Admission to the Ph.D. Program

Admission to the Ph.D. Program
Student Status and Degree Conferral Policy
Cost of Study
Fellowship Support and Stipends
Medical Insurance
Living and Housing Costs
On-line Application

The Program offers Ph.D. degree (no Master degree), and admits students to the fall semester only. Application materials are available in the TIGP web site. The application deadline is February 1, 2025.

Students (either international students or students from within Taiwan) with a M.S. degree from an accredited institution will be considered for admission to the chemistry-oriented, physics-oriented, or engineering-oriented programs. Those with a B.S. degree will be considered for admission to the engineering-oriented program. Selection of program should be made at application.

Notes for joint admission program applicants: read before submitting application
https://www.phys.sinica.edu.tw/TIGP-NANO/tigp_admission_2025.html

TIGP On-line Application System: https://tigp.apps.sinica.edu.tw/ (open from Nov 1)

The following criteria will be used to evaluate the applicant's qualifications for admission:

Undergraduate and graduate academic records, or transcripts;
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores in General Test is required. However, an applicant who fails to meet this requirement may submit additional criteria for committee evaluation. Subject Test is optional and one of the following subjects: Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, or Biology is strongly recommended.
**GRE substitution: If under special circumstances the test is not taken, some proof of applicant's competency might be considered. This proof should be more than just recommendation letters and transcripts, for example, documents like award record, exam scores of national or international level, scientific publications, etc. will be helpful.
The admission committee will decide whether the proof is strong enough to support the application.**
English proficiency:
Applicants whose first or native language is not English are required to submit one of following English proficiency test report (the listed scores are strongly recommended):

a) TOEFL: Scores 79-80 on the Internet-based TOEFL (TOEFL-iBT) or higher, taken within the past 2 years, is required (Our institution CODE & NAME are: 7142 Academia Sinica)

b) IELTS (International English Language Test System): Score 5.5 or higher, taken within the past 2 years, is required

c) GEPT: Instead of TOEFL and IELTS, applicants in Taiwan may take the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT) administered by the Language Training and Testing Center. Applicants are required to submit their High-intermediate level certificate when applying for admission

d) TOEIC: a minimum score of 785. For more information about the TOEIC exam, please visit TOEIC on the web

Above test scores must be taken within the past two years

Applicants who have completed a degree program in an English speaking country*, or who graduated from university where English is the primary language of instruction, maybe be exempted from the test of English proficiency with an official certification issued by the Office of Registrar.

*English-speaking countries:
Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, United States
Three letters of recommendation commenting on the applicant's personal character, and qualifications for independent study, including intellectual ability, research potential, and scientific motivation. One of the letter should be provided by the applicant's advisor.
Plan for graduate study (statement of purpose)

TIGP accepts on-line application and on-line recommendation portal ONLY. You will only need to submit your academic transcripts and test score(s) (TOEFL/IELTS/GRE) by post. The submitted materials will not be returned to applicants under any circumstances.

Please send them to:
Admissions Office
Taiwan International Graduate Program
No. 128, Sec.2, Academia Road, Nankang, Taipei 11529
Taiwan

TIGP Online Application: https://tigp.apps.sinica.edu.tw/index.php;
Notes for applicants: https://www.phys.sinica.edu.tw/TIGP-NANO/tigp_admission_2025.html

Student Status and Degree Conferral Policy

Based on the Regulation of the Ministry of Education in Taiwan, students will officially register with our partner universities, National Taiwan University and National Tsing Hua University, depending on the particular program. Upon completion of our program, each student will be conferred a Ph.D. degree by the partner university and a certificate jointly singed by the President of Academia Sinica and the Director of TIGP.

Cost of Study

The payment of tuition fees (basic fee + credits fee, about NT$58,000/US$1,800 per semester, subject to change) for international students should be made before Student Registration Day. Partial subsidies for the tuition fees is provided (by Academia Sinica) to all international students for 5 consecutive years (including suspension period).

Fellowship Support and Stipends

Once admitted, TIGP students will receive a stipend of NT$ 40,000/month for the first year. For students who perform well, this scholarship/stipend will be extended for one more year. After the scholarship/stipend allowance period, further financial support is dependent upon individual thesis advisors.
Students must take the three-year stipend within a period of four years, counting from the day they enroll with suspended semesters included. For example, if a first-year student has already taken a 12-month stipend and then suspends for two years, he/she can receive the stipend funded from the TIGP Office for only one more year.
Academic integrity is one of our core values which is taken very seriously and it is your responsibility as a student to know, understand, and follow the Academia Sinica and partner university policies. Violations can have serious consequences, affecting your grades, stipend, academic standing, and future career. Should a student be involved in a violation of academic ethics, his or her case will be applicable to the “Code of Ethics for Academia Sinica Research Fellows and Research Specialists”.
TIGP students are not allowed to work on or off campus, part-time or full-time. They are not allowed to have a paid internship over the summer either. Fail to follow the regulations will jeopardize students' scholarship/stipend.
Scholarship/Stipend is not offered during the deferment of study.
TIGP office will only subsidize tuition fee for international students for 5 consecutive years, during which you only need to pay the same amount as the local students do. If you apply for suspension anytime during those 5 years, the subsidy cannot be delayed for later use.
he scholarship provided by the TIGP fellowship is tax-free. However, your stipend paid from other sources such as an advisor's grant is taxable.

rules of fellowship support and stipends

Medical Insurance

For international students only. Six months after the student have arrived in Taiwan, the student will be qualified for Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Program (NHI). The students are expected to pay the same premium as all the Taiwan citizens and will be entitled to the same medical coverage.

Living and Housing Costs

Options include on-campus housing and off-campus housing. On-campus self-catering student dormitory providing single study bedrooms is available to TIGP students at reasonable costs (for details please visit our website). Off-campus private housing is generally more expensive. Rents for off-campus apartments range from NT$ 5,000 - 15,000 per month.

Meals are available on campus at the Activity Center Cafeteria, the Cafe, the Chinese Restaurant, and the Western Restaurant at modest costs. Various types of local cuisines are also available at off-campus cafeterias and restaurants within walking distance and at affordable costs.