Ask a handful of past MOE Taiwan Scholarship recipients what English score they submitted, and you’ll get genuinely different answers — because the scholarship itself doesn’t set one. As one recent recipient’s advisor put it plainly: “the scholarship itself does not set a strict minimum score. Instead, each university may define its own standards depending on the programme.” That’s a meaningfully different structure from most government scholarships covered in this series, where a fixed national threshold applies uniformly. In Taiwan’s case, the flexibility is baked into the system’s design, not an exception you have to search for.

There’s a second detail worth knowing before comparing international student financial aid options across East Asia: Taiwan’s own published eligibility documents state that English proficiency proof is required “except for citizens of English-speaking countries” — a genuine, written carve-out rather than an inferred one. Combined with the fact that Chinese-medium programmes route through an entirely separate test (the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language, not IELTS at all), Taiwan’s scholarship landscape rewards understanding which specific lane your target programme sits in far more than chasing a single universal English score.

This guide walks through exactly which Taiwan scholarships for international students without IELTS genuinely exist for 2027 — from the flagship Ministry of Education programme to the research-focused Taiwan International Graduate Program run by Academia Sinica — along with what each one requires in terms of an accepted English test, an exemption, or the entirely separate Chinese-language route.

Two Lanes, Not One Requirement

Before reading further, sort your target programme into one of two categories: Chinese-medium (requiring TOCFL Level 3 or higher, where IELTS is simply irrelevant) or English-medium (requiring TOEFL, IELTS, or an equivalent, unless you’re a citizen of an English-speaking country). Every scholarship below inherits its language requirement from this same underlying split, so knowing which lane your intended degree programme falls into settles most of the confusion before you even start comparing scholarships.

The Scholarships

1. Taiwan Scholarship Program (Ministry of Education)
Tuition and miscellaneous expenses of up to NTD 40,000 per semester, plus a monthly living allowance of NTD 15,000 for undergraduate or NTD 20,000 for postgraduate recipients, held for up to four years for a Bachelor’s or Doctorate and two years for a Master’s degree.
🔗 english.moe.gov.tw
Citizens of English-speaking countries are explicitly exempt from submitting English proficiency proof, and for everyone else, the scholarship itself doesn’t fix a minimum TOEFL or IELTS score — each individual university sets its own threshold for its own accredited English-taught programme, so the real number you need to hit depends entirely on where you’re applying, not the scholarship’s own rules.

2. Taiwan Scholarship Program — Chinese-Medium Track
The same funding package as above, applied to degree programmes conducted in Mandarin Chinese rather than English.
🔗 english.moe.gov.tw
IELTS has no relevance to this specific track at all — applicants instead submit a Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language score at Level 3 (Intermediate) or higher, making this a genuinely separate application path rather than an IELTS alternative in the usual sense.

3. Taiwan International Graduate Program
Full tuition, a monthly stipend, and living support for PhD candidates conducting research jointly between Academia Sinica and partner Taiwanese universities across biology, chemistry, physics, and interdisciplinary science fields.
🔗 tigp.sinica.edu.tw
Most Taiwan International Graduate Program tracks are taught entirely in English, and applicants coming from a prior English-medium degree are commonly able to proceed without a fresh IELTS score, with proficiency assessed through your academic record and research proposal review instead.

4. Taiwan ICDF Scholarship
Full tuition, a monthly stipend, health insurance, and airfare, for Master’s and PhD candidates specifically from Taiwan’s official development partner countries across Asia-Pacific, Africa, Central America, the Caribbean, and parts of Europe.
🔗 icdf.org.tw
This scholarship restricts applicants to 32 pre-specified English-taught programmes across 18 partner universities, and eligibility is tied firmly to your citizenship of a listed partner country — check the current annually updated list first, since applying from a non-eligible country wastes the opportunity regardless of your academic strength.

5. Huayu Enrichment Scholarship
A monthly allowance of NT$25,000, for intensive Mandarin Chinese language study rather than a full degree programme, typically lasting from two months to a full year.
🔗 english.moe.gov.tw
Worth including specifically because English testing is entirely beside the point here — this programme exists to build your Mandarin ability, often as a stepping stone toward a future Chinese-medium degree application rather than a funding route for existing English-language study plans.

6. National Taiwan University International Scholarships
Merit-based tuition support for international students at Taiwan’s top-ranked university, across both English and Chinese-medium graduate programmes.
🔗 ntu.edu.tw
As Taiwan’s flagship research university, National Taiwan University’s own graduate schools set requirements individually by department — confirm your specific programme’s accepted English documentation directly rather than assuming a single university-wide policy.

7. National Tsing Hua University International Scholarships
Tuition and stipend support for international graduate students, particularly strong in engineering, physics, and semiconductor-related fields.
🔗 nthu.edu.tw
Given Taiwan’s global position in semiconductor manufacturing, National Tsing Hua University is a genuinely strategic option for engineering-focused applicants specifically, with several programmes taught substantially in English to accommodate its international research partnerships.

8. National Cheng Kung University International Scholarships
Merit-based funding for international undergraduate and graduate students across engineering, medicine, and management programmes.
🔗 ncku.edu.tw
Based in Tainan rather than Taipei, National Cheng Kung University offers a noticeably lower cost of living alongside strong academic rankings, worth weighing against the capital-city institutions above if budget stretch matters to your decision.

9. Kaohsiung Medical University International Scholarships
Generous scholarship packages for international Master’s and PhD students across medicine, pharmacy, biomedical sciences, and health sciences.
🔗 kmu.edu.tw
One of the more consistently cited institutions among students specifically pursuing health sciences funding in Taiwan — check current award terms directly, since medical and pharmacy programmes often carry their own distinct application timelines separate from the general university calendar.

10. National Taiwan University of Science and Technology Scholarships
Competitive tuition and stipend support for Master’s and PhD students across engineering, technology, business, and management programmes.
🔗 ntust.edu.tw
A strong applied-technology option among Taiwan’s universities, with programme offerings genuinely comparable to National Taiwan University’s own engineering strengths at a somewhat less competitive admission threshold.

Making Sense of the English Requirement Across the Board

The pattern worth remembering: Taiwan’s national government scholarship writes its exemption for English-speaking-country citizens directly into published policy, while everyone else’s exact required score is decided by their target university and specific programme rather than a fixed national minimum. Where a programme is Chinese-medium instead, the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language becomes the relevant document, and IELTS simply doesn’t enter the conversation at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need IELTS for the MOE Taiwan Scholarship?
Not if you’re a citizen of an English-speaking country — that exemption is written directly into the programme’s eligibility documents. For everyone else applying to an English-taught programme, you’ll need TOEFL, IELTS, or an equivalent, but the specific minimum score is set by your target university rather than the scholarship itself.

What if my target programme is taught in Chinese instead of English?
Then IELTS isn’t the relevant test at all — you’ll need a Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) score at Level 3 or higher, a completely separate proficiency pathway from the English-medium track.

Can I apply for both the MOE Taiwan Scholarship and the Taiwan ICDF Scholarship in the same cycle?
Generally no, since holding concurrent scholarships or subsidies from Taiwan government institutions is typically prohibited under the MOE programme’s own eligibility rules — check both programmes’ current terms before assuming you can combine them.

Does Taiwan’s student visa process check my English proficiency separately?
No. Taiwan’s student visa process, handled through your nearest TECO (Taipei Economic and Cultural Office), focuses on your university admission letter, financial evidence (a certified bank statement showing sufficient funds is typically required), and health documentation — your English proficiency was already assessed and settled during scholarship or university admission.

What the Scholarships Typically Don’t Cover

Even Taiwan’s generous funding packages leave some gaps. The MOE Taiwan Scholarship explicitly caps tuition coverage at NTD 40,000 per semester, meaning any programme charging more requires you to cover the difference yourself. Budget separately for Taiwan’s TECO visa financial evidence requirement (commonly a certified bank statement showing several thousand US dollars in available funds), mandatory National Health Insurance enrollment after your initial arrival period, and settling-in costs before your first stipend payment arrives. A service like Wise is worth using specifically for moving remaining funds or family support into a Taiwan dollar account without the markup a traditional international bank transfer typically carries.

Timing Worth Knowing

The MOE Taiwan Scholarship’s application documents are typically due by March 31 each year, submitted through your nearest TECO or Republic of China overseas mission rather than directly to a university — and importantly, you must apply separately and in parallel to your target university for admission, since the scholarship application alone doesn’t secure a study place. The Taiwan International Graduate Program and Taiwan ICDF Scholarship generally follow their own separate annual cycles tied to Academia Sinica’s and each partner university’s own academic calendar.

Before You Apply

  • Sort your target programme into the Chinese-medium or English-medium lane first, since this determines which test is even relevant
  • Check whether you qualify for the English-speaking-country exemption before assuming you need a fresh TOEFL or IELTS score
  • Confirm your target university’s own specific minimum English score, since the national scholarship itself doesn’t fix one
  • If pursuing Taiwan ICDF specifically, verify your country appears on the current year’s partner-country list before applying
  • Apply to your target university and submit your scholarship application in parallel, since one doesn’t automatically trigger the other
  • Re-verify every scholarship’s current deadline and required documents directly on the official Ministry of Education or Academia Sinica site before applying

Scholarships Without IELTS