Rethinking university admissionsBy Wen Shun-te 溫順德Out of 64 participating universities in this year’s Stars Program — through which schools directly recommend their top students to universities for admission — only 19 filled their admissions quotas. However, certain departments at elite universities that failed to meet their admissions quotas are not improving. National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) had four vacancies across two departments, and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) had 14 vacancies across four departments. With fewer students meeting those requirements, vacancies remain in the programs, while the remaining four only filled their quotas after a second round of admissions. Although the curriculum reforms were meant to promote adaptive learning and encourage diverse exploration, the mess of university admissions requirements has rendered the pathways system ineffectual.

Source: Taipei Times March 30, 2026 16:31 UTC