students need to complete their registration in N.T.N.U first. To register in N.T.N.U., please see the Application and Registration section.