College admission trial set for 2015 in Taiwan

2014-09-12

A trial will commence in 2015 allowing Taiwan’s senior high students possessing special skills to apply for college and university admission without taking written tests, according to the Ministry of Education Sept. 9.

Under the initiative, such students can enter tertiary institutions through interviews and by presenting documents like award certificates in areas such as mathematics and cooking. The new track supplements Taiwan’s test-based college entrance assessment comprising Advanced Subjects Test, General Scholastic Ability Test and Multi-Star—a student selection program based on the results of the GSAT.

“We expect the trial to uncover more diamonds in the rough like Wu Pao-chun, who did not do well on exams but showed talent in making bread and pastry,” a MOE official said. “It also benefits those immigrants from abroad facing challenges in passing written Mandarin tests.”

Pingtung-born Wu won the coveted Bakery Master title at the 2010 Bakery World Cup in Paris.

According to the MOE, 40 public and private universities across Taiwan are qualified to offer 113 spots, or 0.1 percent of the estimated enrollment number of students, under the trial next year. Each institution can admit no more than 10 students.

A total of 12 schools such as National Taiwan University, National Tsing Hua University and I-Shou University have applied to take part in the initiative. They must complete their admission processes before the GSAT, with successful students not permitted to apply to other schools through test-based college entrance assessment.

“If all goes to plan, we are considering expanding the trial and giving more applicants the opportunity to enter Taiwan’s top-flight schools,” the official said.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=221501&CtNode=413)